Volume 095: Akka 1307 A.H. (1889–1890), Part III (5 of 6)

BH00426: O ʿAndalib! Upon thee be the Glory of God…

Section 1: “O ʿAndalib! Upon thee be the Glory…”

He is the All-Commanding, the All-Wise!

O ʿAndalib! Upon thee be the Glory of God, the Lord of all worlds! We address thee in the Persian tongue. Verily, We love to make mention of thee and give thee glad tidings of My grace, My bounty, and My mercy which have preceded thee and aided thee in teaching My Most Great Cause and My Mighty Message. God knoweth, and thou knowest, that the Pen of God hath never ceased to make mention of His servants and counsel them. We have bestowed upon them that which will preserve them, exalt them, strengthen them, and draw them nigh unto God, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy.

Time and again have We made mention of that which leadeth to the elevation, advancement and refinement of souls, and the conditions required of teachers have shone forth from the horizon of divine Tablets. We beseech God to aid all to achieve that which draweth hearts near and attracteth them. The Most Exalted Pen lamenteth and declareth: Today the people of Baha must guide the people of the world through deeds and character, and lead them to the straight path.

One night in the realm of vision, We addressed one of the claimants to love who dwelleth outside this land with this blessed verse:

“Thou wast created to aid My Cause, yet thou didst aid Mine enemies through deeds more powerful than the hosts of kings and rulers.”

Other verses were also revealed to him, and We have mentioned this verse in certain Tablets. Ask thou of God to raise up souls who will arise to aid the Cause of the Wronged One with perfect sanctity, detachment and severance—an arising that no laxity can overtake nor sitting down follow. The loved ones are few and the enemies many.

O ʿAndalib! Upon thee be My glory! Strive that perchance the servants may not be deprived of the waves of the divine ocean of inner meanings. Most are veiled by names, which have become the greatest barrier, thus preventing them from drawing nigh to the Most Exalted Horizon. Say: O people of Baha! Should unseemly conduct appear from any one of you, that one hath been and is an helper of the enemies of Truth, for heedless souls, upon hearing of a reprehensible act, kindle the fire of corruption and begin to spread it, attributing it to the Source.

Repeatedly hath this exalted word descended from the Most Exalted Pen: The hosts that can render victorious the Truth are goodly deeds and praiseworthy character, and the leader and commander of these hosts is the fear of God. By My life! Few indeed are the ears worthy of hearing this call. From the beginning of the Cause We have borne countless afflictions that perchance the heedless souls might become aware and attain to that which beseemeth them.

The Cause of the True One is even as the sun, luminous and resplendent. In the Land of Sad, His Honour Ashraf offered up his life in the path of the Desire of all the worlds, and with perfect steadfastness, resignation, and acquiescence, he set out for the shrine of faithfulness. After the martyrdom of that Wronged One, mention was made of Hadi of Dawlat-Abad, and fear and agitation seized him. That unjust one ascended the pulpit and cursed the Origin and End by name and title, and declared his dissociation to such degree that the son of the wolf bore witness to his faith in the assemblage. For two days of this evanescent life he committed acts that set ablaze the hearts of the near ones and caused the tears of the sincere to flow. This life is proof of hypocrisy, and that martyrdom beareth witness to harmony and concord.

Nevertheless, some have not awakened and shall not awaken. What hath come to pass that the servants reflect not upon the martyrs of this Cause? The Two Luminaries, despite their honour, wealth, and eminence, offered up their lives with such steadfastness that the Concourse on High was left bewildered. Likewise, before them, Kazim and those with him—upon them be the glory of God and His mercy and bounty—in every land, with perfect constancy, sanctified souls sacrificed their lives for this Name.

If the people of the Qur’an have not awakened, it is a simple matter; the people of the Bayan who turn away are likewise in this state. In Badi’ one must reflect:

“We brought him forth and began his creation. When his creation was completed and his formation perfected, We sent him forth like a ball of fire. Neither the might of days nor the power of nations prevented him.”

Yet none is aware.

It were better that we turn our gaze to the Tablet of Wisdom and cleave fast unto this verse:

“Look not upon creation and their ways, but upon the True One and His sovereignty. Thus hath the matter been decreed by God, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.”

Today all things speak, but no hearer is to be found, save whomsoever thy Lord willeth. In one of the Tablets, written in His own hand, these words are recorded: “The Book speaketh—what doth it say? It saith: The Hidden One hath come.’ The musk-pod speaketh—what doth it say? It saith: The Musk of inner meanings hath come.’ The shell speaketh—what doth it say? It saith: The true Pearl hath come.’ The horizon speaketh—what doth it say? It saith: The Most Great Luminary hath come.’ Mount Sinai speaketh—what doth it say? It saith: The Interlocutor hath come.’ The Lote-Tree speaketh—what doth it say? It saith: Behold My fruits and hearken unto My rustling.’ The ocean speaketh—what doth it say? It saith: Behold My majesty and My waves.’ The sun speaketh—what doth it say? It saith: Behold My rising and My effulgences.’ The Wronged One speaketh—what doth He say? He saith: ʿMight and glory belong unto God and unto His chosen ones.”’

Each day pearls of wisdom and gems of utterance appear from the treasury of the Most Exalted Pen, yet seekers endued with justice and equity are as non-existent and lost. Say:

“O my God! O my God! Deprive not Thy servants of the Kawthar of Thy mercy, nor of the showers of Thy bounty and bestowal. I beseech Thee by Thy Name through which Thou hast subdued all names, and by whose utterance the realities of all things have been attracted, to assist the heedless to turn unto the gate of Thy grace and to return unto the ocean of Thy forgiveness. Verily, Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty, the Bountiful.”

O ʿAndalib! Upon thee be My glory! Cast these hidden words before the servants, that perchance they may return from passion unto guidance, and from rebellion unto righteousness.

O Friends! Extinguish the lamp of error and kindle within your hearts and souls the everlasting beacons of guidance, for ere long the assayers of all being will accept naught but the purest virtue in the presence of the Adored One, and naught but spotless deeds shall be accepted by Him.

The following is written in the first line of the Tablet and concealed in the pavilion of God’s protection:

O My servant! Let not a single breath deprive thee of the imperishable sovereignty, and forfeit not the celestial dominion of Paradise for a fleeting desire. This is the living waters of Kawthar, flowing from the fountain-pen of the All-Merciful. Well is it with them that drink thereof.

O earthly plant! How is it that thou wilt not touch thy garment with sugar-stained hands, yet with a heart defiled by desire and passion thou seekest intimacy with Me and yearnest to enter My holy dominions? Far, far be it from you, from that which ye desire!

Section 2: “O ʿAndalib! The purpose is that it be…”

O ʿAndalib! The purpose is that it be made known to all that from the earliest days the Supreme Pen hath commanded all to sanctification, detachment, and that whereby the Cause is exalted. These sublime words were revealed in the Tablet of Majesty: “Today the helper of the Truth hath been goodly deeds and praiseworthy character.” Repeatedly hath this exalted word been revealed from the Supreme Pen: “The harm to this Wronged One came not from the chains and fetters of the Land of Ta, nor from the oppression of the tyrants of the Land of Mim. Rather it came from souls who claim to love Him and count themselves among the people of Baha, yet are found to be obedient to self and passion.” Today must the friends be illumined with the light of piety and enkindled with the fire of detachment. This is the counsel of the Truth, exalted be His glory, both aforetime and hereafter. Well is it with them that act!

In truth I say: from whomsoever appeareth the fire of desire and passion, he is not and hath never been of the Truth. The friends must be adorned with the ornament of detachment, piety, trustworthiness and religion. In the Hidden Words We have said:

“O ye that are fair in the outward and dark in the inward! Your likeness is as the clear, bitter water which to outward seeming is crystal pure but of which, when tested by the divine Assayer, not a drop is accepted. Yea, the sun’s rays fall alike upon the dust and the mirror, yet differ they in reflection even as doth the star from the earth, nay measureless is the difference!”

The influence of the Word hath ever been dependent upon sanctification of self. Say: O my God, my God! Illumine the hearts of Thy loved ones with the light of Thy knowledge, and aid them to champion Thy Cause through utterance from which the fragrance of Thy sanctity is diffused. O Lord! Withhold them not from the ocean of Thy bounty, nor from the outpourings of Thy days. I beseech Thee to assist them in whatsoever good Thou hast revealed in Thy Book. Verily Thou art the All-Bountiful, the Mighty, the Powerful.

Thou didst mention the loved ones of the land of Shin and likewise other lands. The excellence of that blessed land among hallowed regions is evident and manifest as the sun. Blessed is it and blessed are its people who have drunk the wine of revelation from the chalices of the bounty of their Lord, the Compassionate, the Generous. Thou didst mention certain souls and their enkindlement with the fire of divine love. Praised be God, each one hath attained unto the waves of the ocean of utterance. We have mentioned them all with a mention that is sanctified above change and effacement. Verily thy Lord is the Mighty, the Powerful. Give them My glad-tidings, remind them of My verses, and illumine them with the lights of My wondrous utterance. The Afnan of that land, upon them be My glory and loving-kindness, have attained unto that which hath no peer or likeness. We beseech God to manifest through them the standards of His might in His lands and the banners of His guidance amongst His servants.

Mention was made of Jinab-i-ʿAbdu’l-Hamid, glory be upon him, and of his attraction and ardor. Praise be to God, he turned to the Cause in its early days and attained the honor of meeting and reaching his goal. We beseech God to assist him that he may arise to serve the Cause, that perchance certain unseemly deeds may be transformed into pure and goodly acts.

