Volume 092: Akka 1306 A.H. (1888–1889), Part V (2 of 4)

BH02174: O My Name, O Jamal! The realm of sanctification…

He is God, the Compassionate, the Answering!

O My Name, O Jamal! The realm of sanctification and detachment, which is adorned with wisdom, has been and ever shall be most exalted, most beloved, most excellent and most manifest for the elevation of the Word of God and the advancement of existence. Fear of God is a mighty host before which nothing can stand firm. Yet for your honor, trust and resignation have ever been and continue to be recorded by the Supreme Pen. Praise be to God that from the beginning of the Cause you have held fast to that which exalteth the station of the Cause. This is the testimony of the Wronged One concerning your honor.

Indeed, at all times whatsoever conduceth to the guidance of the servants is beloved in the sight of God. However, since your honor has now somewhat advanced in age, matters that cause hardship are not permitted except within bearable limits, that the tongues of the gloaters and the deniers may be silenced and the Cause of God, the Lord of the worlds, may be exalted thereby. But We conclude this matter with these words—and that is the contentment of the people. We have mentioned it and continue to mention it as a favor from Us, and We make mention of Hubbu’llah who was remembered in the presence of the Wronged One. We beseech God to exalt him through His Name amongst His servants. And We make mention of Aqa Buzurg, whom We mentioned before with words from which wafted the fragrance of loving-kindness and favor. Convey to him My greetings, and to those around you. Thus hath the Pen spoken in this mighty prison.

Regarding what was mentioned about Hubbu’llah, upon him be the glory of God—if your honor would personally undertake this matter, it would be closer to godliness and acceptable in God’s sight. God willing, when it appears and is received, We shall send what behooveth that which We have commanded the servants in My mighty Book. In all conditions your honor must hold fast to that which causeth the exaltation and elevation of God’s Cause. If outward commerce has been disrupted, it mattereth not, for today all must engage in that commerce which illumineth the world and elevateth the peoples. True and spiritual commerce taketh precedence over all else, and that commerce hath ever been exalted stations in the sight of God, the Lord of the mighty throne.

Convey greetings from the Wronged One to the honored partner. Say: Be not grieved at outward loss, for ere long thou shalt behold the profit of thy deeds as a treasure preserved with God, the Compassionate, the Generous.

O Jamal! We desired to make mention of Mahmud Kh-A and console him in what hath befallen him, and comfort him regarding God’s irrevocable decree. Verily, he who hath ascended unto God is in the Most Glorious Horizon—to this doth the Tongue of Bounty bear witness in this exalted station. Remember him and his sister from the Wronged One and give them glad tidings of My acceptance and loving-kindness and what hath appeared for them from this luminous Dawning-Place. We beseech God to send down upon him who hath ascended, at all times, mercy from His presence, and upon them both bounty from His side. He is verily the All-Bountiful, the Most Generous, the Almighty, the Powerful. Glory and peace be upon thee and upon Muhammad-Qabli-Husayn and upon the loved ones there, from the Wronged One, the Imprisoned, the Stranger.

BH02156: Thy letter hath come before the Wronged One…

He is the manifest speaker before the faces of all

Thy letter hath come before the Wronged One and the servant in attendance hath laid it before His face. We found therein thy turning to the lights of the Manifestation, thy drawing nigh unto the horizon of grace, and thy holding fast to the cord of God. Through this the ocean of utterance surged and desired to cast upon thee the pearls of wisdom and knowledge that thou mayest see and thank thy Lord, the Lord of the worlds.

We have sent down from the heaven of bounty that which will draw thee to the most exalted horizon and bring thee near unto God, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. We beseech God to assist thee to rend asunder the veils of the world and enable thee to shatter the idols of vain imaginings, and to ordain for thee what He hath ordained for His loved ones who have cast the world behind their backs and taken hold of the Book of God with a strength and power from Him. Verily thy Lord is the All-Bountiful, the Mighty, the Great.

We beseech God that He may give His servants to drink, through thee, the Kawthar of divine knowledge and make thee a sign of His remembrance in the contingent world. Verily He heareth and seeth and answereth, and He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.

Arise in My name to serve My Cause, then attract the servants through My mention and praise. Beware lest the happenings of the world hold thee back from the Most Great Name, or the might of those who have denied the Day of Judgment. Say: By God! The rustling of the Sadratu’l-Muntaha hath been raised up in the Most Exalted Paradise. Hasten, O people of the earth, and be not of them that hesitate. Beware lest the barking of dogs or the howling of wolves prevent you. Soon shall the world pass away, and the riches of every oppressor, and the might of every transgressor, and the croaking of those who have denied the proof of God and His testimony when He came with the kingdom of verses and mighty sovereignty.

Thus hath the sun shone upon thee with its lights that thou mayest rejoice and be of them that arise to serve this Cause, whereby the limbs of the ungodly have quaked. When thou art illumined by the lights of thy Lord’s utterance, the All-Merciful, say: Glory be unto Thee, O my God, O Thou Who art the Lord of all existence and the Ruler of the kingdoms! I beseech Thee by the movement of Thy Most Exalted Pen, whereby all things were attracted, and by Thy Name through which Thou didst subdue the kingdom of names, to make me speak forth Thy remembrance and stand firm in Thy love in such wise that neither the doubts of the doubtful nor the signs of the heedless shall hold me back. Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. O my Lord! Ordain for me what beseemeth the ocean of Thy bounty and the heaven of Thy bestowal. Thou art, verily, the Most Generous, the Bountiful.

From the heaven of bounty thou didst seek permission to attain His presence. God, exalted be His glory, hath ever turned the gaze of His loving-kindness toward His loved ones and continueth to do so. However, in these days certain oppressors, enkindled with the fire of greed, passion and desire, have raised up the standard of hypocrisy in the Great City and have clung to tyranny and rebellion. Therefore the lights of the Sun of permission have been concealed behind the clouds until such time as God shall lift them away through a power from Him and a sovereignty from His presence. Verily He hath power over whatsoever He willeth, and He is the Commander, the All-Wise.

The glory be upon thee and upon whosoever hearkeneth unto thy words concerning this News whereby the back of every learned one was broken, the limbs of every oppressor quaked, and the hearts of the heedless were troubled.

BH02161: This Most Holy, Most Exalted Tablet was revealed…

He is the Expositor, the All-Knowing

This Most Holy, Most Exalted Tablet was revealed in the most eloquent Arabic. Now We desire to speak in the luminous tongue, and We beseech and implore God, exalted be His glory, not to deprive His servants of the Kawthar of wisdom and knowledge that lies hidden and concealed therein.

Mention thou unto David—upon him be My glory—from the Wronged One. Verily We perceived in him a sign of acceptance, We turned toward him from the prison, and revealed for him that which will draw him unto God, the Lord of all worlds.

O thou who gazest upon the Countenance! Reflect upon the previous people—despite their seeking and yearning, when the Sun of Revelation shone forth from the horizon of the Will of Him Who conversed on Sinai, all arose in opposition and committed that which caused the horizons of the cities of divine knowledge and wisdom to be veiled from sight.

In truth, at the first station and primary rank, those who prevented others were souls who counted themselves as sources of utterance and dawning-places of knowledge. And when the light shone forth they became as veils. These are the greatest veils in the sight of God, the Possessor of Destiny. The heedlessness of such souls reached such a point that they occupy themselves with cursing and reviling God, exalted be His glory, from pulpits, and they perceive it not.

In these days the lamentations and moaning of pulpits in Iran have been raised high, for they were created and brought into being for the mention and praise of God, but now, we seek refuge in God, they are observed to be the place and station of the opposers and deniers. By the life of God! The sighs of those near unto God are raised up at this time and the tears of the sincere ones are flowing. The party that considered itself the most noble of all parties in the world and the most refined of all peoples is now observed to be the most abject and abased. They have committed that which no party among all parties hath committed.

We hope that thou mayest be aided to rend asunder the veils of all who are on earth. This is not difficult for God. When thou hearest the call of the Wronged One and findest the fragrance of the utterance of His Name, the Self-Subsisting, say:

Glory be unto Thee, O my God! Aid this servant of Thine to assist Thy Cause among Thy servants and to establish Thy commandments and ordinances. O my God! Thou art He Who reminded me when I was silent in Thy remembrance. I beseech Thee by the breaths of Thy revelation whereby the cities of justice and fairness were perfumed, and by the light shining forth from the horizon of favor and grace, to make me arise to serve Thy Cause in such wise that the Pharaohs of the days and the tyrants of the peoples will not frighten me. Then enable me to rend asunder the veils through Thy power, Thy sovereignty and Thy might, and ordain for me what Thou hast ordained for Thy chosen ones and trusted ones.

O my God! I am he who hath turned unto Thee and placed his trust in Thee and committed his affairs unto Thee. I beseech Thee not to disappoint me from the waves of the ocean of Thy grace and bounty. O Lord! Adorn my head with the crown of detachment and my temple with the robe of godliness, that I may arise to mention Thee, detached from all else save Thee and severed from whatsoever is besides Thee. Verily Thou art the Powerful over what Thou willest. There is none other God but Thee, the Single, the One, the Self-Subsisting, the Guardian over what was and what shall be.

BH02220: The dust and smoke of oppression and tyranny hath…

He is the Hearer, the Answerer.

The dust and smoke of oppression and tyranny hath encompassed Iran. Justice, poor and helpless, lies tormented in the claws of rancor and hatred. Glory be to God! Such heedlessness hath seized the people of Iran that they have taken abasement for glory and loss for mighty gain. Soon shall they see the recompense of their deeds and find for themselves neither helper nor protector.

O Ali, praise be to God that through the effulgences of the lights of the Daystar of divine grace thou didst set thy face toward the Most Glorious Homeland and Supreme Horizon, and didst attain thereunto. God aided thee, the Hands of His Cause took hold of thee, and guided thee to thy furthest goal and highest purpose. We testify that thou didst turn and attain that which was inscribed and recorded in the Books of God, the Lord of the worlds. And We testify that thou didst enter and arrive and attain the presence before the Face, and didst hear with thine own ear the call of the Wronged One. Thou didst take the choice wine of reunion from the hand of bounty and drink it in His Name, the One Who dominateth over what was and what shall be.

We beseech God to aid thee in all conditions to do that which will cause the exaltation of the Word of God amongst His servants. Blessed art thou for having served thy Lord over successive years and for being entrusted with watering the House for a time. Verily thy Lord is the All-Bountiful, the Generous. The recompense of no one hath been nor ever shall be lost with God. Through God’s grace—glorified be His majesty—thou must pass through the lands like the breezes of dawn in the divine springtime, giving the glad tidings of true unity to the servants, lest they become like the people of the Furqan who each day set up a new god and took hold of an idol. We hope that in this Most Great Revelation all shall attain to that which is the cause of eternal life and the source of everlasting grace. O Ali, upon thee be My glory. Thou hast ever been and art remembered, and special grace hath encompassed thee and those souls mentioned by God.

O Muhammad Ali, thy son hath attained to serving Me and circumambulated the Kaaba of God, the All-Subduing, the Self-Subsisting. He came before the Face by Our command and departed by leave of his Lord, the All-Bounteous, the Mighty, the Forgiving. That which caused all things and honored servants to lament befell you in the path of God. We have returned thy son to thee that thine eye may be consoled thereby and thou mayest be of those who turned and won that which was inscribed by the Pen of God, the Lord of what was and what shall be. We give thee the glad tidings of God’s grace and bounty, and counsel thee with that which rejoiceth hearts and souls.

Say: O people, fear God and be not of those who denied God’s proof and evidence and rejected His grace. They verily are among the heedless. We love to mention El-Ha’i in every Tablet. We testify that he attained the presence and won the meeting with God, the Possessor of the seen and unseen.

BH02242: O Hakim! The conditions of self and passion have…

He is the Expositor, the All-Knowing!

O Hakim! The conditions of self and passion have encompassed the world. Every day from the clouds of the tyrannical ones’ glory rain down calamities. The rights of the people have been entirely lost. This Wronged One observed that every year warfare and conflict would arise between the Babi and Shi’ih parties, with many slain on both sides. In the battles of Nayriz, Tabarsi and Zanjan, nearly fifteen thousand souls were consigned to death.

For the protection and preservation of God’s servants, this Wronged One, with no helper or assistant save a single pen, aided both government and people, and through loving counsels and wise admonitions removed killing and plunder from their midst. We transformed weapons into instruments of peace. For forty years no one has moved contrary to what God has willed.

Thus in the land of Sad the oppressors of the world perpetrated that which caused the Supreme Pen to lament, and in ʿIshqabad occurred that which brought grief to all the world’s different parties. You have surely heard the details. Yet in no instance did the people of God rise in self-defense, but rather held fast to submission and contentment. Nevertheless the unjust people remained heedless and manifested a wickedness that had and has no equal or likeness. Say: Fear God, O people, and be not of the oppressors.

Praise be to God that the martyrdom of His loved ones in this Most Great Cause transformed rejection and denial into acceptance and recognition, such that this party now associates with all the world’s parties in utmost love and fellowship. The hearing and sight of the people have likewise progressed, and wings besmeared with clay have been cleansed and sanctified by the Kawthar of utterance and are now capable of flight. We hope that grace and favor will teach all a new way of soaring, that perchance the helpless people may attain rest and freedom from the vain imaginings of the world’s clay-dwellers.

Although the wickedness of the oppressors has reached such a degree that the pens of the world are incapable and powerless to record it, strive, O Hakim, that perhaps your counsels may serve as a barrier between the fire of malicious souls and the helpless servants. Although in truth abundant fruits have appeared, for since the day that strife and conflict were forbidden in the heavenly Books, no more than nineteen souls have perished over forty years.

Say: O servants! We have previously stated that ye are all the fruits of one tree and the leaves of one branch. In the station of love and kindness be as rain-laden clouds, and in seizing the conditions of self and passion be as a blazing flame. Strive to exalt the blessed Most Great Word, that perchance the withered leaves of earth may become fresh and verdant through the spring showers of the mercy of the knowing and accomplished ones. The glory from Us be upon you and upon whoever hearkens to your words concerning this Most Great Announcement.

BH02191: The Light shining and gleaming, dawning from the horizon…

He is the Comforter, the Consoler, the All-Bountiful, the Most Generous

The Light shining and gleaming, dawning from the horizon of the heaven of bounty be upon thee, O thou who gazest toward the Most Exalted Horizon. The mercy that precedeth all, from the Dayspring of the munificence of the Lord of existence, be upon thee, O thou who turned unto God when the people turned away from Him. The manifest glorification from the horizon of the will of the Lord of the Kingdom of Names be upon thee, O dawning-place of faithfulness in the realm of creation. The peace shining forth from the horizon of the Kingdom of utterance be upon thee, O thou who answered thy Lord when the call was raised between earth and heaven. The lights dawning from the Sun of His Most Glorious Name be upon thee, O thou who attained unto the word “yea” whilst thou wert in the hands of the enemies.

Thou art he who broke not God’s Covenant and His Testament, and denied not God’s proof and His evidence. Thou didst turn with the greatest steadfastness and didst take the Kawthar of eternity from the hand of bounty and drink before all faces in the name of thy Lord, the Creator of earth and heaven. The rapture of the Call seized thee such that thou didst abandon the community of those who believed not in God and His signs, and acknowledged not His grandeur and His sovereignty and His might and His power.

We bear witness that thou didst speak that which the Tongue of Utterance spoke in the contingent world and didst turn with thy heart unto God, thy Lord, the All-Merciful. Blessed art thou for having drunk the choice wine of understanding and having held fast to the cord of the loving-kindness of thy Lord, the Lord of all mankind. Thou didst attain unto that which most of the servants attained not, and wert steadfast in the love of thy Lord such that obliteration took thee not, and standing such that sitting followed it not, and speaking such that silence overtook it not. Thou art in the Supreme Companion and the Lord of all doth mention thee in the prison of ʿAkka. Thou art he who heard the blame of the blamers in the path of God, the King, the Truth, the Manifest Justice.

We beseech God to send down upon thee at all times mercy from His presence and grace from His own Self and a table from His side. Verily He is the Powerful, the Mighty, the Bestower.

Blessed art thou, O Siyyid-Rida, for having stood firm in the service of God and His loved ones. We bear witness that through thee and thy like were the gates of acceptance opened for the servants and the rains of mercy rained down upon the lands. Blessed is he who turneth toward thy resting-place and visiteth thee through that which was sent down from the heaven of the Will of God, the Lord of Lords.

It behooveth him who visiteth thee to say before thy tomb:

“My God, my God! I beseech Thee by the clamor of Thy yearning ones and the cry of those who long for Thee, and by the hearts that are entangled in separation from Thee, and by the livers that melted in remoteness from Thee, and by the breasts that faced the arrows in Thy path, and by the spirits that ascended in yearning for meeting Thee, to forgive me and him who visiteth this station which was mentioned by Thy Most Exalted Pen, and ordain for me and for him the good of the hereafter and the former life and what Thou hast ordained for Thy chosen ones. Thou art He to Whose pardon and bounty all created things have testified, and to Whose gifts and favors all beings have borne witness. There is none other God but Thee, the All-Bestowing, the Compassionate, the Generous.”

BH02300: O Haydar-ʿAli! Today, which is the third day…

O Haydar-ʿAli! Today, which is the third day of the Islamic Festival, the Greater Branch made mention of you. Therefore, the Supreme Pen desired to make mention of you in such wise as will immortalize your remembrance among all mentions, your spirit among all spirits, and your body among all bodies. Verily, your Lord is the All-Compassionate, the All-Bountiful.

You mentioned the Afnan, upon whom rest My glory and loving-kindness. Praise be to God, they have attained to the mention of God, exalted be His glory, and are adorned with the verses of the Supreme Pen. Time and again they have attained to that which hath no peer or likeness, and that is the Tablet of God in His days. He hath testified that he heard, turned unto and answered his Lord, the Almighty, the All-Powerful. We were with him and witnessed his deeds in the path of God. We beseech Him, exalted be He, to send down upon him from the clouds of His mercy and the heaven of His generosity the rains of His grace and blessing from His presence. Verily, He is the Hearer, the Answerer.

In these days mention of him hath repeatedly flowed from the Supreme Pen. News hath recently arrived of the presence of the Afnan, upon whom rest My glory and loving-kindness, together with the honored Amin, upon whom be the glory of God, the True King, the Manifest Justice. They attained the Most Holy Court and heard with their own ears the call of the Divine Lote-Tree. Blessed are they and blessed is he who hath heard the call of God, the Almighty, the Glorious, the All-Wise.

O Ahmad! Upon thee be the glory of God. We testify that thou didst turn and didst attain in the days of God, the Lord of the mighty Throne. Most of creation hath been prevented from the mention of God, the Creator of heaven, but thou didst attain, and We are among those who bear witness. Take hold of the Book of God with the power granted by Him and the sovereignty bestowed by Him. Verily, He is the Helper, the Almighty, the All-Knowing.

O Musa! Behold and remember the days of Moses. He desired what He desired and heard what He heard, and thou hearest in this hour the call of God, the King, the Just, the Manifest. When thou soarest on the wings of utterance in the atmosphere of the love of thy Lord, the All-Merciful, say: Praise be unto Thee, O my God, for having given me to drink, from the hand of Thy bounty, the cup of Thy loving-kindness. I beseech Thee to assist me, under all conditions, to remain steadfast in Thy love and Thy Cause, O Thou in Whose grasp is the dominion of all who are in the heavens and on earth.

O Tahir! Praise be to God, the world is illumined with the lights of the manifestation of the Most Great Luminary and hath become manifest. Beseech God to remove the veil that all may attain to that which hath been recorded and inscribed by the Supreme Pen in the sacred scrolls and tablets.

O Tahir! Hatred hath erased the white spot from the heart. Beseech God to deliver all from this grievous affliction, that they may turn with purified hearts, steadfast feet, attentive ears and enlightened breasts, and find that for which they were created from nothingness. Glory be from Us upon those whom My Supreme Pen hath mentioned at this time. Praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.

BH02254: Praise be to God Who hath opened, through…

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

Praise be to God Who hath opened, through the Key of His Most Great Name, the doors of the hearts of the world, and made known to them His straight Path and His mighty Command. And blessings and peace be upon the Lord of the Prophets, through whom descended the table of knowledge and flowed the valley of Batha, and upon His family and companions, through whom surged the ocean of utterance in creation and the tongue spoke forth in the kingdom of proof. The Kingdom belongeth unto God, the Almighty, the Glorious, the All-Bountiful.

This is a Book from the Wronged One to him who hath attained the presence of the Countenance and won the lights of the Luminary of God’s Book, the Lord of the worlds. Thy letter was presented before the Face. I truly say that this servant hath, from the earliest days until now, summoned the people of Iran to justice and fairness. In truth, whosoever is not adorned with these two blessed attributes hath not been and is not accounted among men. Mention was made of trustworthiness and detachment. We hope that God, exalted be His glory, will illumine and adorn all with what hath been mentioned. Verily He hath power over all things.

At one time We made mention in the preface of the Book of Detachment of the blessed, decisive Word of the Friend, that perchance its fragrance might perfume the world and make the peoples aware. When the fire of Nimrod’s tyranny was aflame and the decree to burn the temple of the Friend of that time—may our soul be a sacrifice for Him—issued forth from that dayspring of misbelief, there appeared from His Holiness that whose fragrance shall never cease from the worlds of inner meanings, utterance, wisdom and knowledge. When they suspended Him in the fire, Gabriel, by God’s command, came to Him and asked: “Hast thou any need?” He replied: “No, not of thee.” By the life of God, the fragrance of this utterance illumined the realities of existence with the light of detachment. Should any soul attain to the heat of this utterance, he would pass beyond the world and all therein and would hold fast to what God hath willed.

Be not grieved at what hath befallen thee. We beseech God, exalted be His glory, to open and keep open the doors of grace and bounty before the faces of His loved ones. He is the Powerful, the Mighty. Praise be to God, thou hast been specially favored and illumined with the light of faith. We beseech God to aid thee and cause thee to attain that which is the cause of eternal salvation. Verily He is the Strong, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. Convey My greetings to the loved ones. This Wronged One hath ever besought for the loved ones that which hath been the cause of exaltation, ascendancy, grace and bounty. This Tablet doth testify unto that, the Mighty, the Wondrous. Peace and glory be 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 unto Him, for He is the Goal of the hearts of them that know.

BH05706: Details regarding the Tablet revealed on Mount Carmel

Details regarding the Tablet revealed on Mount Carmel:

After the arrival and descent of the Ancient Beauty, exalted be His glory, at that elevated spot, when noon arrived, the food tablecloth was brought and spread in His presence and the meal was served. Suddenly He commanded: “Take up the pen, and with power and grandeur, openly in a clear voice, the verses of God were revealed while the monk of that place stood by listening.” When it reached the point that was recorded, since outwardly the meal had been served and those present were waiting, He said: “Let it be for now, we will complete it later.” And later when He turned toward Akka from Haifa, He mentioned at the mansion: “The Tablet of Carmel was not completed. Bring it sometime so we may complete it.” Outwardly it was this servant’s failing that the blessed Tablet remained incomplete, but inwardly—and exalted be His all-encompassing knowledge—He knows for what reason it remained suspended and incomplete, and by what means it should be completed. For there were allusions revealed in the Tablet, and its relationship with God was previously established and verified in the books of the Messengers and in wondrous, sublime verses and God’s clear Book. The power is His and the knowledge is with Him.

BH11725: Praise befitteth the Lord of all worlds Who hath…

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

Praise befitteth the Lord of all worlds Who hath ever remembered and continueth to remember His loved ones, and the effulgent rays of His Sun of grace have encompassed all. His is the bounty and the bestowal, His the grace and the exaltation. Blessings and peace be upon His loved ones who have made it their endeavor to serve His Cause, to aid His commandments, to exalt His Word, and to improve whatsoever is associated with His name. He is the Helper in all conditions, for He is the Self-Sufficient, the Most High.

And now, O beloved of my heart, his honor Afnan—upon him be the Most Glorious Glory—hath written that they have acquired a piece of land in that region dedicated to the name of God, exalted be His glory. After being presented at the Most Holy Court, it was honored with acceptance, and They commanded:

“Write to ʿAli-Qabl-i-Akbar, upon him be My glory, that the construction and development of that place rests with you. This is from God’s grace upon you. We have instructed the Greater Afnan to write to you whatever he deems advisable. This deed shall endure throughout the kingdom of earth and heaven. Well is it with thee, and blessed art thou!”

We extend greetings and salutations to the friends in that land. Make mention of him who shares the name of the Traveler on behalf of the Wronged One. Praise be to God, he hath attained to that which was recorded in the Books and inscribed by the Most Exalted Pen.

O ʿAli-Qabl-i-Akbar! We counsel thee to that which conduceth to unity and concord. Through harmony, the horizons have been illumined by the light of the one true Sun. Should anyone, God forbid, whosoever and wheresoever they may be, utter a word that causeth discord, they are rejected. We have labored intensely until this Cause became somewhat manifest in the cities and lands, its light resplendent and its radiance evident. All must now, with wisdom and utterance, summon the peoples of the world to the horizon of the All-Merciful. The endeavors of the divine men must be directed to this matter. This is the divine counsel that hath been revealed from the luminous Pen in this darksome night. Glory be upon you from God, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

Some time ago, this servant wrote and sent a detailed letter to that beloved one, and likewise the sacred and blessed Tablets requested by you and he who shares the name of the Intended One were dispatched. God willing, their recipients shall drink from the Kawthar of inner meanings concealed within the divine words and become detached from all else but God. Glory, remembrance and praise be upon you and upon those who are with you in God’s Cause, our Lord and your Lord and the Lord of the mighty throne.

BH02326: Praise be to the Intended One who was not…

He is the Dawning Place from the horizon of the heaven of bounty!

Praise be to the Intended One who was not prevented by the hatred and malice of the people of tyranny and wickedness, nor by the calumnies of enemies, from His sacred and all-compelling purpose. The clamor of princes and the whisperings of divines did not hold Him back from manifesting His Cause before the faces of all parties. Before all faces He spoke the blessed word “He doeth what He willeth.” The power of the world did not weaken His might, nor did the oppression of nations prevent His Word from penetrating. In the trials that befell Him and the tribulations that descended, He held fast to the cord of patience, His purpose being to extinguish, through loving counsels and wise admonitions, the fire of hatred between the various peoples, so that the light of the words “on thrones facing one another” might illumine the horizons with the light of unity and concord.

O Afnan! Upon thee be My glory and loving-kindness. Thou hast ever been and art remembered before the Wronged One. Praise be to God Who aided thee to turn toward the Most Sublime Horizon, Who opened before thy face, with the key of bounty, the door of reunion, and Who protected thee on the path through a company of the exalted Concourse, until thou didst stand before the Door and drink the wine of reunion from the hand of the bounty of thy Lord, the All-Possessing, the Most Exalted. Say: My God, my God! Praise be to Thee for having brought me before the throne of Thy manifestation, caused me to hear Thy call, and shown me the lights of Thy countenance. I beseech Thee by the breathings of Thy revelation and the traces of Thy Pen to make me in all conditions steadfast in Thy love and standing firm in the service of Thy Cause with wisdom and utterance. Verily Thou art the Almighty Whom the doings of the servants cannot frustrate. There is none other God but Thee, the Powerful, the Speaker, the Commander in the beginning and in the end.

When the honored Afnan, upon him be the glory of God and His loving-kindness and grace, intended to turn toward those regions, this Most Holy, Most Exalted Tablet was revealed from the Source of Command and Dawning-Place of God’s decree and was sent forth from the sacred heaven, that thou mayest find from it the fragrance of the loving-kindness of God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. The letter which thou didst send from one of My loved ones hath come before the Wronged One. We heard its cry and answered it with verses that cannot be equaled by the books of the people nor by what the kings and rulers possess. We beseech God, exalted be He, to ordain for thee that which will draw thee nigh unto Him and preserve thee from His enemies and assist thee in every world of His worlds. Verily thy Lord is the All-Bountiful, the Generous.

Convey to the loved ones of that land the greetings and peace of the Wronged One, and illumine them with the splendors of the Day-Star of utterance of the Intended One of all the worlds. The dear one hath been repeatedly mentioned in the Most Holy Court, and We have sent him that which gladdeneth hearts and delighteth eyes. The trust hath been preserved in the divine fortress of protection, and now the honored Afnan, upon him be the glory of the All-Merciful, is its bearer. We beseech God to cause him to attain the honor of meeting with his Tablet. Verily He is the All-Bountiful, the Generous. The glory shining and gleaming from the horizon of the heaven of God’s mercy be upon My Afnan who hath attained My presence and drunk the choice wine of reunion from the hand of My bounty, and upon thee and upon My loved ones there who heard the call from the Most Sublime Horizon and said:

“We believe in Thee, O Thou the Intended One of all in the heavens and the earth.”

BH02363: O My Nabil! Upon thee be My glory…

He is God, blessed and exalted! To Him be all mercy and faithfulness.