O servant before Ha and Mim! Hearken unto My call from the direction of My prison and take hold of the reins of the Cause with wisdom and utterance. Give the people to drink, at one time from the choice wine of utterance, and at another from the Kawthar of divine knowledge. Say: O people! By the True One, ye were created for this Day. Cast aside vain imaginings and their manifestations, and conjectures and their sources. The veil hath been removed and the Creator of all things hath come with the banners of verses and the standards of clear proofs. Hasten with your hearts and say: Praise be unto Thee, O Lord of the Day of Return, and glory be unto Thee, O Master of all necks. Thus have We sent down the verses and expounded them in truth and sent them unto thee, that thou mayest arise to serve the Cause with such steadfastness as to cause the hearts of the wicked to tremble. Today the servants are heedless; were they to become aware and find their purpose, all would arise to serve. Their divines have kept them back from the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. We beseech God to assist all to turn in repentance, for verily He is the Kind, the Forgiving.

Specifically for some of the aforementioned friends, exalted, wondrous and holy Tablets have been sent down from the heaven of God’s will. God willing, they shall drink from the Kawthar of the utterance of the All-Merciful and receive their portion from the ocean of true unity. He is the Giver, He is the Bestower, He is the Generous One.

Verily We make mention of the friends of God in Mim and Ya, then Mim, and We have sent down for them Tablets from the heaven of loving-kindness and favor. We beseech God to grant them the bounty of attaining His Tablets and to gladden them with that which He hath ordained for those who have turned unto Him from God, the Lord of all worlds. Say: My God, my God! By Thy power, raise up one who will arise to serve Thy Cause in such wise that nothing whatsoever shall deter him, nor shall the might of potentates frighten him, nor shall the clamor of the powerful weaken him. O my Lord! Thou seest Thy chosen ones in the hands of the heedless among Thy creatures. I beseech Thee, O Ancient King and Sovereign of nations, by Thy Most Great Name, to ordain for those who have entered beneath Thy shadow the reward of attaining Thy presence and that which Thou hast destined for Thy chosen ones. Verily, Thou art powerful over what Thou willest. There is none other God but Thee, the Protector of all that was and shall be.

And We make mention of My handmaidens and My leaves who have believed in God, the One, the Single, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. Say: O handmaidens of God! The Wronged One beseecheth God to draw you nigh and to assist you to be chaste, virtuous, righteous and God-fearing. Aid your Lord through pure and goodly deeds and blessed, praiseworthy conduct. O handmaidens of God! The world hath been encompassed by extinction. Blessed is the soul whom the concerns of the days have not kept back from the Lord of all names. The glory shining from the horizon of the heaven of My bounty be upon thee, O ʿAndalib, and upon those who are with thee and who hearken unto thy words concerning this momentous News.

As commanded, deliver a copy of this blessed Tablet and the other holy Tablet which was revealed in thy name to Jinab-i-Aqa Mirza ʿAbdu’l-Hamid, upon him be the glory of God.

BH00459: The Epistle of God, the Help-in-Peril, the Self-Subsisting

Section 1: “The Word of God hath appeared…”

He is the One Who speaks with grace and commands with justice.

The Word of God hath appeared from the horizon of the Kingdom of Utterance, and the Light of Revelation hath shone forth from the Horizon of Sinai. That Word is the blessed word “He doeth whatsoever He willeth,” and that Light is the light of the appearance of the Desire of all worlds. O Taj! Blessed is he whose heart is adorned with the crown of the Most Great Name and whose temple is adorned with the ornament of detachment. We have ever remembered and will continue to remember the chosen ones. The calumnies of the calumniators and the opposition of the ungodly have not prevented the Supreme Pen from remembering, during the nights and days, the true loved ones and spiritual friends. The denial of the Day Star of affirmation hath not deprived it of sincerity and purity, nor hath its darkness prevented the light of justice from shining forth and being manifest. Exalted be His determination, His power, and His utterance!

O Taj’d-Din! This Wronged One dwelleth imprisoned among the heedless, without helper or defender. Therefore hath every oppressor risen up in opposition and objection. The oppressors of the world have found an arena and have attacked Him Who is without helper or defender. However, the opposition and objection of all have been, in the sight of God, and continue to be, as the buzzing of a fly. Quite apart from truth, the people of Persia have throughout their lives been occupied with the descriptions of worthless souls and have remained heedless of and veiled from the Manifestations of power and the Dawning-places of might. Beseech ye God to transform oppression into justice and to sanctify and purify the eyes from the ophthalmia of idle fancies. Verily, He is powerful over all things.

Glory be to God! The rain of divine mercy is, at all times, pouring down from the clouds of the grace of the Lord of the Day of Judgment, and the effulgences of the rays of the Sun of Truth are manifest and visible. Nevertheless, all remain attached to and occupied with the dawning-places of idle fancies and the rising-points of vain imaginings.

Today the Kingdom of Utterance proclaimeth before the faces of all religions, without any concealment or disguise, saying:

“O people! Fear God, then turn unto the horizon wherefrom the Sun hath shone forth and the Light hath appeared, and wherein was inscribed by the Supreme Pen that which was recorded in the Books of God, the Lord of existence. Beware lest ye deprive yourselves of the Lamp of Salvation, which calleth out with the most exalted call and summoneth all unto God, the Lord of the mighty Throne. Say: O party of God! Aid your Lord through the hosts of verses which have been sent down from the heaven of the will of your Lord, the Almighty, the Powerful.”

O Taj’d-Din! When thou hast drunk the choice wine of revelation from this perspicuous cup, say:

“Praise be unto Thee, O my God, and glory be unto Thee, O my Aim, and thanksgiving be unto Thee, O my Beloved, for having enabled me to turn toward Thy most exalted horizon and helped me to enter Thy court through the means of earth and heaven. I beseech Thee, O Lord of the world and Desire of the nations, by Thy Name through which the ocean of bounty surged before the faces of all beings and the sun of faithfulness shone forth from Thy most exalted horizon, to strengthen Thy loved ones to be steadfast in Thy Cause in such wise that neither the hosts of the heedless nor the armies of the ungodly may frighten them, nor may the might of the oppressors who have denied Thy proof and turned away from Thy countenance weaken them. O Lord! I am Thy servant and the son of Thy servant. Thou hast made me to attain unto Thy presence, to hear Thy call, and to behold Thy horizon. I beseech Thee to ordain for me that which will profit me, preserve me, and draw me nigh unto Thee. Verily, Thou art the Almighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.”

Verily We have desired to make mention of Abu’l-Qasim who attained the presence when the Temple of the Manifestation was established upon the Throne of Utterance and summoned all to that which would exalt them and draw them nigh unto God, the Lord of all worlds. O Abu’l-Qasim, blessed art thou for having turned thyself toward and heard the call of the Wronged One whilst He was imprisoned in the hands of the heedless. He hath mentioned thee time and again in such wise that thy remembrance shall endure throughout the kingdom of God, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. I bear witness that thou didst hear My call and attain unto My presence and didst speak in My beauteous praise. When the choice wine of utterance seized thee, say: Praise be unto Thee, O my Lord, the All-Merciful, for having guided me unto Thy path and acquainted me with Thy Cause whereby the hearts of Thy creatures were stirred. I beseech Thee by Thy Name through Whose manifestation all names bowed down, and by Thy Command whereby Thou didst subdue earth and heaven, to ordain for me by Thy Most Exalted Pen that which Thou hast ordained for them that have aided Thy Cause through wisdom and utterance. Verily Thou art the Almighty, the Glorious, the All-Bountiful.

And at this moment We make mention of him who was named ʿAli before Muhammad, who drank the choice wine of utterance from the cup of My bounty and turned toward My direction until he attained My presence and heard My call and beheld My horizon. Blessed is he and blessed is he who hath acted in accordance with that which was enjoined in the Book of God, the Lord of this glorious and wondrous station. O thou who speaketh My praise, say: My God, my God! Thou seest the hands of my hope upraised toward the heaven of Thy bounty and mine eyes fixed upon the horizon of Thy grace. I beseech Thee by the lights of Thy throne and by that which lay hidden in Thy knowledge to aid me to serve Thy Cause amongst Thy servants.

O Lord! I testify to Thy unity and Thy singleness, and to Thy power and might and grandeur and sovereignty. I beseech Thee, O Lord of the Kingdom and the Realm and the One Who holdeth dominion over all existence, to make me in all conditions turned toward the heaven of Thy grace and withdrawn from Thine enemies who have violated Thy Covenant and Thy Testament and have disbelieved in Thy signs. There is no God but Thee, the Single, the One, the Mighty, the Great.

And at the end of the Book We have desired to make mention of him who was named Zaynu’l-Abidin, to whose orientation and devotion the Tongue of Grandeur hath testified, when most of My servants whom We created for My recognition and to stand before My gate and to serve My Cause, the Mighty, turned away from Me. O Zaynu’l-Abidin! The Lord of all worlds calleth thee and counseleth thee with that which will elevate thy station among His servants, and concerning trustworthiness which He hath made a mercy and wealth and blessing for all in the land. Say: Praise be unto Thee, O my Goal, and glory be unto Thee, O my Object of Worship! I testify that Thou art God, there is none other God but Thee, and within Thy grasp are the reins of all existence, both seen and unseen.

I beseech Thee by the Dayspring of Thy signs and the Source of Thy clear tokens, and by Thy sovereignty whereby the limbs of the heedless among Thy servants and the doubters among Thy creatures trembled, to open before the faces of Thy loved ones the doors of Thy mercy with the keys of Thy grace. Verily Thou art powerful over whatsoever Thou willest and within Thy grasp are the reins of all who are in the heavens and on earth.

Section 2: “Verily We have desired to turn…”

Verily We have desired to turn from the direction of the Prison toward him who was named Ali before Askar and make mention of him with such mention as shall comfort the eyes of them that are nigh. O Ali-Askar, We bear witness that thou didst turn toward God on a day wherein most of the servants turned away from Him, and didst hear His sweetest call in the prison of ʿAkka when He was imprisoned in the hands of those who cast the command of God behind their backs, following the manifestations of idle fancies. We bear witness that thou didst acknowledge that which the Tongue of Grandeur did utter and that which was revealed in His wondrous Book. When thou didst drink the choice wine of utterance from the cup of the bounty of thy Lord, the All-Merciful, say:

O my God, my God! My heart hath been set aflame by the fire of Thy love, and my breast illumined by the light of Thy knowledge. I beseech Thee, O Lord of the worlds, by Thy command whereby Thou hast subdued the nations, by the pearls that lay concealed in the ocean of Thy knowledge, and by the mysteries that were veiled from the eyes of Thy creation, to aid me in all circumstances to act as befitteth Thy days. Then ordain for me, O my God, that which shall make me steadfast in Thy love. Verily, Thou art the Commander, the Almighty, the All-Wise.

O Ahmad-ʿAli! Upon thee be My glory and My loving-kindness. Thy name was mentioned in the presence of the Wronged One, Who hath remembered thee in such wise as no remembrance of the peoples can equal, nor all that existeth in the world. The Mother Book in the Final End beareth witness to this. We have remembered thee time and again, and have sent down for thee that which hath diffused amongst the servants the fragrance of bounty and favor. Say: Praise be unto Thee, O my God, for having remembered me and revealed unto me that which the passage of ages shall not alter. I beseech Thee by Thy most excellent names and Thy most exalted attributes, and by Thy sovereignty that hath encompassed all things, to ordain for me the good of this world and the world to come. Verily, Thou art the Lord of the Throne on high and of earth below. There is none other God but Thee, the Compassionate, the Bountiful.

We make mention of Our loved ones in Shin who were not deterred by the whisperings of the doubters—those who hear the verses and deny them, who witness the clear proofs yet turn away from them. These are indeed among the most lost. They have taken their vain imaginings as lords besides God. Thus have their souls enticed them, and today they are in manifest error. We beseech God, the Lord of the Throne and of earth, the Master of the world to come and of this world, to assist His loved ones there to aid His Cause with wisdom and utterance. Verily, He is the Single, the One, the Mighty, the Powerful. Nothing whatsoever escapeth His knowledge. He heareth and seeth, and He is the Commander, the All-Wise.

We make mention at this time of him who hath turned to My countenance, won My call, stood at My door, drunk the choice wine of reunion from the hand of My bounty, and who hath been named with Shin and Kaf in this wondrous and glorious Tablet. the ungodly seized and imprisoned him without any proof from God, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. We beseech God to aid the oppressors to justice and to adorn them with the ornament of equity. Verily, He is the Most Merciful of the merciful. O Shukri, hear My call from the precincts of My prison. It consoleth thee in what hath befallen thee from the hosts of the deniers. Behold the grace of God and His mercy, that He remembereth thee in prison after seeing thee in another manifest prison. We have made thee Our partner in affliction and tribulation, in captivity and ordainment. Verily, thy Lord loveth whatsoever befalleth Him in the Cause of God, the Lord of the worlds. Grief and distress have seized some of My loved ones there. Nothing is hidden from Our knowledge. Every person of insight beareth witness to this.

We desire at this time to make mention of one of My Afnan who hath been named with Ba before Qaf, and to bring him glad tidings of God’s grace, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy. His letter came before the Wronged One, and We have revealed for him that which hath caused the hearts of the sincere to soar. We beseech God to send down upon him a blessing from His presence and a mercy from His own Self. Verily, He is the All-Seeing, the All-Informed. Glory and remembrance and praise be from Us upon Our loved ones who were not frightened by the clamor of the oppressors nor the doubts of the suspicious away from God, the Lord of all who are in the heavens and the earth. The gate of knowledge hath been opened with the key of utterance, and that which was hidden in God’s knowledge, the Master of this wondrous Day, hath appeared. We have sent down the verses and manifested the clear proofs, yet the people remain in grievous blindness.

O Murtada! Hear the call from this most exalted horizon. Verily, He remembereth thee in the prison, as a token of His mercy and loving-kindness. Blessed art thou, and joy be unto thee, for thou hast drunk from the chalice of tribulation in the name of the Lord of all names, and hast partaken thereof for the love of His sanctified, mighty and inaccessible Name. There hath befallen thee what befell Us at the hands of the oppressors. We have heard thy cry and thy lamentation, and have witnessed what hath come upon thee in the path of God, the Sovereign, the Mighty, the All-Praised. We testify that tribulation hath not deterred thee from turning unto Him, nor have the veils of the heedless obscured thee from God, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.

Say: Praise be unto Thee, O my God, and glory be unto Thee, O my Beloved, and bounty be unto Thee, O my Lord, for having remembered me in Thy days and for having sent down unto me that which hath diffused the fragrances of Thy utterance throughout the world. I testify that Thou hast appeared and manifested Thy Cause through a sovereignty that hath encompassed all who are in the heavens and on earth. I beseech Thee, O Creator of heaven, by Thy Most Exalted Word, through which Thy signs and ordinances have been spread abroad, to make me content with whatsoever hath befallen me in Thy love and steadfast in Thy Cause. Verily, Thou art the Omnipotent over whatsoever Thou willest. There is none other God but Thee, the Protector, the Mighty, the Powerful.

BH11689: All praise befitteth the Desired One Who, through…

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

All praise befitteth the Desired One Who, through the movement of the Most Exalted Pen, hath conquered the peoples of the mortal realm, and through its hidden Kawthar hath bestowed new and wondrous life upon decayed bones. Exalted, exalted be His favor! Exalted be His mercy! Exalted be His greatness and sovereignty! Who can reckon the wondrous tokens of His grace, the sum of His commandments and favors? He it is Who hath made a single word from among His words the standard of guidance from His presence and the banner of His Cause amidst His servants. Through it He hath manifested the Resurrection and its mysteries, the Hour and its signs. Blessed is he who hath recognized that which hath appeared from His presence, and blessed is he who hath witnessed that which hath shone forth from the horizon of the heaven of His bounty.

Glory and remembrance and praise be upon His loved ones and chosen ones who have hearkened unto His most sweet call and have attained unto the word “Yea, verily”—yea, verily, O Creator of the heavens and Lord of the Kingdom of Names! These are servants who have attained, honored servants, steadfast servants. They are the helpers of God, the hands of His Cause, and the dawning-places of His most beautiful names and attributes. They have taken the choice wine from the hand of His bounty despite His enemies, and have drunk in His name before the faces of His creation. Verily He is the Supporter of His loved ones, the Strengthener of the pillars of His Cause, the Exalter of His loved ones, and the Revealer of their stations and conditions in His kingdom. He is, verily, the Almighty, the All-Conquering, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

The exalted letter with its offerings of utterance and meaning reached this evanescent servant. In truth, each of its words was a chalice filled with the Salsabil of love and affection, adorned as it was with the praise and glorification of the Lord of creation and the Master of all beings. Repeatedly was it read, and with each reading a fresh fragrance was wafted to the nostrils of truth. Glory be to God! Its sweet scents spread wide the carpet of joy, and its perfumes brought a sanctified gladness transcending mortal station. Thereafter, having sought the Most Exalted Paradise and Supreme Heaven, it was presented before the Lord of all humanity and attained the honor of His attention. Then did the ocean of utterance of our Lord, the Most Merciful, surge, and the Speaker of Sinai spoke forth, while seated upon the Throne of Revelation, that whereby the treasures of divine knowledge were revealed in the contingent world before the faces of all religions, and the Herald called out from the direction of the Prison:

“Hearken unto the Call of God, raised from the most exalted station.”

His blessed and exalted Word is:

He is the Light that shineth and gleameth from the horizon of the heaven of knowledge.

O Muhammad-Husayn! Rejoice that God, the Self-Subsisting, the All-Compelling, has willed that His Pen should move to make mention of thee. Time and again have We remembered thee and sent thee diverse Tablets wherein every word surged with the ocean of thy Lord’s utterance, the All-Compelling, the Knower of the seen and unseen, and from whose horizons shone forth the suns of bounty and grace. Thy Lord chooseth whom He willeth and loveth whom He loveth and remembereth him in such wise as to preserve his name and trace throughout the dominion of earth and heaven. The Wronged One remembereth thee amidst His tribulations as a token of His favor unto thee, that thou mayest give thanks unto thy Lord, the Possessor of all being.

Neither the oppression of the enemies nor the power of any veiled potentate could hinder Him. While seated upon the throne of justice, the servant who was present brought thy letter and read it before His face. From it We perceived the fragrance of thy submissiveness, humility and devotion to God, the Lord of this praiseworthy station. Blessed is thine ear for having heard God’s call, and thine eye for having beheld His signs, and thy tongue for having voiced His praise amongst His servants. Verily thy Lord is the Truth, the Knower of the unseen. I testify that through tribulation He hath upraised His Most Great Name and revealed that which lay hidden in the treasury of His knowledge, the Mighty, the Beloved.

We have enjoined upon all trustworthiness, godliness, truthfulness and fidelity. Among the people are those who have cast the command of God behind their backs and committed that which hath caused the faithful ones to lament. They have embraced wickedness and indecency and cast away righteousness and piety, and have uttered such calumnies as no ear in the world hath ever heard the like. He Who speaketh in this Frequented House beareth witness unto this.