O My Nabil! Upon thee be My glory and loving-kindness. Thou hast ever been and art still beneath the glance of favor. Verily We were with thee in all conditions when thou wert traveling through the lands to spread the remembrance and the verses. Blessed art thou, and blessed thy beginning and end, thy outward and inward being.

Thou didst mention His honor Aqa ʿAli-Haydar, upon whom be My glory and loving-kindness, who arose to aid My Cause. Blessed is he. We testify that he hath attained unto that which was inscribed by the Supreme Pen in the Books of God, the Lord of the worlds.

The papers which his honor, who hath turned to the Most Exalted Horizon, Varqa—upon him be the glory of God, the Lord of all beings—wrote in the words of him who standeth in service to the Cause, have been presented and heard. This Wronged One Himself read them before all. We beseech God to grant him a reward that cannot be equaled by the treasures of the world, nor by the seas and what is therein, nor by the mountains and what lieth hidden within them. He is verily the Generous, the Possessor of great bounty. We have mentioned him in these days and sent unto him that which every word thereof beareth witness to God’s loving-kindness, mercy and grace. We beseech Him, exalted be He, to aid him and strengthen him to preserve what hath been sent down unto him from the heaven of the bounty of his Lord, the All-Bountiful, the Generous.

O Nabil! Write the response to the loved ones, upon them be the glory of God. Remind My chosen ones of My verses and that which hath shone forth from the horizon of the heaven of My Pen, and give them the glad-tidings of My mercy and that which My tongue hath uttered in this exalted station.

O Nabil! The Supreme Pen beareth witness to the acceptance and devotion of two exalted souls. Blessed are they and blessed is he who hath heard their words concerning the Great News of God.

Mention was made in thy letter of His honor ʿAli, upon him be My glory. Convey unto him My glorification and give him the glad-tidings of My mention of him. We beseech God, blessed and exalted be He, to assist him and His loved ones to exalt His Word through wisdom and utterance. Verily He is the Hearer, the Answerer, the Helper.

And We desire to end Our words with the mention of him who hath turned to My horizon, heard My call, and drunk the choice wine of utterance from the cup of My bounty—he who was named ʿAbdu’llah in My kingdom and in My perspicuous Book. Praise be to God, for some time he took up residence beneath the Lote-Tree of the Utmost Boundary and on most days partook of the Kawthar of meeting and the Salsabil of reunion. We beseech God to open before his face the gate of steadfastness, bounty, mercy and faithfulness. Verily He is the All-Bountiful, the Generous, and in His grasp are the reins of all affairs of the first and the last.

The glory shining from the horizon of the heaven of My grace be upon thee and upon them and upon those who have heard the call from the Most Exalted Horizon and have said:

“Yea, yea, O Thou Goal of all who are in the heavens and on earth!”

BH02337: He speaks in the Kingdom of Utterance

He speaks in the Kingdom of Utterance:

The Day of Return has come, and the factions are in evident turmoil. Among them are those who have denied God’s grace and His Manifestation and His mercy and His sovereignty, and among them are those who have heard and hastened and acknowledged that which the Tongue of Grandeur has spoken in the place which God has made the circling-point of the Concourse on High and the dwellers of the Most Exalted Paradise and the angels brought nigh.

O Javad! The All-Bountiful has come from the horizon of power for the unity of the factions and their agreement in this Cause, whereby the ocean of generosity has surged and the Tree has proclaimed:

“The Kingdom and the Dominion belong to God, the Lord of the worlds!”

Your name has attained the honor of presence before the Lord of Names, and your call has been heard. Verily your Lord is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing. The Wronged One has heard your call and has answered you from the prison precinct, as a grace from His presence, that you might arise to that which will exalt the Word of God among all else. He is the Ordainer, the All-Wise.

Blessed is the soul that has purified its ear from tales of old and its eyes from beholding the traces of those who have denied the Day of Judgment. Say: O people of justice and fairness! The Self-Subsisting has appeared on this Day wherein the Dove has warbled upon the highest branches, and the Rock has cried out before all religions, and the breeze has wafted, and the ocean of grandeur has surged, and the Caller has called from a near place: Fear God, and prevent not yourselves from turning towards Him, nor your eyes from beholding His signs, nor your ears from this Utterance, at whose appearance every remote oppressor was thunderstruck.

Beware, O people of the earth, lest you follow your desires. Follow Him Who has guided you to the Most Great Path and the Mighty News. When you attain the choice wine of My utterance and the intoxication of the Kawthar of My bounty takes hold of you, say:

Glorified art Thou, O my God! Praise be to Thee for having guided me on a Day wherein the heaven of idle fancy was cleft asunder, and the mountain of knowledge was reduced to dust, and that which was hidden in the fortress of Thy protection was made manifest. I beseech Thee, O Thou Who holdest the reins of the world, by Thy Name through which Thou hast subdued the nations, to make me of those who have aided Thy Cause and spoken Thy praise and turned towards Thy horizon and drunk the choice wine of revelation from the hands of Thy bounty. O Lord! I am Thy servant and the son of Thy servant. I have held fast unto Thee, detached from all else but Thee. I beseech Thee by the tears of the sincere ones and the sighs of them that are nigh unto Thee in their separation from Thee, to aid me to stand firm with such steadfastness as cannot be shaken by the doubts of the doubters nor the cawing of the crows, and to enable me to serve Thy Cause with wisdom and utterance. Thou art verily the Powerful, the Mighty, the All-Bountiful.

My God, my God! Thou hearest my cry and beholdest my state. I beseech Thee by Him Who conversed with the Tree, through Whom the Tree of the Manifestation spoke, to ordain for me that which will draw me nigh unto Thee in every world of Thy worlds. Verily Thou art the All-Bountiful, the Generous, and Thou art the Commander, the Powerful, the Forgiving, the Merciful.

BH02401: This is a remembrance from Us to him who…

In the Name of Him Who speaks, Whom the tongues of the world have not hindered.

This is a remembrance from Us to him who hath attained to turning towards the Most Exalted Horizon, when every heedless and doubtful denier turned away from it. Blessed is he who hath attained unto recognition when the Ancient King was established upon the Most Great Throne with a sovereignty that conquered all who are in the heavens and earth.

O Hasan! Hear the call from the Most Exalted Horizon: The Kingdom and the Dominion, the Grandeur and the Power belong to the King of Kings, Who has come with a might that the hosts could not prevent and with a power that the ranks could not weaken. He has stood before all faces and said: The door of meeting has been opened and the fragrance of reunion has been diffused. Blessed are they who advance and blessed is he who has advanced and said:

“Praise be to Thee, O Thou Who art the Goal of the hearts of the knowers, for having manifested Thy Cause and sent down from the heaven of Thy generosity that which has made known to Thy creation Thy path, taught them Thy way, and guided them to Thy luminous horizon.”

O Hasan, after Muhammad, upon thee be My glory! We have turned unto thee and made known to thee what was hidden from the servants, and aided thee with the means of earth and heaven, until thou didst advance and present thyself before a door which was opened to all in the heavens and earth. Thou didst drink the choice wine of reunion from the hand of the bounty of the Dawning-Place of Beauty, and didst attain unto that which was inscribed and recorded by the Most Exalted Pen in the Books of God, the Lord of the worlds. We aided thee to turn and be present for the triumph of the Cause—to this My mighty Book bears witness. Hear My call once again and arise to triumph My firm and mighty Cause.

In Persian, hear the call of the Wronged One, that thou mayest attain to that which is enduring and eternal. God, exalted be His glory, bestowed favor and confirmed with countless means until thou didst enter that place which was and is the point of circumambulation of the Concourse on High and the near angels. Consider this bounty great and preserve it in the name of God, the Preserver, exalted be His glory. Hear the call of the Wronged One and arise to unite hearts and refine souls. Say: O people! Know ye the value of these divine days and hold fast to that which is befitting. Soon will the cry “The departure! The departure!” seize all and summon them from this transient realm to the station of eternal glory.

Blessed is the soul that has turned with a detached heart and firm purpose, and has set course for the Most Exalted Station and the Supreme Summit. He is assuredly among those near to God in His Book. His honor Amin, upon him be My glory, has mentioned thee repeatedly. It is hoped thou wilt arise to serve the Cause and strive to attain enduring stations. Verily God is the Compassionate, the Bestower, the Generous. Glory be upon thee and upon My friends there who have advanced and said: “The Kingdom belongs to God, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy.”

BH02448: This is a letter from the Luminary…

He is God, exalted be His glory and mighty His proof!

This is a letter from the Luminary of the horizons to one of the people of the Covenant, that he may rejoice in My remembrance of him, My turning toward him, and My directing My face to his direction. Praise sanctified above the mention of the tongue befitteth the Goal of the worlds, Who through the penetrating power of utterance conquered the world of contingent being, and through the sword of knowledge purified and sanctified the cities of the hearts and souls of the sincere ones from idle fancies and vain imaginings. Exalted be His might and great His sovereignty! There is no power except through Him.

O thou who hast dawned from the horizon of submission and contentment! Hear the call of the Wronged One. He hath turned toward thee from the precincts of the Prison and hath mentioned thee with that which hath diffused the fragrance of love and affection, that thou mayest be thankful and be of those who attain. Such is the grace that, in the midst of tribulations which have encompassed from every direction, the face hath turned toward thee and the tongue hath uttered thy praise.

O thou who gazeth toward My horizon! Thou knowest, and God knoweth, that We have commanded all with that which would exalt their stations and manifest what lay hidden in the treasuries of their hearts and temples. Yet they cast behind them what the Wronged One desired and took what they were bidden by every heedless and remote one.

That soul hath ever been and remains illumined by the lights of the Luminary of remembrance. We beseech God, exalted be His glory, to aid that soul to exalt the Word and elevate the station.

Say: My God, my God! The hearts of the lovers have melted from the fire of separation from Thee, and the livers of Thy servants have been consumed by their remoteness and separation from Thee through the decree of Thy judgment. O Lord! Thou seest my condition and hearest my lamentation. I beseech Thee by the light of Thy reunion and the fire of the Tree of Thy nearness to ordain for me that which shall make me known by Thy name and speaking in Thy praise. O Lord! Thou seest how the distant one hath drawn nigh unto the pavilion of Thy glory, and the sightless one unto the Kawthar of life in the precincts of Thy mercy. I beseech Thee by the Word through which the hearts of the mystics were set ablaze in Thy love and the hearts of them that are nigh were attracted by the light of Thy knowledge, to make me the cupbearer of the wine of Thy utterance amongst Thy servants.

By Thy glory, O God of existence! The fire of separation from Thee hath consumed me. Where is the light of reunion with Thee? My remoteness from Thy court hath destroyed me. Where are the splendors of the Daystar of meeting with Thee? I beseech Thee not to disappoint me of what Thou hast ordained for the sincere ones among Thy creation and them that are nigh among Thy servants. Then write down for me, O my God, that which shall make me mighty through Thy might, luminous through Thy light, manifest through Thy name and hidden through Thy Command, that I may recount what Thou hast ordained for Thy loved ones and speak, acknowledging that Thou art the First and the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden. There is no God but Thee, the Powerful, the Mighty, the All-Bountiful.

BH02495: O Ism-i-Jud, upon you be the peace and care…

He is God, exalted is He.

O Ism-i-Jud, upon you be the peace and care of God. The letter of Haji Shaykh, upon him be God’s peace, was read in the presence. His stay in that land is good, and according to what they have written, he has acquitted himself well. However long he remains for the sake of setting affairs right is acceptable. We beseech God to assist him with wisdom and utterance and to expose through him the deeds of the treacherous ones, the calumniators and the liars. Verily He is powerful over all things.

Give news to Sayyalih Barqiyyih that she should stay. We seek divine confirmation for her in all conditions. The friends should not be saddened by the utterances of the ungodly. The one who was expelled from this land due to his vile deeds will surely speak calumnies, and likewise that other soul who intended to consume people’s wealth will surely turn away, for no fair and just person has or will confirm the deeds of such souls. From those very calumnies the truth and falsehood become evident to all and the Cause is exalted thereby. Ignorance and foolishness have no good end. The ultimate victory belongs to God’s chosen ones and loved ones.

The presence of Afnan A. and H., upon him be peace—their refraining from making claims is beloved and acceptable. The purpose of sending them was so that the people of the Threshold would know they had not fled and were not frightened by the calumnies of the calumniators and the gloating of the liars. His being in that place has worked out very well. And since Haji Shaykh was a partner, there is and was no harm in him making claims after receiving assurance from the authorities. The Observer is also determined. After the arrival of the Observer, if the Afnan sees it advisable for the Trustee to return to Iran, there is no harm. It must happen with their consent.

Write the details [of the Qur’an] also so they may request it. Get a letter from Aqa Husayn-Ali with some seals and [send it] to Mirza Hasan. In any case, what Haji Shaykh Muhammad-Ali has written that they said was appropriate. We seek assistance for him in all conditions. The letter of the Trustee also arrived at this time. He wrote a letter to Muhammad Ibrahim about the calumnies of Muhammad-ʿAli, but it was not given, as his condition is also uncertain and moreover it is unlikely anything will come of him. Outwardly this is what has been mentioned, but inwardly none knows save God, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. Verily He is with His loved ones in all conditions and He is the Guardian of the sincere ones, the steadfast, the trusting ones.

BH02525: All praise that is sanctified beyond expression and understanding…

He is God, exalted be His glory, the One Who bestows benevolence and favors

All praise that is sanctified beyond expression and understanding belongs to the Goal of all the worlds, Who was not prevented from His purpose by the opposition and objection of His servants, Whose pure hem was not altered by the calumnies of creation, and Whom the clamor of the oppressors and tyranny of the transgressors did not hold back from mention and praise. Through the power of trust in God, He uttered that which was the cause of the advancement of the community and the exaltation of the Word. Some found the sweetness of the call and turned with heart and soul to the supreme horizon, while others, inflamed with the fire of hatred, exerted mighty efforts to extinguish the divine light. That which appeared from Him is light for the righteous and fire for the wicked. We beseech Him, blessed and exalted be He, to adorn His servants with the light of justice and fairness and draw them nigh unto Him. Verily He is the Possessor of gifts and favors.

O thou who gazest upon the Face! We praise God, blessed and exalted be He, for having aided thee to turn unto Him and enabled thee to make mention of Him and praise Him amongst His servants. Verily He is the Protector of whosoever loves Him and the Helper of whosoever cleaveth to the cord of glory and bounty. His honor M.H., upon him be God’s peace, the Lord of all beings, hath repeatedly made mention of thee, and in each instance a word issued from the tongue of the Wronged One wherein was concealed the water of life. When its fragrance was wafted abroad, the Blessed Tree, raised upon the highest ensign, proclaimed:

“The Kingdom belongeth unto God, the Lord of all beings and the Master of the Day of Resurrection.”