Say: O my God, my God! Thou seest Thy sheep amidst the wolves of the earth and Thy trusted ones in the clutches of treachery. I beseech Thee, O Lord, by the ocean of Thy verses and the lights of the dawn of Thy Revelation, and by Thy Call which Thou hast made the Water of Life for all creation, and by Thy Name through which the hearts of all religions were stirred, to adorn Thy servants with the ornament of truthfulness and justice. Enable them to guide those who missed their way when the lights of the Sun of Thy Revelation were manifest, then aid them to return unto the court of Thy pardon and forgiveness and to stand before the gate of Thy bounty and generosity. O Lord! Deliver Thy servants from the oppression of the oppressors and the dominion of the heedless. Then preserve them through the hosts of the seen and the unseen. Thou art verily the One Who hath power over whatsoever He willeth and Who hath dominion over all things. There is none other God but Thee, the All-Bountiful, the Most Generous, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.

O thou who drinkest the choice wine of My utterance! Thou hast heard My sweetest call in the eloquent tongue, and We wish to remember thee in the luminous language. This Wronged One hath ever been in the hands of the enemies. They have brought to pass that which none but God can reckon. In these days the wolves of the earth have surrounded Him and are secretly engaged in bringing harm to this Wronged One. Yet God knoweth the treachery of eyes and what the breasts conceal. Whatsoever befalleth in the path of God is beloved. We have joined tribulation to the word of Jacob. Though We are seen in these days without helper or assistant, God shall soon raise up the treasures of His earth and reveal its riches—these are men who shall be raised up for the triumph of the Great News in such wise that no impediment or barrier shall stand in their way. These are the dawning-places of God’s power and the manifestations of His might. No matter shall prevent or veil these shining and resplendent gems. Glory be to God! The people of the Bayan have not yet perceived the fragrance of this Day. They are seen to be more veiled than the followers of the previous Dispensation. Say:

I beseech Thee, O Lord of the Kingdom of Names and Creator of the heavens, by Thy Lamp which hath desired naught except the reformation of the world and hath taken neither glass, nor crystal, nor any protector save Thee, to illumine the hearts of Thy servants with the light of Thy knowledge and to adorn their heads with the crowns of justice and equity. O my Lord! Thou seest the oppressors united in frustrating Thy Cause and the stations of Thy trusted ones. I beseech Thee by Thy all-encompassing Will and Thy prevailing Purpose to protect them from the evil of those who have violated Thy Covenant and Testament, and have denied Thy most great signs and mighty evidences. There is no God but Thee, the Most Exalted, the Most Glorious.

Convey to the loved ones of that land the greetings from the Wronged One—greetings whose fragrance will attract the hearts and minds and lead them to the luminous horizon. Counsel all on behalf of the Wronged One to observe trustworthiness, religious devotion, and the fear of God, the Lord of existence and the Educator of the seen and unseen. We have repeatedly stated that in this Most Great Revelation, triumph is achieved through wisdom and utterance, not through sword and spear. Under all conditions, they must occupy themselves with winning hearts and uniting souls.

Goodly deeds have ever been and will continue to be the hosts of God, and praiseworthy character the guide of His servants. That which causes the people to shun and avoid is neither acceptable nor adorned with the ornament of His good-pleasure. Although the First Point appeared from the Most Exalted Kingdom in Muharram—which is indeed beloved to the soul and the cause of joy and gladness and the source of delight and happiness—yet most people, due to their lack of awareness, might misconstrue any expression of joy in those days as, God forbid, indicative of hatred and animosity. Therefore, wisdom requires that those days be observed with reverence. Thus did this Wronged One, while in Iraq during the days of Muharram, make mention of His tribulations and attend certain gatherings of lamentation, out of mercy and kindness to the servants.

The Exalted One—may the spirit of all else be sacrificed for His sake—also observed the sanctity of those days. Whatever causes people to draw nigh and leads to their acceptance and attention should be embraced until such time as the Cause becomes manifest to them. Convey this firm decree to the servants that all may become aware and hold fast to that which God hath willed. The glory shining from the horizon of the heaven of My mercy be upon thee and upon those who are with thee, who love thee, and who hearken to thy words concerning the Cause of God, the Almighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

It is hoped that the friends of God will arise to triumph the Cause with pure and sanctified hearts and with the aforementioned hosts of goodly deeds and praiseworthy character. From the horizon of every Tablet shineth forth the Sun of wisdom and utterance, and all are commanded to follow it. God willing, that beloved one will make the heedless souls aware of the divine commandments and prohibitions. Had the people acted according to God’s will until now, Iran and indeed other countries would have been illumined by the light of His Cause. This evanescent servant ever supplicates:

“My God, my God! Assist Thy loved ones to that which will manifest Thy favors upon Thy creation and the waves of the ocean of Thy bounty in Thy dominion. O Lord! Purify the hearts of those who have turned to Thee with the Kawthar of Thy utterance, and ordain for them that which will adorn them with the ornament of justice and equity in Thy days. There is no God but Thee, the All-Bountiful, the Mighty, the Wise.”

Your esteemed irrefutable treatise was received and accepted. God willing, it will be sent in these days, and permission for its publication has risen from the horizon of utterance. The servant beseecheth his Lord that He may, through your sincerity, humility, acceptance, mention and utterance, open the doors of people’s hearts. Verily, He is the God of mankind and their Educator through His name, the Educator, the All-Wise.

A hundred thousand thanks to the Goal of the world’s peoples, Who hath not deprived any seeker from the effulgences of the Luminary of His Word. The new petition of that loved one was received before the countenance of the King of the Kingdom of Utterance and was illumined with the light of acceptance. For each of the names mentioned, a Most Holy, Most Exalted Tablet was revealed from the heaven of bounty and sent forth. Praise be to God that that loved one became the means of abundant grace, and likewise became the cause of the descent of the rain of the All-Bountiful’s mercy.

The revelation of verses is of such magnitude that all are powerless to reckon it. From all directions, by night and by day, petitions arrive and gracious replies are given. And if there is sometimes delay, it is for two reasons: first, that through the grace of God, exalted be His glory, your honor dwelleth in the most exalted station, namely that of certitude and assurance, therefore in delay there is no harm; and second, due to the abundance of replies to petitions that have newly been received. Surely that loved one is content and grateful, for he hath repeatedly partaken of heavenly sustenance and true bounties. Well is it with your honor!

On one occasion this supreme utterance was heard from the tongue of the King of the Kingdom of Names regarding your honor. His mighty utterance is:

“O servant present! His honor M.H. hath arisen to serve. Verily We have made him the cup-bearer of the Kawthar of God’s utterance, the Lord of the worlds.”

Glory be to God! Such is the bounty that the possessors of tongues and pens are unable to describe it. To this testify the leaves of the Paradise of God, the Expositor, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

If wisdom permitteth and alloweth, convey on behalf of this servant greetings and praise to the loved ones of that land. God is aware that in most times I beseech from the Goal of the world’s peoples that which is immortalized in the Mother Book. Verily, He is the Hearer, the Answerer, and He is the Powerful, the Mighty. Glory and remembrance and praise be upon you and upon those who are with you and who hearken to your words concerning the Cause of God, the Guardian, the Self-Subsisting. We are God’s and unto Him shall we return.

BH00471: He is the One Who speaks before all faces…

He is the One Who speaks before all faces that which draws the servants near to the Lord of existence.

God, Lord of the Throne and earth, has testified before the creation of beings that there is no God but Him, the Single, the One, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. God testified before the creation of His earth and heaven, and His attributes and names, that there is no God but Him, the Powerful, the Mighty, the Great.

O Pen! Illumine the world through the appearance of the Ancient King and the Most Great Name, whereby all on earth were thunderstruck save those whom the hands of their Lord’s loving-kindness, the Compassionate, the Generous, had taken hold of.

Then make mention of him who left his home, turning towards God’s Most Great Kaaba, and traversed the way until he arrived at the Prison Land and stood before the Gate when he heard the call of God, the Powerful, the Supreme over all in the heavens and earths. He was named Hussein in the Book of Names. He has attained and taken the choice wine of utterance from the generous hand of his Lord, the All-Merciful, and drank thereof in His name, the Powerful, the Bestower, the Mighty, the Beautiful.

O Hussein! Thank thy Lord and say:

“Praise be unto Thee for having guided me to Thy Announcement, made me know Thee, and taught me Thy straight and manifest path.”

We have desired at this time to make mention of God’s friends and loved ones as a bounty from Us, and verily I am the Forgiving, the Merciful.

O Hasan! The Ancient Countenance has turned toward thee from the direction of His Most Great Prison and mentioned thee in such wise as hath enraptured the hearts of the knowing ones. The Trusted One mentioned thee before, and We have revealed for thee that which caused the ocean of knowledge to surge in the contingent world. Blessed is the Most Merciful Who mentions His friends and will mention them as a bounty from Him. He is the Mighty, the All-Bountiful, the Generous.

The Glory be upon thee and upon thy wife who has turned to God, believed, and heard the call of God, the Lord of Lords.

O Tongue of Utterance! Make mention of one of thy handmaidens and a leaf among thy leaves who attained the presence of him who was named Rida in the Spirit in the Book of God, the Lord of all beings. O My leaf! Blessed art thou for having turned toward the Countenance when every heedless doubter turned away.

And blessed is My other leaf whom We mentioned before through that which the trees proclaimed: “The Kingdom belongs to God, the Powerful, the Compelling.” We beseech God to ordain for you both what He has ordained for His handmaidens who circle the Most Great Throne at morn and eventide.

And We make mention of the son-in-law who was named Hussein with a mention around which all mentions revolve. O Hussein! Thank God for having made thee recognize the Dawning-Place of His verses and caused thee to speak His praise. He is verily the Compassionate, the Mighty, the All-Bounteous.

O Ali Agha! We have mentioned thee time and again, and We revealed for thee before that which brought joy to the eyes of the righteous. The Glory be upon thee and upon those with thee in the evening and at dawn.

O Muhammad! Remember when Muhammad, the Messenger of God, came, the learned ones turned away from Him and every idolatrous unbeliever opposed Him. Blessed is the servant who heard His call, attained His traces, and spoke His praise throughout the lands. The Glory from Us be upon thee and upon those with thee, and upon those who have drunk the choice wine of revelation from the bounteous hand of their Lord, the Creator of existence.

O Rida! Your Lord bears witness that you hearkened unto the Call and turned unto Him when most of the servants turned away. I bear witness that you set your face toward the most exalted and ultimate Goal until you attained the precincts circled by the Concourse on High, and heard My most sweet call, and beheld My most glorious horizon. Blessed art thou and blessed is he who loves thee and heeds thy word in this Cause whereby the mountains were moved. Time and again have your letters reached the Wronged One, and We found therein your ardor in the love of God and your steadfastness in His Cause whereby the idols were struck down. Know you who has turned toward you and recognize you who has set his face in your direction? Say: … [the text is incomplete: see Or.15726.001]

BH00494: The Epistle of God, the Help-in-Peril, the Self-Subsisting

He calleth out before the people of the world

O Aqa Baba! Upon thee be the glory of God, the Most Glorious! Knowest thou Who calleth thee? The Most Exalted Pen of God. And dost thou recognize from which horizon? From this luminous and resplendent horizon. Rejoice in thy Lord’s favor, for the Pen of Utterance hath been moved to make mention of thee by the Most Merciful, that it may draw thee nigh unto a station wherein thou shalt hear from all atoms: “The Kingdom belongeth unto God, the Lord of all worlds.” The river of mercy hath flowed from the right hand of the Throne, and the ocean of grace hath surged forth as a bounty from God, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy. Blessed is he who hath cast away that which the people possess on the Day of God and hath taken the chalice of eternity in My Most Glorious Name and drunk therefrom, despite every doubting learned one.

Verily, We have heard thy call once in the night, and again in the day, and yet again at dawn. Thy Lord heareth and seeth, and He is the All-Bountiful, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. Nothing whatsoever escapeth His knowledge. He doeth what He willeth through His sovereignty and ordaineth what He pleaseth. He is the Almighty, the All-Powerful.

Behold, then remember what befell the Wronged One when He was in prison beneath chains and fetters. God aided Him with the hosts of the seen and the unseen, and brought Him forth with such sovereignty as amazed the hearts of them that know. When He departed, He turned toward Baghdad, and when He arrived, that which the All-Merciful had revealed in the Qur’an was manifested. And He blew the second blast, whereupon the denizens of Sinai were struck down, save whom God willed, the Lord of the Mighty Throne. We rent asunder the veils with the finger of might and uncovered that which lay hidden in the treasure of God’s protection, the One, the Single, the Mighty, the Great.

Thus have We sent down the verses and dispatched them unto thee that thou mayest find from them the fragrance of thy Lord’s loving providence, the Compassionate, the Bountiful. When thou receivest and readest them, turn thy face toward the Prison and say:

Praise be to Thee, O Thou in Whose grasp are the reins of all nations and by the breaths of Whose revelation the world is perfumed! I beseech Thee by Thy Name through which Thou didst subdue all hearts and illumine both the unseen and the seen, to assist me in that which will diffuse the fragrance of Thy good-pleasure. O my Lord! Thou beholdest me turning toward the heaven of Thy bounty and clinging to the mantle of Thy generosity and benevolence. I beseech Thee by Him through Whom the limbs of the oppressors trembled and the hearts of the aggressors were consumed, through Whom those in the graves were raised and the secrets of all hearts were revealed, to elevate me through Thy Name amongst Thy servants and to establish me in the service of Thy Cause amidst Thy creation. Aid me, then, O my God, through wisdom and utterance. Verily, Thou art the Almighty, the Glorious, the Bestower.

O thou who gazest upon the Countenance! Blessed art thou and happy art thou, for thou hast attained unto that which most of the servants have failed to attain. Thou didst hear the Call and wert blessed with uttering the words “Here am I, here am I, O Thou the Desire of the worlds!” The purpose of the worlds of hearing and sight hath been and still is to witness and hearken unto the Divine Call and the Horizon of Revelation. Yet the heedless servants denied God’s mercy and bounty, and disbelieved in the gift of recognition and the feast of certitude. The cause of the prevention of the servants and its reason have been the divines of the age. Glory be to God! Despite their lamenting and wailing with a hundred thousand cries and supplications for the appearance of the Promised One and His meeting, when He was made manifest they did what caused the Primal Point to choose ashes as His resting place. O thou who art attracted by My verses and soarest in the atmosphere of My love! Strive that the servants may not, like the previous party, be afflicted with vain imaginings. Blessed is the soul that hath purified itself from the tales current amongst men, that it may hearken unto the Most Exalted Word.

Say: My God, my God! Aid Thy servants unto that which will draw them nigh unto Thee and purify them from that which beseemeth not Thy days, and enable them to act according to that which Thou hast commanded them in Thy Book. O my Lord! Leave them not to themselves, disappoint them not from the gate of Thy grace, and deprive them not of the ocean of Thy utterance. Thou art He Whose atoms have testified to Thy generosity and bounty, and to Thy power and might. Enable them, O my God, to be steadfast in Thy Cause, to return unto the court of Thy glory, and to turn unto Thy presence. Verily Thou art the Omnipotent over what Thou willest. There is none other God but Thee, the All-Bountiful, possessed of great bounty, the Ever-Flowing, possessed of abundant grace.

Convey My greetings to the friends, that perchance the fragrances of these greetings may intoxicate them and cause them to hold fast unto that which is befitting. The intoxication that proceedeth from the wine of recognition bringeth joy to the world of being and bestoweth gladness. The friends must, in spite of the enemies, guide the ignorant servants to the divine ocean of knowledge and wisdom through wisdom and utterance.

Glory be to God! The signs of power exist in all things, and verses descend like rain, showering down, and He Who conversed on Sinai is seated upon the throne of Revelation without veil or concealment. Nevertheless, through the words of Kandi and Ibn-i-Dhi’b and their like, they have been deprived of the Dayspring of divine revelation and the Dawning-Place of celestial light. And the people of the Bayan are seen to be more heedless and more veiled than all others. By My life! They have not perceived the fragrance of the Day of God and are more veiled and remote than even the Shi’ih sect. Blessed are the people of Baha who, should they see the Primal Point pause in His Cause, would likewise pause in what hath appeared from Him. This is the station of the most great steadfastness. I have mentioned all that is befitting for My Cause and My Revelation and My rising and My establishment. Verily thy Lord is the All-Knowing Witness and the All-Wise Observer.

The honoured Muhammad—upon him be the Glory—hath repeatedly made mention of thee and hath sent thy letter to the presence of the Wronged One. The servant in attendance submitted it, and this Most Sublime, Most Luminous Tablet was revealed from the heaven of bounty, that thou mayest drink therefrom, through My Name, the Self-Subsisting, My sealed wine, and say:

“Praise be unto Thee, O Lord of the worlds, and thanks be unto Thee, O Desire of the nations, in that Thou hast remembered me in Thy Most Great Prison when I was in the midst of sorrows through that which the hands of the oppressors had wrought.”

Blessed be thy tongue for having testified to that which God hath testified, and thy heart for having been illumined with the light of recognition. We beseech God, blessed and exalted be He, to ordain for thee a light that shall walk before thy face in all His worlds. He, verily, is the Mighty, the Powerful, the All-Bountiful.

There hath now come to pass what was hidden from all eyes and veiled from understanding, in that the Source of thy Lord’s loving-kindness hath willed to open the door of forgiveness unto thy father and thy brother. By My life! Through My remembrance, the ocean of forgiveness and bounty hath surged from the presence of God, the Lord of all beings and the Sovereign of the Kingdom of Names. The grace of thy Lord hath at this moment encompassed them both, and My Most Exalted Pen hath spoken and said: The glory be upon you both, and the light be upon you both, and the spirit be upon you both, and the fragrances of revelation be upon you both, and the sweet perfumes of the Robe be upon you both. We beseech God to send down upon you both, at all times, mercy from His presence and loving-kindness from His own Self, and to make you to be of those who associate with His chosen ones and His Prophets in the Most Exalted Paradise. He, verily, is the Sender of verses, the Revealer of clear tokens, and the Lord of all names and attributes.

O thou who art mentioned! Thou hast attained unto that which no thing can equal. Give thanks unto thy Lord, the Lord of Names. He hath made mention of thee in such wise that the light of utterance hath shone forth from the horizon of possibility, and the Cock of the Throne hath crowed and said: The glory shining forth from the horizon of this Glory be upon thee and upon them that are with thee and them that hear mention of thee in this Most Great Remembrance and Momentous News. Verily, the Ocean desireth to manifest itself through other waves, that it may give glad-tidings unto the loved ones of God of His mercy and His grace and His bounty. There is none other God but Him. He doeth what He willeth and ordaineth what He pleaseth. He is the Commander, the All-Wise. Blessed is the servant who hath attained unto the mention of the Most Great God and hath drunk the choice wine of revelation from the utterance of his Lord, the Compassionate, the Generous.

O ʿAli-Asghar! Thou hast attained unto the mention of God, the Lord of Destiny, once before and now yet again. Give thanks unto thy Lord for this manifest grace. Blessed art thou and blessed is he who hath held fast unto righteousness in the days of God, the Lord of all beings, and hath turned away from vain desire. He is, verily, among the sincere ones in My perspicuous Book.

We have sent down the verses wherein are My commandments and My laws through which We have preserved My servants and aided them with truth. Yet most of the people are heedless. Take My Book with power from My presence and put aside that which is with those who have denied the mercy of God and disbelieved in that which hath been sent down from His presence. They are, verily, among the abject. The glory from Our presence be upon thee and upon those who have taken the cup of My bounty from the hand of My loving-kindness and have drunk in this Name whereby the limbs of the idolaters have quaked.