We beseech God to aid thee in that whose mention and fragrance shall never fade, and to ordain for thee that whereby thy name shall be exalted among all names and thy remembrance among all remembrances. Verily He is the Almighty, the Glorious, the Unconstrained.

Say: My God, my God! Thou seest my powerlessness before the manifestations of the Sun of Thy might, my poverty before the waves of the ocean of Thy riches, and my weakness before the evidences of Thy grandeur. I beseech Thee, O Quickener of the world and Lord of the nations, by Thy fragrance which was wafted from Thy Beloved in Yathrib and Batha, and by what befell Him in Thy path, O Lord of the kingdom of names, to make me moved by Thy will and speaking in Thy praise. O my Lord! Thou seest the thirsty one making for the ocean of Thy bounty, desiring naught but the wonders of Thy generosity and munificence. Ordain for him from the heaven of Thy power and the sun of Thy might that which beseemeth Thy glory, Thy sovereignty and Thy choice. Verily Thou art the Omnipotent over what Thou willest, and within Thy grasp are the reins of all in the heavens and on earth.

BH02543: Say: My God, my God! Thou seest my state…

He is the Hearer and the Speaker

Say: My God, my God! Thou seest my state and hearest my sighing, and what hath befallen me at the hands of the ungodly among Thy creatures and the transgressors among Thy servants. They have denied Thy proof and Thy testimony, and have violated Thy covenant and Thy testament, and have spoken that which the Pharaohs of old spoke not. Thou hearest, O my God, what hath proceeded from their mouths and what their pens have set in motion.

I know not, O my Goal and my Beloved and Ultimate Aim of my hope, what Thou hast ordained for me by the Pen of Thy decree and what the Reed of Thy destiny hath written for me. I was sleeping when the breezes of the dawn of Thy Manifestation awakened me, and I was seated when the hands of Thy power raised me up, and I was silent when the wonders of Thy grace and bounty caused me to speak. When I arose, I heard the call from all things in such wise as I cannot mention before the oppressors among Thy creatures and the rebellious among Thy servants.

Then Thou didst command me to call out before the faces of the rulers and the learned ones in the world of creation. When my call was raised, the first servant who sought to shed my blood was my brother, whom I had nurtured over successive years and protected beneath the wing of my favor through the nights and days. Then Thy servants and creatures from all directions sought to harm me, and beyond them the people of the Bayan who denied the right of God and His favor, and the Manifestation of God and His sovereignty. Thou knowest what their false hands have wrought in those vain days and what their lying tongues have spoken.

Thou seest me, O my God, in this station with the hands of my hope raised to the heaven of Thy generosity and my gaze expectant of the wonders of Thy grace. If Thou desirest the exaltation of Thy Word and the manifestation of Thy Cause and the establishment of Thy commandments and laws and the hearts of the sincere ones among Thy servants and the near ones among Thy creatures—and if not, then strengthen them to remain silent in Thy days and to keep quiet among Thy creation and to turn to the mountain peaks lest there appear from them that which would raise the clamor of the ungodly and the croaking of the croakers. Verily Thou art the Almighty whom the affairs of Thy creation cannot frustrate, nor the events of the world and its ornaments in Thy earth.

I beseech Thee, O Lord of all beings and the One mentioned in the heart of Baha, to adorn Thy servants with the ornament of justice and fairness that they may read Thy verses and ponder Thy clear proofs and what hath appeared from Thee. I testify that in Thy grasp are the reins of those in the heavens and the earth and the reins of hearts and minds by Thy power and Thy sovereignty. O Lord! Aid me and disappoint me not of what Thou hast ordained for those who have turned to Thee with pure hearts and radiant faces. Verily Thou art the King of the Kingdom of Names and the Creator of heaven. There is none other God but Thee, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

BH02598: Ha, Sin. Upon thee be the Glory of God…

He is seated upon the Throne.

Ha, Sin. Upon thee be the Glory of God and His loving-kindness. Thou hast been mentioned in the presence of the Wronged One, and He maketh mention of thee at this time. Verily the heaven of utterance desired to send down upon thee the stars of wisdom and knowledge, and to make mention unto thee of that which draweth the people nigh unto it. Blessed is he who hath heard and responded and hath said:

“Praise be unto Thee, O Thou the Goal of them that have recognized Thee!”

Thy letter was present before the Wronged One and the Most Great Branch read it before His face. We have heard with the ear of grace and have answered thee with the tongue of justice, that through thy name the fragrance of My loving-kindness may be diffused amongst My servants and guide them to this Announcement whereby the ocean of proof hath surged, the Sun of certitude hath shone forth, the horizon of Revelation hath been illumined and the Speaker of the Mount hath spoken forth, to the dismay of the people of the Bayan who have turned away from the All-Merciful and disbelieved in God, the Single, the One, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

We beseech God to manifest through thee that which will draw the people nigh unto Him and give them to drink of the Choice Wine sealed with My Name, the Self-Subsisting, through My binding decree whereby the pillars have trembled, bodies have quaked, and all contingent beings have swooned away save those rescued by the hands of grace. Verily He is the All-Bountiful, the Most Generous.

O thou who art present before the Face! Hear what the opposers have said. Among them is he who claimed “He hath stolen the verses of the Point and revealed them in His own name.” Say: Come forth that thou mayest hear and see that He hath appeared with a sovereignty before which every discerning mystic and every informed scholar hath bowed down. Say: Were the Primal Point Himself to appear before the Throne and write down what hath been revealed from the heaven of God’s Will, the Lord of the Mighty Throne… And among them is he who said “He hath altered the Word and fabricated lies against God, the Strong, the Powerful.” How base is his station and how great his utterance! The Supreme Paradise and the companions of this glorious Scene have lamented his wrong.

Grieve thou not over anything. Trust in all matters in God, the Master of the Day of Judgment. Verily He is with thee and will help thee. Soon will His effects be made manifest through a command from His presence. With Him is the knowledge of all things in a Book that none hath comprehended. Thy Lord is verily the Bearer of Glad-Tidings, the All-Informed.

Remember My loved ones on My behalf and give them the glad-tidings of My loving-kindness and illumine their hearts with the lights of My wondrous remembrance. We beseech God to assist them in serving His Cause and to ordain for them what beseemeth His Name, the Most Merciful.

The Glory shining from the horizon of the heaven of My loving-kindness be upon thee and upon those with thee. Convey unto their faces My greetings from the Wronged One Who hath borne tribulations for the exaltation of the servants and the upliftment of the Word of God, the Lord of all who are in the heavens and on earth.

BH02621: The world of wisdom and utterance hath changed…

He is God, exalted be His station.

The world of wisdom and utterance hath changed—dust hath turned to gold and gold to dust. Many are the names which, though occupying the most exalted station, have sunk to the depths. The fire hath appeared in the form of light, and the treacherous one hath occupied the station of the trustworthy. Glory be to God! Such hath been the extent of transformation that those endowed with insight and knowledge are bewildered. Differences have encompassed the world.

Blessed is the one who hath sanctified his heart, his sight and his hearing from the world and whatsoever is therein of traces and fruits and stories and reports, and who hath, with his own sight and hearing, pondered upon that which hath appeared. He is of the people of Baha, mentioned and recorded by the Most Exalted Pen in the Crimson Book.

O thou who gazest upon the Countenance! Praise be to God, thou hast been and art mentioned in the Most Holy and Exalted Court. Beseech God to make thee steadfast in such wise that men, though they be as mountains, shall not deprive thee of the All-Possessing, the Most High.

Turban and cloak became the cause of the people’s destruction. The helpless servants accepted from those heedless souls that which led them astray, and on the Day of Retribution they witnessed and heard its consequences. In the early years all the divines of Persia engaged in cursing the Goal of all creation. They committed that which no group had ever committed and perpetrated that which no soul had ever perpetrated. The lamentation of all things hath been raised, and the sighs of the Concourse on High have ascended. The Pen weepeth and maketh mention, the Tablet weepeth and beareth witness.

Ask thou of God to grant thee sight, to bestow upon thee knowledge, to vouchsafe unto thee awareness.

Thy letter was received and from it wafted the fragrance of humility and submissiveness for the sake of God. We beseech God to assist thee to make mention of Him with wisdom and utterance. He is verily the Mighty, the All-Bountiful.

Each of the names mentioned hath been remembered before the Wronged One with perfect bounty and consummate wisdom. Blessed are they and happy are they. We testify that they have attained unto the traces of My Most Exalted Pen and have quaffed the choice wine of love from the hands of bounty and bestowal. We beseech Him, exalted be He, to assist them to preserve the pearls of His love within the shells of hearts. He is verily the Almighty, the Mighty, the Beloved.

The glory from Us be upon thee and upon those whom the pharaohs among the servants have not weakened from drawing nigh unto God, the Lord of the Day of Judgment. These are they whom God hath described in His Perspicuous Book, saying—and His Word is the Truth:

“They speak not until He hath spoken, and they do His bidding.”

BH02604: In this auspicous moment the tongue of the favor…

In the Name of the One God

In this auspicous moment the tongue of the favor of the Lord of the Worlds makes mention of the children of Abraham and the heirs Moses, that all may attain to that which is sanctified above likeness and peer.

O My loved ones! Know ye the worth of this exalted and most high station and this supreme bounty. How many were the peoples of the world who, throughout the nights and days, beseeched and supplicated God, glorified be His majesty, for the encounter with this blessed Day. Yet when the horizon of the world was illumined with the light of the appearance of Him Who conversed with God on Sinai, all turned away save those whom the hand of grace did rescue—the hand of grace did rescue them from the clay of idle fancies and vain imaginings and drew them nigh unto Him.

Glory be to God! Through one exalted Word the reckoning of the peoples of the world was completed, and the blessed word “the most swift of reckoners” was established in its station. In any case, despite their hope and seeking and supplication, most of mankind were seen to be heedless and veiled, while ye are seated upon the thrones of certitude and reclined upon the cushions of knowledge. Were ye to become truly aware as behooveth you, throughout all days would ye verily cry out: “Thine be the glory, O Possessor of names, and Thine be the praise, O Creator of heaven!”

His honor Amin, upon him be My glory, hath made mention of all and hath beseeched for each one that whose fragrance shall never be cut off from the world.

O Lalihzar, upon thee be the glory of God, thy Lord, the Chosen One! And O Khudabakhsh, reflect upon the divine bestowal—He raised thee from the sphere of dust by the hand of power to above the heavens, and this is the station of allegiance and certitude which thou hast attained.

O Hakim, O Ibrahim, the hand of wisdom and power of God, glorified be His majesty, took hold of thee and caused thee to attain the light of guidance from the fire of heedlessness.

O Ishaq, when thou didst turn unto Him thou became worthy of divine mention.

O Yusuf, the hand of the favor of the Goal of the worlds delivered thee from prison and drew thee to the arena of mighty glory, and illumined thee with the light of guidance from the station of darkness.

O Yusuf, the friends have ever been and shall ever be beneath the glances of grace.

We make mention of all the children of Abraham from before the Glorious Lord, and We beseech for all that whose fragrance of divine good-pleasure wafteth therefrom. Well is it with you and pleasant it is for you.

The glory be upon you from Us and upon those who have turned and acknowledged that which the Tongue of God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise, hath spoken.

BH02685: In My Name, through which the fragrance of love…

In My Name, through which the fragrance of love was stirred and the ocean of unity surged!

Praise befitteth the Self-Subsisting Lord Who, with the hands of bounty, unsealed and bestowed the sealed wine through the key of the Most Great Name. Blessed is he who turned, partook and drank in My Name which We made the Sovereign of names in the Kingdom of creation and the Dawning-Place of grandeur and majesty unto all in the realms of might and bounty. And woe unto him who turned away and denied the grace of God, the Powerful, the Mighty, the Great.

O thou who drinkest the wine of My utterance from the hands of My bounty! Hearken unto My call which hath been raised on this day when sorrows have encompassed Me from all sides through that which hath befallen My chosen ones in the Land of Ya at the hands of those who have violated God’s Covenant and Testament, denied His proof, shown ingratitude for His favor and disputed His manifest and resplendent evidence.

One must reflect upon the patience and steadfastness of those sanctified and assured souls. In truth, each was a supreme sign. The wrath of the manifestations of fire and the assault of the wicked did not prevent them from remaining steadfast and devoted. They bore in the path of God that which hath no like or equal. Despite the afflictions and tribulations that befell them, they did not rise in self-defense, for those mighty and prevailing hands were bound by the divine chains of restraint. With complete submission and contentment they proceeded to the place of sacrifice and offered their illumined and sanctified spirits as a sacrifice for the Peerless Beloved. Blessed are they and joy be unto them!

Thy letter attained the presence and was read. We beseech God, blessed and exalted be He, to exalt thee through His Name and honor thee through His might and to open before thy face the gate of bounty and ordain for thee that which will draw thee nigh unto Him through the perpetuity of His most excellent names. He is verily the Powerful, the Mighty, the All-Bountiful.

The Most Great Glad-Tidings is that thou art ever mentioned in the presence of the Wronged One and hast attained His special favors. The fruits thereof have appeared and shall continue to appear by the command of God, the Kind, the Generous. Say: Praise be unto Thee, O my God, for having turned toward Thy servant and mentioned him in Thy prison in days when the daysprings of misbelief and discord and the sources of infidelity and dissension have appeared. O Lord! Thou seest me clinging unto Thee and detached from all else besides Thee. I beseech Thee to assist me to serve Thy Cause and to arise to aid it through the hosts of wisdom and utterance. Thou art verily the Powerful, the Mighty, the Bestower.

BH02713: O Ahmad, upon thee be the Glory of God…

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

O Ahmad, upon thee be the Glory of God, the Single, the One! Thy letter hath come before the Wronged One, and it spoke of the remembrance of God, His praise, His might and His glory. Blessed art thou for having turned unto Him when all on earth turned away, save those whom God delivered from the clay of idle fancies and vain imaginings. We have found from thy letter the fragrance of love and affection. We answer thee with that whereby hearts and minds are attracted. Grieve not at the happenings of the world. Be assured of the grace of God, thy Lord, which hath encompassed all existence. We have remembered thee time and again, and have revealed for thee that which gladdeneth the eyes.

Say: O people of the earth, hold fast to the cord of God and turn unto Him. Verily He heareth and seeth, and He is the Mighty, the Beloved. Nothing whatsoever escapeth His knowledge. He doeth what He willeth and ordaineth what He pleaseth. He is the Truth, the Knower of things unseen. Convey My greetings to My loved ones in Shin and in Nun and Ya, that they may rejoice in what hath been sent down to them from the Pen of God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: O people of God, We counsel you with that which will draw you nigh unto the Supreme Horizon and guide you to His extended path. O people of God! While time remaineth, arise to that which, if missed today, none shall be able to accomplish. Thus hath the Tongue of God, the Mighty, the Witnessed, spoken. Hold fast to that which draweth the servants nigh. Time and again in the Tablets mention hath been made of wisdom, and all have been commanded to observe it. Nevertheless some have acted contrary to wisdom.

O people of God! Recognize ye the station of the Sacred Month, and reflect upon the calamity that befell in that city, and hold fast to that which is befitting. That which causeth remoteness and turning away of the servants is not acceptable before God. This Wronged One, for successive years in Zawra, during Muharram, did Himself make mention of the tribulations of the Prince of Martyrs, may the souls of all else be a sacrifice unto Him, while the Persians were engaged in lamentation. We assist them in what they are engaged in, and We have mentioned what hath befallen the loved ones of God from the hosts and ranks. Set aside that which causeth agitation in the souls of men, and take hold of that which ye are commanded by God, the Possessor of the Promised Day.

The glory shining from the horizon of the heaven of My loving-kindness be upon My loved ones there, and upon every steadfast and firm one, and every resolute and trustworthy one.

BH02715: O My Name! Upon thee be My Glory! Thy…

He is the One speaking in the Kingdom of Utterance!

O My Name! Upon thee be My Glory! Thy petition was presented and attained unto the illuminations of the lights of the Luminous One, being seen and heard. His honor Mirza Musa, upon him be My Glory, was mentioned in the presence of the Wronged One. Praise be to God, by the strength of certitude he shattered the idols of vain imaginings and rent asunder the veils of idle fancies. Blessed is he and joy be unto him, for he hath attained unto My mention, for which God hath ordained no likeness nor similitude—despite every heedless and distant one, and every doubting scholar. We made mention of him before, and at this time as well, as a grace from God, the Lord of the worlds. And We make mention of My loved ones in Dal and Ha, and give them glad tidings of God’s loving-kindness, His grace, His generosity, His bounty and His mercy that hath preceded all who are in the heavens and on earth.

O party of the Wronged One! In the midst of tribulations We make mention of you and summon you unto God, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy. The wolf howleth on My right and on My left, the squealing of swine hath been raised. Calamities have encompassed Me from all directions. Despite all this, I stand before all faces and speak as We spoke before, giving glad tidings to all of My manifestation, My appearance and My establishment upon the throne—a command from the presence of One mighty and powerful.

O loved ones of God! Be not grieved by the clamor of the heedless ones. The wolf desired to extinguish the light of God by his howling, but God preserveth His Cause through His sovereignty and exalteth it through His power. Verily He is powerful over whatsoever He willeth through His mighty and wondrous Word.

And We make mention of him who penned his letter which was named Javad, and We ask God to assist him and His loved ones to make mention of Him, to praise Him, and to set down His verses and words. Verily He seeth the deeds of the doers and heareth the call of those who love Him and are sincere. The Glory shining from the horizon of the heaven of My mercy be upon them and upon those whom the oppression of the oppressors hath not prevented from God, the Lord of the worlds.

My God, my God! Thou seest the Wronged One making mention of Thy loved ones and acquainting them with that which draweth them nigh unto the court of Thy glory. I beseech Thee by the ocean of Thy power and the heaven of Thy bounty to aid them to be steadfast in Thy love and to illumine their hearts with the lights of Thy knowledge. Then protect them from the evil of Thine enemies who have disbelieved in Thee and Thy signs, and who have committed that which hath caused the dwellers of the cities of Thy glory and the dawning-places of Thy revelation and the daysprings of Thy inspiration and the manifestations of Thy Self to lament. There is no God but Thee, the Powerful over whatsoever Thou willest through Thy word “Be” and it is.

BH02813: O Zayn! Upon thee be the Glory of God…

He is the Manifest, the Speaking One, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise

O Zayn! Upon thee be the Glory of God, the Lord of the Worlds! The Most Exalted Pen, and the branches and leaves of the Divine Lote-Tree, nay all things, bear witness to the Ocean of Utterance of the True One, glorified be His majesty, and to the Sun of His grace and bounty, in such wise hath He mentioned His loved ones that the fragrance of His words wafteth from every letter. The horizons have been filled with the signs of thy Lord—it behooveth them to render thanks unto the Lord for this manifest bounty. From the clouds of divine grace and the heaven of the Most Glorious Pen, verses descend without interruption like copious rain, nay incomparable to aught else or any mention. Yet the deniers and heedless ones remain opposed. We beseech God to aid all to rend asunder the veils and to stand firm in His mighty and impregnable Cause.

The letter of Ibn-i-Nur (upon him be My Glory) which he sent to thee was presented before the Countenance. Verily We perceived from it the fragrance of his love and steadfastness in the Cause of God. Blessed is he and his father and mother. We have mentioned Nur aforetime in various Tablets with words that when they appeared, the Herald proclaimed: “Utterance belongeth unto God!” O Zayn! The ocean of divine knowledge hath surged through My utterance and the fragrances of the All-Merciful have been stirred by My call, yet most of the people remain heedless. Praise be to God, Marf’u ʿAli (upon him be My Glory and loving-kindness) and his son have drunk from the choice wine of utterance and attained unto the ocean of God’s mercy.

O son of Nur! Today He Who conversed on Sinai is seated upon the throne of Revelation and hath mentioned and continueth to mention His loved ones, saying:

“O people of Baha! Hearken unto My call. It behooveth you to counsel the servants through your deeds and character. Verily He is with you, seeing and hearing, and He is the Mighty, the All-Seeing.”

We beseech God to aid you with that which will enable you to do what beseemeth the people of Baha. Verily He is the Counselor, the All-Remembering, the All-Knowing.

O son of Nur! Each one of the souls mentioned in thy letter hath been honored with the mention of the Most Exalted Pen. Verily We have gladdened thy mother with My mention and loving-kindness, and thy nephew with My mercy that hath preceded all who are in the heavens and the earth. Praise be to God, they have been mentioned throughout successive years and continue to be so. The Glory from Us be upon thee and upon him who is named Haydar and upon those who are with thee. Verily thy Lord is the All-Bountiful, the Most Generous. And praise be to God, Who is the Goal of them that know.

BH02729: We give glad tidings to the members…

He is the Expositor, the All-Knowing!

We give glad tidings to the members of the assembly, for their deeds are adorned with the ornament of acceptance and illumined with the light of His good pleasure. Blessed are ye and joy be unto you!

At this time when sorrows assail from all directions, mention was made of the loved ones in the Most Holy Court and recorded by the Supreme Pen. I swear by the Sun of Truth, which is sanctified above the comprehension of the peoples of the world, that whosoever ariseth to render assistance, even to the extent of a needle’s eye, is accounted before God among those who are nigh and the sincere ones.

Take up the chalices of prosperity in the name of the Cleaver of the Dawn, and despite the enemies, drink and give others to drink. The True One, exalted be His glory, hath been and will ever be with you. Verily He hath heard your call and hath mentioned you in verses the like of which were not known in God’s knowledge. This is the most great bounty which hath in this hour been revealed from the Pen of the Most Great Name. We beseech God to ordain for every assembly a bounty and to bestow a great reward. He is the Powerful, the Mighty.

The Tongue of Grandeur beareth witness to your acceptance and your turning unto the horizon wherefrom the world was debarred, having followed in the footsteps of the heedless. We beseech God to raise through you the standards of His mention and the banners of His praise amongst His servants, and to make you the dawning-places of His light, the daysprings of His virtues, the manifestations of His names and the sources of His bounty which hath encompassed all existence. He, verily, is the Powerful over what He willeth. He is the One, the Single, the Helper, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

O Pen! Make mention of him who was named Muhammad before Baqir, that he may rejoice in the Kawthar of utterance which hath flowed from the Pen of the All-Merciful in this mighty Prison. Verily He remembereth him who hath turned unto Him, and He is the Kind, the Generous.

The most great glad tidings are these: that whosoever attaineth unto acceptance, in that very moment his mention appeareth from the Tongue of Grandeur, and thereafter the evidences thereof shine forth from the realm of the Pen. A hundred thousand blessings upon those who have attained and are detached!

We make mention of him who was named Ali-Akbar. We beseech God to assist him and strengthen him in that whereby his name may be exalted among His creation. He is the All-Bountiful, the Forgiving, the Merciful.

Praise be to God that the people of the gathering have attained unto that which shall endure eternally in the Kingdom and the Realm of Might through the special Will of God. This most great bounty hath no likeness. The True One, exalted be His glory, is witness and testifier to the excellence of the souls mentioned. Verily He is the Reckoner, the All-Knowing, and the Most Merciful of the merciful.

BH02854: Praise be unto God, the Self-Subsisting, the Most High…

He is the Hearer, the Answerer!

Praise be unto God, the Self-Subsisting, the Most High, sanctified from all change and extinction, Who hath illumined the hearts of those who have turned towards Him through the effulgences of the Light of Truth, and hath sealed and adorned them with the seal of “Verily I am God’s.”

Salutations, peace, praise and glory be upon Him Whom He hath chosen from among His servants and made His vicegerent in His lands. Whoso turneth unto Him hath turned unto God, and whoso turneth away from Him hath turned away from Him. This is attested by what the Tongue of Grandeur hath uttered both in the past and in the future. We bear witness that through Him the pavilion of glory hath been raised to its most exalted station, and that which was hidden from mankind hath been revealed. Whoso hath attained unto Him hath attained unto all good, and he who is deprived, verily he is of the companions of the fire, which is a woeful abode.

O thou who hast turned towards the Countenance! Upon thee be My salutation, My praise, My remembrance and My glory. We have mentioned thee before, and at this hour with a mention through which the hearts of those who have turned towards God and the breasts of the mystics have been illumined, and through which the horizons of hearts have been illumined with the light of His Name, the Beloved. We beseech God, blessed and exalted be He, that He may through thee guide His heedless servants, and ordain for thee that which shall endure throughout the eternity of His mighty and wondrous kingdom.

When thou hast received My letter and read My verses, turn thy face toward the Sacred House and say:

“Praise be unto Thee, O Lord of all days and Commander on the Day of Resurrection! I beseech Thee by Thy pardon which hath preceded Thy wrath, and by Thy mercy which hath preceded Thy vengeance, and by Thy heavenly table around which have gathered those of Thy East and West, and by the river of Thy bounty wherewith Thou hast given drink to the manifestations of existence, to ordain for me that which will draw me nigh unto Thee in all conditions. Then write down for me from the Pen of Thy bounty that which beseemeth Thy generosity and Thy gifts. Verily, Thou art He from Whose knowledge nothing escapeth. Thou seest my condition and knowest what is in my heart. I beseech Thee, O Lord of existence, by Thy Name, the Mighty, the Loving, to open before my face, through the key of Thy grace, the door of Thy generosity. Verily, Thou art the Powerful over whatsoever Thou willest through Thy word ʿBe’ and it is.”

May the Glory that is manifest, evident and shining from the horizon of grace and bounty be upon thee and upon those who have quaffed the wine of unity from the hands of bounty from the presence of One mighty and powerful.

BH02864: A mention from Us to him who hath turned…

He is the Hearing, the Answering One

A mention from Us to him who hath turned and believed in God, the Lord of the worlds, that the Call may draw him to the Most Exalted Horizon, as a bounty from God, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. O ʿAli! The Trusted One hath made mention of thee, and We make mention of thee time and again. Verily thy Lord is the All-Bountiful, the Most Generous. Say: My God, my God! Praise be to Thee for having rained down upon my heart from the clouds of Thy bounty and for having given me to drink, from the hand of Thy bestowal, the choice wine of Thy utterance. I beseech Thee by the Word which, when it shone forth from the horizon of the heaven of Thy knowledge, all the peoples of the earth inhaled therefrom the fragrance of Thy loving-kindness and that which guideth them to Thy Most Great Announcement and Thy firm and mighty Cause, to assist me in that which shall cause me to be mentioned in the precincts of Thy holiness and shall draw me nigh unto the court of Thy glory.

O my Lord! Thou seest this poor servant standing before the door of Thy mercy, hoping for the wonders of Thy grace and bounty. Thou art He through Whom every treasure hath appeared and every hidden thing hath been revealed. All things have testified to Thy power, Thy might, Thy grandeur and Thy sovereignty. Ordain for me from the Pen of Thy decree that which shall profit me in all the worlds of Thy worlds. Verily Thou art the Ancient Bestower, and in Thy grasp are the reins of all who are in the heavens and on earth. There is none other God but Thee, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

O Ali! We make mention of thy son at this time that the fragrance of his Lord’s remembrance may draw him to a station wherein the doubts of the barking ones shall not hinder him. And We make mention of thy other son and give him the glad-tidings of God’s loving-kindness, the Goal of them that have known. O Ali! I say in truth that that land, namely Usku, is adorned with the mention of him who hath loved Me and spoken in praise of Me, he who was named ʿAli before Asghar. We beseech God that He may assist him to be steadfast with the most great steadfastness and manifest through him that which shall endure forever in the Book of God and remain immortal. Blessed is he and happy is he in that he hath at this time attained unto My manifest remembrance. We make mention of all the friends of that land, both men and women, and We beseech for each one of them everlasting fruits from the blessed Tree. Verily He is the Compassionate, the Forgiving, the Merciful. The glory from Us be upon you, O friends and loved ones of God, and upon those who in the earliest days attained unto the recognition of His Great Announcement and His Straight Path.

BH02951: O my God, my Adored One, my Worshipped One!

…O my God, my Adored One, my Worshipped One!

Forbid not this handful of dust from being stirred by Thy blessed Word, and deprive it not of the warmth of Thy love. The seas of the world bear witness to Thine all-encompassing mercy, and the heavens confess Thy loftiness and majesty. O Ocean of Bounty! The drop hath turned toward Thee, and O Sun of Generosity! Being itself seeketh Thy munificence. Thy existence is sanctified above all proof and evidence, and Thy settlement upon the throne is exalted beyond all mention and description. The yearning of hearts and souls, and the raising of the hands of all beings, are truthful witnesses and eloquent testimonies to Thy generosity. For were it not for bounty, how could dust learn to raise itself up? What connection hath dust with the knowledge of ascent?

O All-Bountiful One! The Sun of Thy mercy is manifest from the horizon of all things, and the Star of Thy favors shineth from every direction. The needy seek the gate of Thy bestowal, and they that are consumed with love for Thy countenance yearn for Thy presence. Since creation is from Thee and the hope concealed in hearts is from Thee, it beseemeth Thee to adorn those that stand before the faces of strangers—they that are admitted to Thy court—with a new attire and to cause them to attain unto a wondrous name. Thou art He through Whose will the wills of the world have appeared, and through Whose desire the desires of nations have been realized. The hope in the hearts of Thy seekers hath never been cut off, nor shall it ever be. The proof of this is Thy blessed word “Despair not.”