O Muhammad-Qablil-Hasan! The faithless hunters have aimed at the Most Exalted Station, and the oppressors of the earth with swords of hatred have intended harm against the Temple of Eternity. They desired to extinguish the light of God through their calumnies, but the Wronged One stands unveiled and uncovered before the multitudes. Neither their might nor their ranks have deterred Him. He speaks that which He is commanded by the Wise Ordainer. Glory be to God! Despite having heard every call and witnessed the signs of God, they persist in denial and rejection. Naught shall befall us save what God has decreed for us. Soon shall they behold the recompense of their deeds through the justice of the All-Knowing Judge. Be not grieved at anything. The world shall pass away, along with the might of its princes and the clamor of its divines, and sovereignty shall remain with God, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy. The glory from Us be upon you and upon those who have quaffed the wine of steadfastness in this firm and impregnable Cause.

O My Most Exalted Pen! Make mention of him who is named Muhammad-Qablil-Husayn, who has turned to God in this blessed, mighty and wondrous Day. The fragrances of the revelation of the Ancient King have encompassed the world, yet the peoples are in evident doubt. Say: My God, my God! Thine is the grace for having awakened me, and Thine is the praise for having made me know Thee, and Thine is the glory for having taught me Thy straight path. I beseech Thee, O Ancient King, by Thy Name through which Thou hast subdued all created things, and by Thy Command through which Thou hast manifested that which was hidden in Thy knowledge and treasured in the repositories of Thy wisdom, to aid Thy loved ones in that which will exalt them among Thy servants. By Thy Name, ordain for them every good thing Thou hast ordained in Thy Book. Verily, Thou art powerful over whatsoever Thou willest. There is none other God but Thee, the Protector of those who are in the heavens and on earth.

Thus have We adorned the heaven of the Tablet with the stars of wisdom and utterance, as a command from Us and a favor from Our presence. Blessed are they who perceive and blessed are they who discern.

O Aqa Baba, upon thee be My glory! We have desired to seal thy Tablet with the mention of one who loved Me and held fast to My cord and spoke My praise and attained My presence and drank the choice wine of revelation from the cup of My bounty and arose to serve My Cause among My servants, and was named Javan-i-Ruhani in My mighty and wondrous Book.

As commanded, send this blessed Tablet and whatever else has been and is being sent to those regions to his eminence the illumined one, that is, Javan-i-Ruhani, upon him be the everlasting glory of God, that he may rejoice and be among the thankful ones.

BH00500: O Rajab-ʿAli! The promised Day hath come…

He is the Hearer, the Answerer

O Rajab-ʿAli! The promised Day hath come and the Self-Subsisting calleth aloud amidst the people on this Day wherein all things circle round the Cause, and the Mount speaketh forth: “By God! The Lord of the Manifestation hath appeared and that which was hidden from all eyes and hearts hath been revealed!” The world hath been honored by the appearance of the Ancient King, yet most of the people comprehend not. Lo! The Kawthar calleth out “Drink ye!” but the people drink not. The Salsabil summoneth all to the Glorious Lord, yet most of mankind perceive not. The proof hath been perfected, the bounty completed, and the heavenly table sent down, yet the people know not. They deny God’s grace and mercy—nay, they understand not.

The servant who hath attained Our presence hath mentioned thee, and We have remembered thee in this decisive Tablet through which floweth the Euphrates of the wisdom of God, the Sovereign, the Self-Subsisting. Blessed is he who hath turned and drunk therefrom, and woe unto every heedless and veiled one. We desired to mention those whom thou didst mention and give them glad tidings of God’s loving-kindness that dispelleth all doubts, that the attraction of the verses may draw them to a station wherein naught is seen save the effulgences of the light of God, the Lord of all that was and shall be.

O friend! Hear the call from the Lote-Tree beyond which there is no passing in the most exalted Paradise: “God, there is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Loving.” Rejoice that thy mention hath been revealed from the Most Exalted Pen in this praiseworthy station. Say: Make your faces sincere for the sake of God and your deeds pure from doubt and ostentation. This is what ye were commanded aforetime in a written tablet wherein the Most Exalted Pen inscribed the mysteries of the seen and unseen.

O Muhammad-Qabli-Mihdi! Verily We have sent down the Book with truth and manifested clear proofs before the faces of the servants. Blessed is he who hath witnessed and seen, and woe unto every heedless one who hath been debarred from that which hath appeared from God, the Lord of existence. Thy name was present before the Wronged One, and He hath remembered thee with that which hath caused the fragrance of utterance to waft throughout all possibility and perfumed the kingdoms of the seen and unseen. Say: None knoweth the interpretation of what hath been sent down from the Most Exalted Pen save the Truth, the Knower of the unseen. The Sun of proof hath shone forth from the highest horizon of the world by the command of God, the Mighty, the Beloved.

Say: Praise be unto Thee, O Thou Who hast remembered me and turned toward me from the direction of the Prison. I beseech Thee by the lights of Thy countenance, whereby the cities of justice and equity were illumined, to make me in all conditions hold fast unto Thee and Thy verses, and to cling to the hem of Thy bounty.

O Malik-Qabli-Muhammad! Hear the call from the direction of ʿAkka: “Verily, there is no God but Him, the Single One, the All-Informed.” He knoweth what is in the heavens and what is on earth and what was hidden from the eyes of the mystics. Hear what is cast unto thee from the verses of thy Lord—verily, there is no God but Him, the Single, the One, the Mighty, the Powerful. He it is in Whose hand are the destinies of the heavens and earth, and the decree of all things in a clear Book. That which hath appeared hath renewed the realities of all things, and the Herald hath proclaimed: “The Kingdom belongeth unto God, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy.”

When thine eyes gain the grace of beholding thy Lord’s verses, say:

My God, my God! I beseech Thee to make me one of those who have been so attracted by Thy verses that they cast away all else but Thee and hastened with their hearts to the court of Thy glory and the carpet of Thy holiness. O Lord! Thou seest me standing before the door of Thy grace, gazing toward the horizon of Thy bounty. I beseech Thee to accept from me and from my brothers in the Cause that which hath proceeded from us in Thy days. Verily, Thou art the All-Bountiful, the Generous. There is no God but Thee, the Forgiving, the Merciful.

We have desired at this time to make mention of him who hath been named Aqa Jan, that he may render thanks unto his Lord for this clear remembrance. O Aqa Jan! We beseech God, blessed and exalted be He, to aid thee to be steadfast in His Cause and to grant thee that whereby thy remembrance shall endure amongst His creation and thy name amongst His servants. He, verily, is the All-Bountiful, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

O ʿAli! Today the Concourse on High are proclaiming “The Lord of all beings hath come,” yet the heedless and ignorant people are deprived of hearing and are forbidden from the outpourings of the true Benefactor in these days. Praise be to God, the souls of that village are mentioned by the Supreme Pen and their service is accepted. We beseech God to assist them with the hosts of deeds and virtuous character, and to strengthen them in that which shall endure as long as His names endure. He, verily, is the Almighty, the Powerful, the All-Knowing.

O Pen! Make mention of him who hath been named Habibu’llah, that this remembrance may draw him to the station which God hath made the point of adoration for those near unto Him. We have remembered thee before, and at this time, as a token of grace from thy Lord, the Forgiving, the Generous. Let not the conditions and events of the world sadden thee and prevent thee from the remembrance of the Lord of Eternity. Arise and say: Unto Thee be praise and glory, unto Thee be thanks and splendor, O God of Names and Creator of heaven, inasmuch as Thou hast turned unto Thy servant and illumined his heart with the light of Thy knowledge and hast sent down for him that which shall endure as long as Thy names and attributes endure. Verily, Thou art the Almighty Whom neither the cawing of the crows, nor the clamor of the ungodly, nor the oppression of the tyrannical can frustrate. Ordain for me that which shall profit me in the hereafter and in this world. Verily, Thou art the Lord of the Throne and of earth. There is none other God but Thee, the Mighty, the Great.

We make mention at this time of the sons of the Friend and the heirs of Him Who conversed with God in Ha and Mim, that they may rejoice in God’s remembrance in His days and be of the thankful ones. Hearken unto the call of the Wronged One. He hath remembered you before, and at this time with a clear remembrance. The Trusted One hath mentioned you before, and Abu’l-Fadl thereafter. We have sent down for you that from which the people of Baha perceive the fragrances of bounty and bestowal. Verily, your Lord, the All-Merciful, heareth and seeth, and He is the All-Witnessing, the All-Informed. We counsel you to manifest great steadfastness, and to observe trustworthiness, chastity and faithfulness. He, verily, is the Counselor, the All-Knowing. Blessed is the strong one whom the hands of oppression have not weakened, and the seeing one whom the incidents of the days have not prevented from beholding this shining horizon.

O Yari! He who was named Rajab-ʿAli hath mentioned thee. We make mention of thee and those who have believed in God, the One, the Peerless, the Strong, the Powerful. Rejoice in this bounty and say: Praise be unto Thee, O Thou Who art the Goal of all who are in the heavens and on earth. O Yari! He loveth the presence of His loved ones, but the oppressors have come between Us and them. We beseech God, blessed and exalted be He, to decree for those who desired to attain His presence the reward of meeting Him. Verily, He is the Almighty, the Powerful, and worthy to answer prayers.