O All-Bountiful One! Thy servants are seen to be immersed in the sea of self and desire. They hope for Thy deliverance and beseech Thy ancient bounties. Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty, the Helper, the All-Knowing….

BH03039: O My Name Mihdi! Upon thee be My glory…

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

O My Name Mihdi! Upon thee be My glory and loving-kindness. The letter of Samandar which he sent to thee attained the presence, was seen and read.

O Mihdi! His lamentation ascendeth by night and day. None but God is aware of his condition, for his hope was to become the source and center and dawning-place of outward and inward services, and to spend his wealth in the path of the Goal of the worlds. Now something hath occurred from which the fragrance of the delay of this station is diffused.

O Ali-Qabli-Akbar! Upon thee be the glory of God, the Lord of destiny. The divine fire of Samandar hath been encompassed by the moisture of the deeds and words of heedless souls in the great city. They have been the cause of loss to those souls. Detailed mention is not permitted, for the Lord of destiny is saddened by Samandar’s grief. Although these matters are not worthy of mention, yet his zeal in the Cause of God is great, and the arrival of visitors and guests is numerous. Ask of God to ordain that which is the cause of greatest joy.

Say: My God, my God! Thou seest what hath befallen Thy loved ones at the hands of those who claim to love Thee and Thy Cause, whom the ornaments of the world have deluded until they broke Thy covenant and Thy testament, denied Thy proof and Thy evidence, and rejected Thy favor and Thy bounties and Thy bestowals. I beseech Thee by the key of Thy Most Great Name, whereby Thou didst open the doors of grace and generosity to the world, to send down upon him who loveth Thee a mercy from Thee and a blessing from Thy presence. O my Lord! Thou seest him standing firm in the victory of Thy Cause and the service of Thy Self.

I beseech Thee to make him mighty through Thy might and steadfast through Thy self-subsistence, to make him a cupbearer of the wine of Thy love and one who taketh the reins of authority by Thy command and leave. Thou witnesseth, O my God, with the tongue of Thy grandeur, that he turned to Thee in Thy earliest days and sought assistance from Thee in all conditions. Verily Thou art the Mighty, the All-Bountiful. Ordain for him, O my God, what beseemeth the ocean of Thy generosity and the heaven of Thy bestowal. Then aid him in Thy service with what he loveth and is pleased with and what gladdeneth his heart and the hearts of Thy loved ones. Verily Thou art the Single, the One, the Powerful, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

BH03051: The Day of God proclaims: O people, fear God…

In the name of Him Who rules over earth and heaven!

The Day of God proclaims: O people, fear God and follow not the manifestations of conjecture and idle fancy. The Manifestation hath appeared and the Light hath shone forth and the Mount hath called out that the Promised One hath come with power and sovereignty. O people of the earth, fear God and be fair in what hath appeared in truth. He guideth you and draweth you nigh unto God, your Lord, the All-Merciful. This is the Day wherein the stones cry out and the trees speak:

“The Kingdom and Dominion belong to God, the Almighty, the Exalted, the Unconstrained.”

Thy name was mentioned before the Wronged One, and He hath revealed for thee that which delighteth the eyes. Blessed art thou for having attained the recognition of God in His days and for having drunk the choice wine of utterance from the hand of His bounty. He is the Mighty, the All-Bountiful.

Say: O people of the Bayan, present yourselves before the Divine Countenance that ye may hear the verses at the time of their revelation. Beware lest the ignorant ones among the people who have denied God’s verses prevent you from this bounty, the Lord of lords. Come, that We may impart unto you what hath been sent down from the heaven of the Divine Will in the scriptures and tablets. Do ye object to Him through Whom God’s Cause and sovereignty have been exalted? Fear God, O followers of error! Thus have We revealed the verses and sent them unto thee that thou mayest thank thy Lord on the Day of Return.

Say: My God, my God, my Lord and my Support! Thou seest me turning toward the lights of Thy face, holding fast to the cord of Thy bounty, and standing before the door of Thy mercy. I beseech Thee by the ocean of Thy verses and the manifestations of Thy sovereignty in Thy lands to aid me to act according to what Thou hast commanded me in the Lord of Days. O Lord! I am Thy servant and the son of Thy servant. I desire naught save what Thou hast desired for me through Thy grace and bounty. Thou art the Almighty before Whose sovereignty all beings have testified and before Whose power all things possible have acknowledged. I beseech Thee to ordain for me by the Pen of bounty that which will draw me nigh unto Thee in all conditions. Thou art verily the Almighty, the Compassionate, the Exalted, the All-Forgiving.

O my God! Send Thy blessings upon the Dawning-Places of detachment throughout creation and the Day-Springs of piety among mankind, who heard Thy sweetest call and turned to Thee, saying:

“Thou art our Lord and the Lord of the throne and the dust, and the Sovereign of this Day by Whose light the earth and heaven were illumined. There is no God but Thee, the Most Exalted, the Most Glorious.”

BH02953: The Sun of Truth hath risen from the horizon…

In the Name of the one true God!

The Sun of Truth hath risen from the horizon of the heaven of prison, speaking forth, and the light of utterance hath shone forth from the horizon of will unto the kingdom of proof. Blessed is he who hath stepped into the world and sought to know the Lord of ancient days.

O Abraham! The promised Day hath appeared and the Mount circleth round the Manifestation, yet the people remain heedless. Today the mysteries of God’s Book and the pearls of the ocean of divine knowledge are visible before the faces of the high and low, yet the seeker of the Goal is nowhere to be found.

Reflect upon the previous Manifestations that thou mayest become aware of the harm done to this Wronged One. From the earliest days until now He hath been afflicted with endless tribulations. Most of His days were spent in the hands of enemies, chains were His companions and the harm of the tribes His associates. His friends withdrew and His loved ones arose to harm Him out of fear of enemies. His companion was the Tablet and His intimate the pen. Glory be to God! Most of the servants bear witness to what hath befallen Him and are aware of His tribulations.

For some time now this Wronged One hath dwelt in this prison which hath been named the Most Great Prison. Night and day He is occupied with the remembrance of His loved ones and chosen ones. What hath come to pass that the people have shunned the light and turned to darkness upon darkness? Nevertheless, the heart is aflame with the fire of love and the tongue uttereth remembrance and speech. Blessed is the soul that was not prevented by the veils of names nor held back from turning towards Him by the doubts of the servants.

Say: My God, my God! Prevent not Thy servants from the ocean of Thy bounty. If Thou forgivest them, this is of the wonders of Thy grace and bestowal; and if Thou chastiseth them, verily Thou art the Mighty, the Powerful. O Lord! Aid those who deny to turn towards the court of Thy glory and to acknowledge what Thou hast sent down from the heaven of Thy utterance. Thou art He through Whose name the ocean of forgiveness surgeth throughout creation. There is no God but Thee, the Mighty, the Glorious, the All-Bountiful.

We make mention of thy son who was named Ni’matu’llah and give him glad tidings of that which hath been sent down for him at this time from the heaven of the loving-kindness of the Lord of all worlds, that he may rejoice in My favors, speak My praise, hold fast to My cord and cling to My luminous robe. The glory be upon thee and upon those who have believed in God, the One, the All-Informed.

BH03169: In My Name, by which the limbs of all…

In My Name, by which the limbs of all names have trembled!

O Muhammad-Qabli-Isma’il! Do you know Who remembers you in the prison of ʿAkka? Say: Yes, by my Lord, He Who is the Lord of all beings and the Ruler of the kingdom of names remembers me and continues to remember me. Verily my Lord is the Almighty, the Supreme, the Compassionate, the Generous.

There has befallen the Wronged One that which has caused all things to lament, yet most of the people remain heedless. We have sent down from the heaven of bounty that which draws all beings near to the heaven of glory and faithfulness, yet they have committed that which has caused the hearts of the knowing to melt.

When you hear the call from the direction of ʿAkka, say: Praise be to Thee, O Ruler of the Kingdom and Sovereign of the Realm of Might, for having caused me to hear Thy verses and to witness Thy signs. I beseech Thee by Thy sovereignty which has encompassed the world and by Thy Most Great Name to assist me to be steadfast in Thy Cause. Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the Powerful. O my Lord! Ordain for me and my son that which befits the heaven of Thy bounty and the ocean of Thy generosity. Thou art, verily, the One Who has power over whatsoever He willeth, and in Thy grasp are the reins of all who are in the heavens and on earth.

O Muhammad-Qabli-Ibrahim! The All-Knowing remembers thee and reminds thee of this Most Great News, whereby the sun was darkened and the stars fell and the Herald called out from a near place. We have remembered the friends of God with that which cannot be equaled by the wealth of the rich, nor by what exists in the kingdom of names, nor by that in which kings and rulers take pride.

Say: O people of the earth! Fear God and be not of the heedless ones. The Day has come, yet the people are in evident veils. Their possessions have occupied them and their desires have held them back. Verily, they persist in their ancient error.

God has forgiven My handmaiden who ascended unto Him aforetime. Through My remembrance of her the ocean of forgiveness surged and the fragrance of loving-kindness wafted from the direction of My Name, the All-Merciful. Blessed is the one who has found and said: Praise be to Thee, O God of the world, and thanksgiving be unto Thee, O Desire of the knowing ones.

The glory from Us be upon thee and upon thy son and thy wife and those with thee, and upon those who have drunk the choice wine of bounty from the hand of the loving-kindness of their Lord, the Compassionate, the Generous.

BH03165: O Ali, upon thee be the peace of God…

O Ali, upon thee be the peace of God and His mercy!

Death, in one sense, is a door to reunion and a path unto the presence of the Beloved. Blessed is the soul that at the time of its ascension soars upon the wings of longing and yearning and sets out for the Most Exalted Companion. The sanctified spirit, freed from the doubts and troubles of the world, possesses great power, its fragrance is penetrating and its might is manifest. Detachment in this station appears as the wing of divine confirmation and sets one in motion.

O Ali, mention of this ocean is abundant and its pearls beyond reckoning. We beseech God to make manifest unto thee that which will cause the pavilion of His glory to be raised up. Verily, He is powerful over all things. Ever are the days of attainment remembered and the glances of grace directed to that quarter.

O Ali, His mercy is manifest as the sun and His grace more exalted than the heavens; yet despite this, what the servants have said and continue to say! We beseech God to protect the people of unity from the people of division. In these days, the hypocrites in the cities and regions are again busy stirring up the people of unity. We beseech God to unite the people of unity, that all may speak with one tongue and soar with one wing, and that they may reflect upon the cause and reason for the abasement that hath encompassed them and seek deliverance from God. Verily He will deliver them through His grace, and He is the Mighty, the Powerful.

Mention was made of the departed and elevated Haji Ibrahim, upon him be the peace of God and His mercy. We make mention of him at this time and beseech God to spread out for him the carpet of pardon and forgiveness, and to send down upon him at all times mercy from His presence and grace from His own Self. Verily He is the Mighty, the Unconstrained. We bear witness that he believed in God and His verses, acknowledged His Books and His Messengers and His chosen ones, and recognized what He hath revealed in His Perspicuous Book. We make mention of the people of unity there and beseech God to assist them and adorn them with the ornament of steadfastness and justice and fairness, and to ordain for them the good of the hereafter and of this world. Verily He is the Most Merciful of the merciful ones and the Fulfiller of the needs of all who ask.

BH03129: The Book of God, in the most exalted station…

He is the Ever-Abiding without decline.

The Book of God, in the most exalted station of the world, speaks in remembrance of the world and its peoples, and has summoned all to that which leads to the exaltation of His Word and the elevation of their station. Glory be to God! This is a Day whose greatness and grandeur all divine Books have testified to and continue to testify. The sun bears witness and the sea attests. Nevertheless, greed and idle fancy have prevented the servants from the Lord of the Kingdom of Names and Creator of heaven.

O Yunis, upon thee be My glory! Jinab-i-Amin, upon him be My glory and loving-kindness, has mentioned thee, and We have remembered thee in this blessed Tablet with a remembrance whose end cannot be seen. Give thanks to thy Lord for this manifest bounty and say:

Praise be to Thee, O my God, and thanks be to Thee, O my Master, and glory be to Thee, O Beloved of the hearts of the people of understanding, for having moved the tongue of Thy grandeur to remember me while I was in prison through what the hands of the heedless among Thy servants had wrought. I beseech Thee by Thy light wherewith Thou hast illumined the hearts of Thy chosen ones, and by the fire of the Tree of Thy utterance whereby the hearts of Thy loved ones were set ablaze, to open, through the key of Thy Most Great Name, the doors of bounty and generosity upon the world. O my Lord! I am Thy servant and the son of Thy servant.

I have turned to Thee when I heard Thy call. I bear witness that through Thee the ocean of utterance has surged in the contingent world and the sun of knowledge has shone forth amidst religions. I beseech Thee not to withhold Thy servants from the ocean of Thy bounty, nor to disappoint them from what Thou hast ordained for Thy chosen ones who were drawn by the attraction of the Call to the Dayspring of sacrifice and who offered up their souls in their longing to meet Thee. Verily Thou art the All-Bountiful whose outpourings have never ceased from the world, and the Generous One whose manifestations of generosity have encompassed all peoples. O my Lord! Thou seest me attracted by Thy verses and detached from all else besides Thee. Ordain for me what befits Thy glory, Thy grandeur and Thy power. Verily Thou art the Almighty, the All-Conquering, the All-Powerful.

At this moment We also remember thy wife and those with thee. We give her the glad-tidings of God’s loving-kindness, the Lord of the worlds. And what thou didst send hath been adorned with the ornament of acceptance, as a bounty from God, the Mighty, the Wise.

BH03296: O Khalil! Upon thee be My glory and My…

In the Name of Him Who is the Goal of all worlds!

O Khalil! Upon thee be My glory and My loving-kindness! Praise befitteth Him Who is the Goal of all, Who through the ladder of tribulation guided the people of devotion to the highest horizon, and with the hand of bounty bestowed upon them the choice wine of reunion, and through His all-encompassing will removed the veils that had prevented them, that they might behold the effulgence of the lights of the Beauty of God, and lay down their lives, and through this sacrifice, which is the very essence of influence, bestow upon the dwellers of the cities of love and affection a wondrous, eternal and glorious life, and from this sacrifice a sweet fragrance is wafted abroad. I swear by the Sun of Truth which at this moment shineth from the horizon of this station that the world’s understanding falleth short of comprehending the effect and fruit of this spiritual fragrance. Exalted be His wisdom and magnificent His signs! Transcendent be His remembrance and His might and sovereignty! There is no God but Him.