O ʿAli-Akbar! Hearken unto the Call, hearken unto the Call that hath been raised from the direction of the Most Great Scene, and say: My God, my God! Unto Thee be praise for having guided me, and unto Thee be glory for having strengthened me to hold fast unto that which Thou didst command me. I beseech Thee by the ocean of Thy bounty, through a drop whereof Thou didst adorn non-existence with the ornament of being, to ordain for me that which shall strengthen me to hearken unto Thy most sweet call and the rustling of Thy Supreme Pen. Then send down upon me from the heaven of Thy favor a blessing from Thee and a mercy from Thy presence, and ordain for me that which shall profit me. Verily, I know not what is with Thee, and Thou art the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.

O Pen! The Most Great Name desireth to make mention of him who attained the presence of the Countenance and circumambulated the House—he who was named Rajab-ʿAli—that the rapture of his Lord’s remembrance may seize him. He, verily, is the All-Bountiful, the Possessor of manifest grace.

O Rajab-ʿAli! Give thanks unto God for having aided thee, drawn thee nigh, and caused thee to attain His presence through the agencies of the heavens and earth, and for having shown thee His horizon and made thee hear His call. He, verily, is the All-Bountiful, the Compassionate, the All-Forgiving, the All-Merciful.

We make mention in this station of thy wife, and give her glad tidings of God’s loving-kindness, the Lord of all worlds. O My handmaiden! Grieve not for what hath befallen thee in My path. Rather, give thanks unto thy Lord and say:

“Praise be unto Thee, O Lord of the world and Beloved of the nations, for having caused me to turn towards the horizon of the heaven of Thy bounty and to speak Thy praise, when the divines of Iran and the people of idle fancies denied Thee, violated Thy Covenant and Testament, and disputed Thy proof.”

O my Lord! Thou seest Thy handmaiden clinging fast unto Thee and acknowledging that which hath been sent down in Thy Book. I beseech Thee not to disappoint her of the wonders of Thy bounty. Thou, verily, art the Almighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

O My handmaiden! Know thou that Rajab-ʿAli hath attained Our presence and visited the Wronged One in thy stead, and We have accepted him as a token of Our grace. Thy Lord, verily, is the Compassionate, the Mighty, the Great.

We make mention in this station of thy son, who hath been named Asadu’llah, with such remembrance as the Concourse on High shall celebrate. O Asad! The One, the Single, hath turned toward thee from this station that thou mayest be among the thankful ones. Say:

“My God, my God! I beseech Thee by the lights of Thy luminous countenance and by the denizens of the Most Exalted Paradise to ordain for me that which shall make me steadfast in Thy service, Thy remembrance, and Thy praise amongst Thy creatures. Thou art indeed the All-Bountiful. There is none other God but Thee, the Self-Sufficient, the Most Exalted.”

We desire to make mention of My handmaiden Tahirih and My other handmaiden, and give them glad tidings of that which hath stirred the cord of grace and bounty in this Most Exalted Station, that they may rejoice in the days of God, the Almighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. He hath desired for you both a bounty from His presence and a mercy from His own Self. He bestoweth upon whomsoever He willeth whatsoever He pleaseth. He, verily, is the All-Bountiful, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. We beseech Him, exalted be He, to ordain for them both that which He hath ordained for His handmaidens who have turned unto Him and circumambulated the Most Great, the Supreme Throne of God. Thus have We sent down the verses from the kingdom of the loving-kindness of your Lord, the Possessor of Names and Attributes, as a bounty from His presence upon His servants and handmaidens. He, verily, is the Rememberer, the Counselor, the All-Knowing, the Mighty.

O Ramadan! The blessed Ramadan draweth nigh, and the people of Baha in this prison shall fast. In most Tablets We have counseled all to wisdom, for it is the cause of the exaltation of God’s Word among His servants and the means of preserving those in the land. Hold fast unto its requirements. Verily your Lord, the All-Merciful, is the Counselor, the All-Knowing. By My life! I love worship in God’s path, tribulations in His love, and afflictions for the manifestation of His Cause. Blessed is he who hath heard My call and acted according to that which was commanded by One All-Knowing, All-Wise. We have remembered thee with verses before which all the remembrances of the world shall bow down. To this testifieth every fair-minded, discerning one.

O Mashhadi Muhammad! He who hath attained My presence hath made mention of thee. We make mention of thee through this clear remembrance. By My life! Wert thou to inhale the fragrance of thy Lord’s verses, it would raise thee to a station wherein thou wouldst behold naught in existence save the manifestations of His power and the revelations of the lights of the Day-Star of His firm and mighty justice. The glory from Us be upon thee and upon those who have held fast unto gracious patience.

O Ja’far! Thou hast attained mention by the Most Exalted Pen in the Most Great Horizon. Its traces are the cause of salvation for the world and its peoples, and His bounty is the cause of the dawning of the manifestations of the Most Great Luminary. When thou hast attained unto that which hath been revealed for thee, turn thy face toward God and say: Praise be unto Thee for having guided me to hearken unto Thy call, to turn toward the lights of Thy countenance, and to hold fast unto the cord of Thy bounty in Thy days. O my Lord! Thou seest me yearning for the wonders of Thy grace and mercy. I beseech Thee to preserve me, through the hosts of the seen and the unseen, from the evil of every cawing raven, from the oppression of every oppressor, and from the harm of every remote and ignorant one. Verily, Thou art the Single One, the All-Powerful, the Mighty, the All-Praised.

BH00537: Ziyarat-Namiy-i-Siyyidu’sh-Shuhada

This is a Visitation Tablet revealed by My Most Glorious Pen in the Most Exalted Horizon for His Holiness the Prince of Martyrs, Husayn ibn ʿAli—may the spirit of all else be sacrificed for him.

In His Name, the Comforter, the Consoler, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise!

God beareth witness that there is none other God but Him, and that He Who hath come is the One promised in all the Books and Scriptures, mentioned in the hearts of those near unto God and the sincere ones. Through Him the Tree of Utterance hath called out in the Kingdom of Knowledge:

“O followers of all religions! By the life of the All-Merciful, the days of sorrow have come, for such tribulation hath befallen the Dayspring of proof and the Dawning-place of evidence as hath caused the dwellers of the pavilion of glory in the most exalted Paradise to lament, and the inhabitants of the tabernacle of grace in the supreme Heaven to cry out.”

God testifieth that there is none other God but Him, and that He Who hath appeared is the Hidden Treasure and the Concealed Mystery through Whom God hath revealed the secrets of what was and what shall be. This is the Day wherein the Sign of the past hath been fulfilled by “the Day when mankind shall stand before the Lord of the Throne and the exalted Seat.” On this Day have the banners of idle fancies and vain imaginings been reversed, and the decree “Verily, we are God’s and to Him shall we return” hath come to pass.

This is the Day whereon appeared the Great News which God and His Prophets and Messengers had foretold. Therein did those near unto God hasten to the sealed Choice Wine and drink thereof in the name of God, the Powerful, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting. On this Day did the cry of lamentation rise from all directions, and the tongue of utterance proclaimed:

“Grief be unto the loved ones of God and His chosen ones, affliction be unto the beloved of God and His trusted ones, and sorrow and anguish be unto the Manifestations of God’s Cause, the Lord of what was and what shall be!”

O dwellers of the cities of names, and ye who abide in the lofty chambers of the supreme Paradise, and O faithful ones in the Kingdom of eternity! Exchange your white and crimson garments for black raiment, for the Most Great Calamity and the Supreme Affliction have come to pass, whereat the Messenger of God hath wept, the heart of the Immaculate One hath melted, and the dwellers of the most exalted Paradise have raised their lamentations, as have the inhabitants of the Most Glorious Pavilion and the companions of the Crimson Ark who recline upon the couches of love and faithfulness.

Alas, alas for the wrongdoing whereby the realities of existence were set ablaze and that which befell the Lord of the Seen and the Unseen at the hands of those who violated God’s Covenant and His Testament, who denied His proof, rejected His bounty, and disputed His signs! Alas, alas! May the spirits of the Concourse on High be a sacrifice for thy calamity, O Son of the Divine Lote-Tree and the Mystery enshrined in the Most Exalted Word!

Would that the decree of beginning and return had never appeared, and that eyes had never beheld thy body cast upon the dust! Through thy tragedy, the ocean of utterance was prevented from its waves of wisdom and knowledge, and the breezes of the All-Glorious were cut off. Through thy sorrow were traces effaced, fruits fallen, the sighs of the righteous ascended, and the tears of the chosen ones descended.

Alas, alas, O Prince and Sovereign of Martyrs! Alas, alas, O Pride and Beloved of Martyrs! I testify that through thee the sun of detachment shone forth from the horizon of creation, the temples of those near unto God were adorned with the ornament of righteousness, and the light of divine knowledge radiated throughout the kingdom of creation. Were it not for thee, the decree of the Kaf and the Nun would not have been manifested, nor would the seal of the Choice Wine have been broken. Were it not for thee, the Dove of Evidence would not have warbled upon the branch of utterance, nor would the Tongue of Grandeur have spoken amidst the concourse of religions.

Through thy sorrow appeared separation and parting between the “H” and the “W”, and the cry of the believers was raised throughout the lands. Through thy calamity, the Supreme Pen was stilled from its shrill voice, the ocean of bounty from its waves, the breezes of grace from their wafting, the rivers of Paradise from their flowing, and the sun of justice from its shining. I bear witness that thou wert the Sign of the All-Merciful in all creation and the Manifestation of Divine Proof and Evidence among religions. Through Thee hath God fulfilled His promise and manifested His sovereignty. Through Thee hath the mystery of divine knowledge appeared in all lands and the Sun of Certitude hath shone from the horizon of the heaven of proof. Through Thee have appeared the power of God and His Cause, and the mysteries of God and His wisdom. Were it not for Thee, the Hidden Treasure would not have been revealed, nor His firm and irrevocable Decree. Were it not for Thee, the Call would not have been raised from the Supreme Horizon, nor would the pearls of wisdom and utterance have appeared from the treasuries of the Most Glorious Pen.