O Khalil! The letter thou didst send was forwarded to the Most Holy Court by His Holiness Husayn, upon him be My glory, and this most mighty and most holy Tablet was revealed in reply. We beseech God, blessed and exalted be He, to aid thee and His servants in that which beseemeth His days, and to make thee a servant of His Cause and one who speaketh in remembrance of Him and in remembrance of His loved ones whom We have made as proofs that there is no God but Him. Blessed is he who hath attained unto that which hath been revealed and hath recognized that which the Tongue of Grandeur hath uttered. He is numbered among them that are brought near in My perspicuous Book.

We make mention of all the loved ones in that land. Convey on My behalf to them My greetings and give them the glad-tidings of My turning towards them and My attention to them from this far-distant spot.

At the end, say: Glory be unto Thee, O my God, O Thou Who dost illumine the horizons and Who speaketh on the Day of Meeting! I beseech Thee by the lights that shine forth from the dayspring of Thy mercy and the stars in the heaven of Thy grace, to aid Thy servants to rend asunder that which hath prevented them from turning towards Thee and from attaining unto Thy presence. Thou art He through Whose generosity all created things have testified, and through Whose bounty all contingent beings have been established. I beseech Thee not to disappoint them of that which lieth with Thee and to deliver them from idle fancies and vain imaginings. Verily, Thou art the All-Powerful, the Almighty, the All-Knowing.

BH03184: Today the pearls of the Ocean of Utterance…

He is the Guardian over all who are on earth and in heaven!

Today the pearls of the Ocean of Utterance of the Desired One of the worlds appear in the form of words on tablets from the Supreme Pen. The heavenly feast of divine knowledge descends in every moment from the heaven of God’s Will. Glory be to God! Despite the fact that verses have encompassed all directions and clear proofs appear manifest before all faces, the unjust servants have begun complaint instead of gratitude, turned away instead of approaching, and denied instead of acknowledging. We testify that they have violated God’s covenant and His testament, and denied His proof and His evidence. Thus have their souls enticed them. We testify that they are among the most lost in God’s Book, the Master of the Day of Judgment. When thou hearest My call and attainest unto My verses, say:

Glory be to Thee, O my God, and glory be to Thee, O my Desired One! Thou seest me turning away from all else save Thee and advancing toward the court of Thy might, clinging to Thy Name, the Self-Subsisting, through which the seal of Thy choice sealed wine was opened. I beseech Thee to make me among those whom the ranks of the oppressors have not prevented from turning to the lights of Thy justice, and whom the veils of the people of error have not hindered from drawing nigh unto the court of Thy glory. O my Lord! Thou seest me standing before the door of Thy grace and speaking Thy praise amongst Thy servants. I ask of Thee to assist me in that whereby my remembrance will endure throughout the duration of Thy dominion and Thy kingdom.

By Thy glory! The fire of separation from Thee hath consumed me, and remoteness from the precincts of Thy nearness hath caused my death. My God, my God! Deprive me not of the ocean of Thy mercy nor the dawning splendors of the Sun of Thy oneness. Thou art He Who hath testified through Thy generosity to all created things, and through Thy bounty to all existence, both seen and unseen. I beseech Thee not to withhold Thy party from the Euphrates of Thy grace nor from the rain-showers of the clouds of Thy bestowal. Verily Thou art powerful over whatsoever Thou willest, and in Thy grasp are the reins of all things. There is none other God but Thee, the All-Knowing, the All-Forbearing.

We testify that thou hast drunk the choice wine of meeting from the hands of the bounty of thy Lord, and hast attained unto that which was recorded by the Supreme Pen in the Books of the Messengers. It behooveth thee to thank thy Lord throughout the duration of His glorious and wondrous kingdom.

BH03295: O Haydar-ʿAli! Upon thee be My glory! If you…

He is God, exalted be His glory, the Beneficent, the All-Favoring

O Haydar-ʿAli! Upon thee be My glory! If you should proceed to the land of Sh, you must not take up residence in the known dwelling places of the friends. Taking up residence elsewhere would be acceptable and beloved. This is among the requirements of wisdom that hath flowed from the Most Exalted Pen. The known letters mentioned are remembered in the Most Holy Court and have attained unto grace. Some time ago, each one was favored with a leaf from the leaves of the Tree bearing divine words.

O Haydar-Ali, convey My greetings to the friends. Say to Ali, upon him be My glory: “The Truth hath secretly assisted the one who was occupied with abasement. The world hath changed, the mountain moveth, the sun speaketh, the vibration of the manifestation hath set Mount Sinai in motion. Glory be to God! It is as though the Resurrection is at hand and the Hour hath appeared. The one who led astray hath become a guide.” Say: “What have you to do with these errors? God’s mercy be upon one who knoweth his station and rank. When names were bestowed upon the world, thou wert not. Fear the Lord, the Mighty, the Powerful. Speak according to thy measure. Should We will, We could take a handful of dust and manifest from it name after name until names and their kingdoms come to an end.” Say: “If thou art thunderstruck by this compelling Word, it mattereth not,” for according to the blessed word that appeared from the Dawning-Place of the Primal Point, upon Him be the glory of God, the Lord of all beings, even the people of Sinai are thunderstruck, let alone others—this is clear and evident.

Ask of God that He make manifest from among His servants that which is the cause of preservation and the means of deliverance. O Haydar! The rustling of the Tree is raised high, the effulgences of the rays of the Sun of Truth are dawning and manifest, and the light that was hidden in the divine treasury is brilliant and radiant. Yet the people are debarred. What hath been the cause of their being debarred? By God’s life! The misleader and his like are but a mote, and whosoever is with him in his vain imaginings. Put thy trust in God, the Almighty, the All-Powerful. Verily He is with His sincere servants and His near ones who are brought nigh. There is no God but Him, the Single, the One, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy.

BH03246: The Divine bounty became embodied and His mercy encompassed…

He is the All-Knowing Herald!

The Divine bounty became embodied and His mercy encompassed all. He aided with the hosts of His providence and generosity, and caused the honored Shaykh, upon him be My glory and favor, to attain unto presence, hearing and witnessing. He arrived several days ago and then took for himself an abode in the shade of the Divine Lote Tree. We beseech God, blessed and exalted be He, to adorn him with the ornament of resignation, trust and detachment. Verily He is the Protector of whosoever turns unto Him and the Helper of whosoever dwelleth within the precincts of His mercy.

He is indeed among those who are secure, as recorded in His Perspicuous Book. In truth, they have been freed and delivered from the hosts of hatred and rancor and from the claws of tyranny and calumny. Well is it with him and with whosoever hath loved him and desired his salvation.

Glory be unto God! Tyranny hath reached such a pass that none save the All-Knowing, the All-Informed, is aware thereof. The glory of the Cause, its loftiness, its transcendence, justice and fairness have been put to flight. They regarded the divine counsels and heavenly admonitions as though they had never existed, and they abandoned that which would have brought glory to the Cause and to themselves, clinging instead to that which causeth loss, abasement and degradation.

Glory be unto God! From a certain person in that city there occurred that which caused the heart of this Wronged One to lament and groan. It behooveth Us to conceal what hath befallen Us and to make mention of the loved ones of God in that place, among whom are he who was named Javad and Khalil and Karim, and those who attained My presence and heard the shrill voice of My Pen and beheld the horizon of the heaven of My grace. Upon them be My glory, My bounty and My mercy which have preceded all who are in the heavens and on earth.

The honored Shaykh made mention of Javad, upon him be the grace of God, the Lord of the Day of Judgment, and hath sought for him and his kin that which leadeth to the exaltation of their station and the elevation of their rank. The glory from Our presence be upon you, O My friends and loved ones, and upon those who have laid hold of the hem of the robe of their Lord’s tender mercy, the All-Forgiving, the All-Bountiful.

BH03213: Praise befitteth the most holy and exalted Court…

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

Praise befitteth the most holy and exalted Court of the Desired One Who hath descended from the Supreme Horizon with the standard of “He doeth whatsoever He willeth.” His power hath adorned the world of existence with the ornament of knowledge, and His might hath rolled up the carpet of vain imaginings like the rolling up of a scroll and removed it from their midst. Glorified be His grandeur, exalted be His utterance, and all-encompassing be His sovereignty!

O Muhammad-Taqi! Thy mention was present before Our face in the Most Great Prison, and We have revealed for thee from the Kingdom of utterance that which causeth eyes to be gladdened and breaketh the backs of the wicked. Through My manifestation the mysteries have been revealed, and through My rising the dead have risen. We beseech God to make thee eloquent in His remembrance and mighty through His might. Verily He is the One Who hath power over whatsoever He willeth, through His Name before which all necks have bowed low. We have heard thy call and have answered thee with this Tablet through which all tablets have been illumined. When thou hearest the call, arise, turn toward the Supreme Horizon and say:

“Glory be unto Thee, O my God! Thou seest me turning toward Thee and clinging to the cord of Thy bounty. I beseech Thee by the lights of Thy Celestial Dominion and the mysteries of Thy Divine Kingdom and by the waves of the ocean of Thine utterance to ordain for me through Thy Most Exalted Pen that which will draw me nigh unto Thee and guide me to the straight path.

“O my Lord! I am Thy servant and the son of Thy servant. I have turned to Thee, hoping for the wonders of Thy generosity and grace. I beseech Thee to open before my face, through the key of Thy Most Great Name, the doors of Thy pardon and bounty. Verily Thou art the Almighty over what Thou willest, and within Thy grasp are the reins of all who are in earth and heaven. I beseech Thee, O God of Names and Creator of heaven, by Thy greatest signs and the manifestations of Thy grandeur in the kingdom of creation, to assist my family in remembering and praising Thee and in remaining steadfast in Thy Cause. Then protect them, O my God, through Thy bounty which hath encompassed existence and by the light of Thy Cause through which the lands have been illumined. The glory shining forth from the horizon of the heaven of My kingdom be upon thee and upon those with thee and upon My loved ones who were not hindered by the power of the world and the might of the nations from turning toward God, the Lord of all Lords.”

BH03292: O people of the world! The Ancient Lord Who…

He is the All-Knowing Herald

O people of the world! The Ancient Lord Who hath manifested Himself through the Most Great Name bringeth you glad tidings. By My life! The Day hath come, while the people wander in the wilderness of heedlessness and desire, among those who slumber. Say: O concourse of humanity! God hath revealed His greatest countenance and adorned it with this Name whereby every hidden matter was revealed and the Fire spoke from the trees. The veils have been rent asunder and the Lord of the Day of Return hath come with a sovereignty that hath encompassed all parties. Blessed is he who hath heard and hastened and attained, and woe unto the deniers and those who hesitate. O thou who art present before the Throne and gazest upon the Countenance! Soar on the wings of longing unto the heaven of wisdom and utterance and say:

O peoples of the world! Rejoice and behold on this Day whereon He Who conversed on Sinai hath been established upon the throne of Revelation and hath said: By God! The blessed supreme verse “but He is the Apostle of God and the Seal of the Prophets” hath been fulfilled by the Day when mankind shall stand before the Lord of the worlds. This is such a glad tiding that were it to be cast upon the trees, their branches would be seen to rise above the heavens, and were it cast upon the seas, the hidden pearls within their shells would appear, and were it cast upon the mountains, their mines and whatsoever lay concealed and treasured within them would be revealed. Blessed art thou, O thou who standest at the gate time and again, for what We have sent down unto thee whose fragrance hath been diffused throughout the worlds of wisdom and knowledge. Give thanks unto thy Lord for this most great favor and this most perfect and complete remembrance, and say:

Praise be unto Thee, O Lord of all names and Creator of heaven, for having opened before my face, through the key of Thy Most Glorious Name, the treasures of remembrance and praise and the pearls of glory and bounty. I beseech Thee to assist and enable me to achieve that which shall endure through the key of my name among Thy most excellent names. Then cause me, O my God, to be a spreader of Thy signs and attributes among all peoples. Verily Thou art powerful over whatsoever Thou willest. There is none other God but Thee, the Commander, the Ancient of Days.

Thus have We adorned thy head with the crown of utterance and thy temple with the ornament of My glorious and wondrous remembrance. The splendor from Our presence be upon thee and upon those who have quaffed the wine of faithfulness from the hands of the bounty of their Lord, the Compassionate, the All-Bountiful.

BH03412: O My handmaiden and My leaf! Some time ago…

In the Name of the One Beloved!

O My handmaiden and My leaf! Some time ago mention of thee was made from the Tongue of Grandeur. Today, whosoever attaineth unto a single word of the divine utterances hath attained an everlasting station and an eternal rank in the sight of God. That word is a hidden treasure with the True Trustee. Blessed is the servant who hath attained unto this most exalted station, and blessed is the handmaiden who hath attained unto this most glorious rank, and blessed is the tree and the leaf that hath been adorned with the fruits of His good-pleasure and concerning which the word of His good-pleasure hath been sent down from the Most Exalted Horizon.

O My handmaiden! Mention of thy deed became the cause of the revelation of a second Tablet, that thou mayest know with clear certitude that thy deed hath been accepted and bestowed upon souls who were truly deserving. Blessed is the handmaiden who hath performed in the path of God that which she was bidden in His perspicuous Book. And thou, praise be to God, hast attained, and the word of acceptance hath been sent down from the heaven of bounty addressed to thy name. The first Tablet remaineth preserved with the one who delivered it and is trustworthy.

Convey My greetings to all the leaves of that household. We beseech God to assist them with the hosts of steadfastness and draw them nigh unto Him. Verily He is the All-Hearing, the One Who answereth prayers.

Reflect upon the favors of God. Although outwardly at the time of death the wealthy one did not attain unto faith, yet due to thy connection with him, his cry was answered and a portion of his wealth attained unto acceptance by God. We therefore hope that His all-embracing mercy may take hold of him, and we beseech God to guide the mother, that she may drink from the Salsabil of His bounty. His grace is mighty and His bestowal great. We beseech Him to aid His male and female servants to turn unto Him and to act in accordance with that which they have been bidden. Verily He is the Helper, the All-Bountiful, the Ever-Forgiving, the All-Merciful.

The glory from Us be upon thee and upon all who are in the household, from God, the All-Possessing, the All-Bountiful, the Compassionate, the All-Generous.

BH03438: He remembereth His loved ones as He pleaseth…

He is the Compassionate, the All-Bountiful.

He remembereth His loved ones as He pleaseth and adorneth them with the ornament of grace and bounty. Verily He doeth what He willeth. Neither the clamor of enemies, nor the might of princes, nor the roaring of hosts and multitudes who have cast the Covenant of God behind their backs, clinging to their vain imaginings, can intimidate Him.

O Muhammad-Qabil-Kazim! Thy brother hath mentioned thee. We have remembered thee with that which the treasuries of the world cannot equal, as doth testify the Most Great Book of God in its most exalted station.

In these days, from the City of Attentiveness, the City of Detachment, and the City of the Lovers, new and wondrous melodies are being raised. Blessed are they who have attained unto hearing them and who have set their faces toward their true homeland. Today the Concourse on High is engaged in preparing to welcome the holy, detached and ascending spirits. A great celebration is underway in the Concourse on High, yet the heart of the Wronged One is saddened by what hath befallen the Cause of God at the hands of those who have exchanged the favor of God for denial and caused their people to dwell in the abode of perdition.

O loved ones of God! I tell you truly, there hath appeared in the world that which the eye of creation hath never seen the like. Know ye its worth, and with spirit and joy make the ancient world new through mention and praise of the Goal of all the worlds. Quicken the withered and dead hearts. That which floweth from the Most Exalted Pen is the cause of the life of the world—it is the Water of Life. In one place: “Blessed is he who hath attained, and woe unto the heedless!”

We beseech God that Husayn, upon whom be His Glory, and the loved ones of that land not be prevented by the tyranny of oppressors and the rejection of deniers from the warmth of divine love, nor be made cold thereby. The world of a day or two hath no worth or station. We beseech God, blessed and exalted be He, to aid you, preserve you, make you know, and cause you to speak that by which hearts and minds are attracted. The Command is in God’s hand, the Powerful, the Mighty, the Beloved.

BH03425: O Salman! Upon thee be the loving-kindness…

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

O Salman! Upon thee be the loving-kindness of the All-Merciful. Thou hast ever been the recipient of the favors of the Most Exalted Pen. At this time a letter from thee hath been presented to the Wronged One through Mirza Muhammad, upon him be the Glory of God, and the glances of His loving-kindness are directed towards it. We beseech God to aid and assist thee to serve His Cause and His loved ones. Though thy journey this time hath been postponed, yet whatsoever occurreth according to the requirements of God’s consummate wisdom hath been and ever will be well-pleasing.

In all conditions fix thy gaze upon the Most Exalted Horizon. Detached from all else, meet the friends of God in every city and region. Give them the glad-tidings of the loving-kindness of the Best-Beloved of the worlds. All have been and are remembered. They must strive for unity and harmony, and not occupy themselves with these fleeting days more than is necessary. Let them sometimes spend their days preparing for the countless worlds to come.

Convey My greetings to Kazim of Nasirabad, upon him be the Glory of God. We have previously mentioned him in terms that nothing can equal. Verily thy Lord is the Almighty, the All-Powerful.

Say: My God, my God! My liver is melted through Thy love, my joints are severed in separation from Thee, my tears flow in my estrangement from Thee, and my sighs ascend in my remoteness from the court of Thy glory. I beseech Thee, O Lord of the Kingdom of Immortality, Who art seated upon the throne of ʿHe doeth whatsoever He willeth,’ by the lights of Thy countenance, the manifestations of Thy bounty and generosity, and the waves of the ocean of Thy bestowals, to make me steadfast in Thy service and speaking in Thy remembrance and praise. Verily Thou art powerful over whatsoever Thou willest, and verily Thou art the All-Bountiful, the Ancient of Days.

Praise be to Thee, O our Mighty God! I beseech Thee, O Lord of Names and Creator of heaven, to ordain for me from Thy Most Exalted Pen the reward of meeting Thee and the outpourings of Thy days. Verily Thou art He Who hath named Thyself the Forgiving, the Merciful, the Generous, and verily Thou art the Hearer, the Answerer. There is no God but Thee, the Mighty, the All-Praised.

BH03315: O prisoner! We beseech God to ordain for thee…

He is God, Exalted is He, the Lord of grandeur and might

O prisoner! We beseech God to ordain for thee, from His Most Exalted Pen, the good of the world to come and of the world that now is, and to strengthen thee to celebrate His praise and glorify Him throughout every one of His worlds. Verily He is the Lord of mankind, and the Sovereign of the throne on high and the dust below.

O God, my God! I yield Thee thanks at all times and render Thee praise under all conditions.

In prosperity, all praise is Thine, O Lord of the Worlds, and in its absence, all gratitude is Thine, O Desire of them that have recognized Thee!

In adversity, all honour is Thine, O Adored One of all who are in heaven and on earth, and in affliction, all glory is Thine, O Enchanter of the hearts of those who yearn after Thee!

In hardship, all praise is Thine, O Thou the Goal of them that seek after Thee, and in comfort, all thanksgiving is Thine, O Thou whose remembrance is treasured in the hearts of those who are nigh unto Thee!

In wealth, all splendour is Thine, O Lord of them that are devoted to Thee, and in poverty, all command is Thine, O Thou the Hope of them that acknowledge Thy unity!

In joy, all glory is Thine, O Thou besides Whom there is none other God, and in sorrow, all beauty is Thine, O Thou besides Whom there is none other God!

In hunger, all justice is Thine, O Thou besides Whom there is none other God, and in satiety, all grace is Thine, O Thou besides Whom there is none other God!

In my homeland, all bounty is Thine, O Thou besides Whom there is none other God, and in exile, all decree is Thine, O Thou besides Whom there is none other God!

Under the sword, all munificence is Thine, O Thou besides Whom there is none other God, and in the safety of home, all perfection is Thine, O Thou besides Whom there is none other God!

In the lofty mansion, all generosity is Thine, O Thou besides Whom there is none other God, and upon the lowly dust, all favour is Thine, O Thou besides Whom there is none other God!

In prison, all fidelity is Thine, O Thou the Bestower of gifts, and in confinement, all eternity is Thine, O Thou Who art the ever-abiding King!

All bounty is Thine, O Thou Who art the Lord of bounty, and the Sovereign of bounty, and the King of bounty! I bear witness that Thou art to be praised in Thy doings, O Thou Source of bounty, and to be obeyed in Thy behests, O Thou Ocean of bounty, He from Whom all bounty doth proceed, He to Whom all bounty doth return!

BH03338: In the Name of Him through Whom the Light…

In the Name of Him through Whom the Light of the Ancient One hath shone forth from the horizon of the world!

Praise sanctified from mention and glorification befitteth the Peerless One Who through His pervading and sovereign Will took possession of the kingdom of earth and heaven and adorned it with a wondrous and new embellishment. He is the King Who through His Creative Word bestowed affection between hearts and illumined sheer nothingness with the light of existence. Exalted be His power and His grandeur, and all-embracing be His grace and bounty! Light and glory, praise and honor be upon the Hands of His Cause, through whom the lights have shone forth from every direction and the signs have appeared in cities and lands.

O Niyaz! Upon thee be the remembrance and praise of God. Thy mention hath been made before the Throne of the Lord of eternity in the Most Great Prison, and We have revealed for thee that which hath caused the hearts of the righteous to soar and the minds of the pure-hearted to be drawn forth. All the peoples of the world have awaited and still await the days of His manifestation, and at all times they have beseeched and implored the Lord of all beings for His presence. Yet when the light of His manifestation shone forth from the horizon of the world, all turned away except whom God willed. Would that they had been content with that! Rather, they committed that which was as a sword cutting down the blessed Tree. This deed was the result of the decree of the ignorant ones—those souls who, though having attained the most exalted station in the name of truth, wrought that which hath caused the Supreme Pen to lament and wail for successive years. Thus did their own selves prompt them, while they perceived not and understood not.

Thou shouldst praise God for having aided thee to recognize Him and adorned thee with the ornament of acceptance in His days, and given thee to drink of the Kawthar of knowledge from the hand of His bounty. Verily He is the All-Bountiful, the Generous. Say: I beseech Thee, O Lord of the worlds, by Thy Most Great Name, to ordain for me that which shall make me steadfast in Thy love and firm in Thy Cause. Verily Thou art the Omnipotent over what Thou willest. There is no God but Thee, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting.

BH03421: O thou who art the fruit of My Tree…

He is the All-Hearing and the All-Seeing

O thou who art the fruit of My Tree and the leaf thereof! On thee be My glory and My mercy.

Let not thine heart grieve over what hath befallen thee. Wert thou to scan the pages of the Book of Life, thou wouldst, most certainly, discover that which would dissipate thy sorrows and dissolve thine anguish.

Know thou, O fruit of My Tree, that the decrees of the Sovereign Ordainer, as related to fate and predestination, are of two kinds. Both are to be obeyed and accepted. The one is irrevocable, the other is, as termed by men, impending. To the former all must unreservedly submit, inasmuch as it is fixed and settled. God, however, is able to alter or repeal it. As the harm that must result from such a change will be greater than if the decree had remained unaltered, all, therefore, should willingly acquiesce in what God hath willed and confidently abide by the same.

The decree that is impending, however, is such that prayer and entreaty can succeed in averting it.

God grant that thou who art the fruit of My Tree, and they that are associated with thee, may be shielded from its evil consequences.

Say: O God, my God! Thou hast committed into mine hands a trust from Thee, and hast now according to the good-pleasure of Thy Will called it back to Thyself. It is not for me, who am a handmaid of Thine, to say, whence is this to me or wherefore hath it happened, inasmuch as Thou art glorified in all Thine acts, and art to be obeyed in Thy decree.

Thine handmaid, O my Lord, hath set her hopes on Thy grace and bounty. Grant that she may obtain that which will draw her nigh unto Thee, and will profit her in every world of Thine. Thou art the Forgiving, the All-Bountiful. There is none other God but Thee, the Ordainer, the Ancient of Days.

Vouchsafe Thy blessings, O Lord, my God, unto them that have quaffed the wine of Thy love before the face of men, and, in spite of Thine enemies, have acknowledged Thy unity, testified to Thy oneness, and confessed their belief in that which hath made the limbs of the oppressors among Thy creatures to quake, and the flesh of the proud ones of the earth to tremble. I bear witness that Thy Sovereignty can never perish, not Thy Will be altered. Ordain for them that have set their faces towards Thee, and for Thine handmaids that have held fast by Thy Cord, that which beseemeth the Ocean of Thy bounty and the heaven of Thy grace.

Thou art He, O God, Who hath proclaimed Himself as the Lord of Wealth, and characterized all that serve Him as poor and needy. Even as Thou hast written:

“O ye that believe! Ye are but paupers in need of God; but God is the All-Possessing, the All-Praised.”

Having acknowledged my poverty, and recognized Thy wealth, suffer me not to be deprived of the glory of Thy riches. Thou art, verily, the Supreme Protector, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

BH03578: O Qanbar! We have desired to make mention…

He is the Speaker, the Rememberer, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

O Qanbar! We have desired to make mention of thee with that whereby thy name shall endure in the Book of God, the All-Subduing, the Self-Subsisting. This is a Day wherein the Gate of Utterance hath been unlocked by the Key of My Name, the All-Merciful, and the Ocean of Knowledge hath surged before the faces of all who are in the heavens and on earth. O Qanbar! The Most Great Scene hath been adorned by My glance and honored by My presence, and God hath exalted it through this Name, which, when established upon the Throne of Utterance, caused all in the realm of possibility to raise an uproar, save those whom the hands of divine power preserved, on the part of God, the Mighty, the Loving.

This is a Day wherein the Willow Tree maketh mention of the favors of its Lord and glorifieth His praise before the face of the Wronged One in this exalted station. Its branches have lengthened and its rustling hath risen out of longing for the presence of its Lord, the Possessor of all existence. We beseech God, blessed and exalted be He, to assist thee through His bounty and to open before thy face the gate of His bestowal. Verily, He is the One with power over whatsoever He willeth through His word “Be” and it is.

And We have desired at this time to make mention of him who was named Muhammad-i-Qa’ini. He departed from his homeland, seeking his supreme homeland beneath the canopies of the mercy of his Lord, the Most Glorious. Fate prevented him from attaining the presence of the Lord of all beings, and he ascended on the path to the abode of the Guide, where the mercy of his Lord embraced him, until it caused him to enter the Most Exalted Paradise, as a bounty from His presence. Verily, He is the One Whose grace hath encompassed what was and what shall be. We beseech God, blessed and exalted be He, to forgive him through His bounty and to send down upon him, at all times, mercy from His presence. Verily, He is the Possessor of Bounty and the Sovereign of the unseen and the seen. The glory shining forth from the horizon of the heaven of My mercy, and the waves surging from the ocean of My favor, and the light radiating from the horizon of My utterance be upon him and upon those who have offered up their spirits in the path of God, the Lord of the Throne and the dust, and the Master of the Day of Judgment.

BH03543: The Wronged One proclaims: O people of God! Know…

He is the Wise Counselor!

The Wronged One proclaims: O people of God! Know ye the worth and station of this glorious and mighty Day, and arise to redeem that which hath slipped from your grasp. The Day is the Day of deeds, not words. We cherish the hope that ye will aid the Cause of God through the hosts of wisdom and utterance, through goodly deeds and praiseworthy conduct.

O Yusif! The Wronged One hath remembered and continueth to remember His loved ones from the prison-chamber. Say: My God, my God! Praise be unto Thee for having sent down unto Thy loved ones Thy verses and manifested unto them Thy clear tokens and illumined their hearts with the light of Thy knowledge. I beseech Thee, O Ocean of Bounty, by Thy Most Great Signs, to enable me and Thy loved ones to stand firm with supreme steadfastness, and ordain for me and for them that which befitteth the heaven of Thy grace and the sun of Thy mercy. There is no God but Thee, the Almighty, the Glorious, the All-Bountiful.

O My Most Exalted Pen! Make mention of him who hath been named Abu’l-Qasim and remind him of the verses of God, the Lord of the Mighty Throne.

O people of God! This day unity and concord are the helpers of the Cause. Blessed is the soul that is occupied with bringing hearts together for the sake of God. God willing, may all be enabled to achieve this mighty deed.

At this moment We make mention of him who hath been named Mirza Baba, that he may hear the call from the Supreme Horizon and be numbered among the successful ones. Take hold of the Book of God with the power that proceedeth from Him and the might that emanateth from His presence. Beware lest the cawing of the ravens or the oppression of the aggressors deter thee from God, the Lord of all worlds.

We make mention of Our loved ones in that land and give them the glad-tidings of God’s loving-kindness, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy. We make mention of My handmaidens who have believed in the All-Informed Single One. We seal this epistle with mention of him who hath turned toward My horizon and soared in the atmosphere of My love, who hath been named Shafi’ in My Mighty Book. The Glory from Us be upon My loved ones and My handmaidens, and upon him who hath been named Ahmad-i-ʿAli, from God, the Lord of the Exalted Throne.