Through Thy tribulation was the joy of the Most Exalted Paradise transformed, and the cry of the denizens of the Kingdom of Names was raised. Thou art He through Whose acceptance all faces turned toward the Lord of existence, and the Divine Lote Tree proclaimed:

“The Kingdom belongeth unto God, the Sovereign of the seen and the unseen.”

All things were as one in both their outer and inner reality, but when they heard of Thy tribulations they were separated, scattered, and appeared in different forms and diverse colors. All existence is a sacrifice unto Thy Being, O Dawning-Place of God’s revelation and Dayspring of His Most Great Sign! All souls are a sacrifice unto Thy tribulation, O Manifestation of the Unseen in the kingdom of creation! I testify that through Thee was established the law of sacrifice throughout all regions, and the hearts of the lovers were melted in separation. I testify that the Light lamented Thy tribulations and the Mount cried out because of what was inflicted upon Thee by Thine enemies. Were it not for Thee, the All-Merciful would not have been revealed unto the Son of Imran on the Mount of Knowledge.

I call upon Thee and make mention of Thee, O Dawning-Place of detachment in creation and Mystery of Manifestation in the realm of invention! Through Thee was opened the door of generosity to the world and the light of ancient days shone forth among the nations. I testify that by the raising of Thy hope-filled hand were the hands of all created things lifted toward God, the Revealer of verses, and by Thy turning toward the Most Glorious Horizon did all beings turn unto God, the Manifestor of clear signs. Thou art the Point through which was detailed the knowledge of what was and what will be, and the Mine from which appeared the gems of sciences and arts. Through Thy tribulation was stayed the Pen of Destiny and tears flowed from the eyes of the detached ones. Alas, alas! Through Thy grief were the pillars of the world shaken, and existence nearly returned to nothingness.

Thou art He at Whose command every sea surged, every fragrance wafted, and every wise decree appeared. Through Thee was established the law of the Book among the peoples and flowed the river of mercy in the hereafter. I have turned toward Thee, O Mystery of the Torah and the Gospel, and Dawning-Place of the verses of God, the Mighty, the Beautiful! Through Thee was built the city of detachment and was raised the banner of righteousness upon the highest peaks. Were it not for Thee, the fragrance of divine knowledge would have been cut off from the realm of possibility and the breeze of the All-Merciful from all lands. Through Thy power appeared the power of God, His sovereignty, His glory, and His might, and through Thee surged the ocean of bounty and the Sovereign of Manifestation was established upon the throne of existence.

I testify that through Thee were the veils of glory rent asunder, the limbs of the misguided ones trembled, the traces of idle fancies were effaced, and the fruits of the tree of vain imaginings fell. Through Thy most pure blood were adorned the cities of the lovers, and darkness seized the light of all regions, and through Thee did the lovers hasten to the place of sacrifice and the yearning ones to the Dawning-Place of the light of reunion. O Mystery of existence and Sovereign of the seen and unseen! I know not which of Thy tribulations to recount in the world, which of Thy afflictions to spread among the nations. Thou art the Recipient of God’s knowledge and the Dawning-Place of His Most Great Signs, the Rising-Place of His remembrance among all beings, and the Source of His commandments in the kingdom of creation.

O Most Exalted Pen! Say: The first light that hath shone forth and appeared, the first fragrance that hath been diffused and wafted upon thee, O thou tender Leaf of the Sidrah of the Bayan and Tree of Certitude in the paradise of divine knowledge—through thee hath the Sun of Manifestation risen, the Speaker on Sinai uttered His call, and the decree of pardon and bounty been made manifest amidst the concourse of creation. I testify that thou wert the Path of God and His Balance, the Dawning-Place of His verses and the Dayspring of His power, the Source of His firm commandments and His penetrating ordinances.

Thou art the City of Love, whose hosts are the lovers, and the Ark of God, whose sailors and passengers are the sincere ones. Through thy utterance surged the ocean of knowledge, O Spirit of Knowledge, and from the horizon of the heaven of proof shone forth the Orb of Certitude. At thy call in the field of war and conflict rose up the lamentation of the Dawning-Places of Beauty in the paradise of God, the Self-Sufficient, the Most High. Through thy manifestation was raised the standard of righteousness and piety, and were erased the traces of tyranny and iniquity. I testify that thou wert the treasury of the pearls of God’s knowledge and the repository of the gems of His utterance and wisdom. Through thy calamity the Point left Its exalted station and took for Itself a position beneath the letter Ba.

Thou art the Most Great Tablet wherein are inscribed the mysteries of what hath been and what shall be, and the knowledge of the first and the last. Thou art the Most Exalted Pen through whose movement were set in motion the earth and heaven, and all things turned toward the lights of the countenance of God, the Lord of the Throne on high and of the dust below. Alas, alas! Through thy calamity arose the wailing of lamentation from the Most Exalted Paradise, and the Maids of Heaven took for themselves an earthly station in the Most High Paradise. Blessed is the servant who lamenteth for thy calamities, blessed is the maidservant who crieth out in thy tribulations, blessed is the eye from which flow tears, and blessed is the earth honored by thy holy body and the place which gained the distinction of thy gentle form.

Glory be unto Thee, O my God, O God of Manifestation and the One revealed upon the Branch of Sinai! I beseech Thee by this Light that hath shone forth from the horizon of the heaven of detachment, whereby was established the decree of trust and resignation throughout creation, and by the bodies that were dismembered in Thy path, and by the hearts that were melted in Thy love, and by the blood that was shed in the land of submission before Thy face, to forgive those who have turned toward this Most Exalted Station and this Most High Summit, and to ordain for them from Thy Most Exalted Pen that which shall make the fragrance of their acceptance and sincerity imperishable in the cities of Thy remembrance and praise.

O Lord! Thou seest them attracted by the sweet-scented breezes of Thy Revelation and detached from all else in Thy days. I beseech Thee to give them to drink, from the hand of Thy bounty, the Kawthar of Thy eternity, then write down for them, from the pen of Thy grace, the recompense of attaining Thy presence. I beseech Thee, O God of Names, by Thy Command whereby Thou didst subdue the kingdom of earth and heaven, and by Thy Call whereby were enraptured the denizens of the realms above, to assist us in that which Thou lovest and art pleased with, and in that which will elevate our stations in the court of Thy glory and the precincts of Thy nearness.

O Lord! We are Thy servants who have turned toward the revelations of the lights of the Orb of Thy Manifestation, which hath shone forth from the horizon of the heaven of Thy bounty. I beseech Thee by the waves of the ocean of Thy utterance before the faces of Thy creation, to assist us in such deeds as Thou hast commanded us in Thy Perspicuous Book. Verily Thou art the Most Merciful of the merciful and the Goal of all who are in the heavens and on earth. Moreover, I beseech Thee, O our God and our Master, by Thy power which hath encompassed all created things and by Thy might which hath surrounded all existence, to illumine the throne of tyranny with the lights of the sun of Thy justice and to transform the seat of oppression into the throne of equity through Thy power and sovereignty. Verily Thou art the Omnipotent over whatsoever Thou willest. There is no God but Thee, the Almighty, the Powerful.

BH00571: Praise befitteth the most holy and exalted Court…

He is the Dawning-Place from the horizon of the heaven of utterance!

Praise befitteth the most holy and exalted Court of the Almighty Who was not deterred by the opposition of the opposers, the denial of the deniers, the tyranny of the oppressors, and the chains of the deceivers from His purpose. Through His Most Great Word, He guided the people of the mortal realm to the supreme horizon, made manifest the mysteries of the Resurrection and the signs of the Hour, and illumined those who have turned towards Him and are fair-minded with the lights of the Kingdom. Glorified be His power, exalted be His majesty, manifest be His proof, perfect be His favor, and complete be His testimony! Blessings and peace be upon the Hands of His Cause among His creatures, whom neither names prevented from drawing nigh unto the ocean of His bounty, nor the ornaments of the world from beholding His signs. These are the servants who have quaffed the choice wine of revelation and the Kawthar of immortality in His days—blessings from which waft the sweet savors of His generosity and munificence.

O Jalal! Some time ago that which was revealed especially for the loved ones, from whose fragrance the decayed bones were stirred and from whose breezes the realities of existence were moved and adorned. The loved ones in diverse lands each attained unto the ocean of divine utterance and were illumined with the light of recognition. The honored Siyyid ʿAli-i-Akbar appeared before Us and made mention of the loved ones in the land of Nun and Ya and other regions, and each was blessed with the Kawthar of the utterance of the Most Merciful and the sealed wine. His grace hath encompassed all and His mercy hath preceded all. We beseech God to aid the loved ones in those regions that they may detach themselves from the ladder of names and ascend unto the heaven of inner meanings. The companions of this Revelation have been and are such souls as were not deprived of what is with the Lord of the Beginning and the End by what is with the parties, and turned from what is with the peoples to what is with God. These are the dawning-places of divine power and the daysprings of heavenly steadfastness. Thy letter hath once again in these days arrived and attained unto the gaze of favor and audience.

O ʿAli-i-Aqa! Praise be to God that thou hast been illumined by the lights of the recognition of the Desired One of the worlds and hast quaffed from the Kawthar of utterance. Know thou the station of this bounty and say: Thine is the glory, O Lord of bounty, and Thine is the favor, O Master of all beings! I testify that Thou hast manifested that which was hidden in the treasury of infallibility and concealed from all creatures, and Thou hast guided this servant of Thine to Thy Most Great Announcement whereby the hearts of the nations were stirred. I beseech Thee not to debar me from the gate of Thy generosity and bounty and from the ocean of Thy verses. There is no God but Thee, the Single, the One, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

O Muhammad-i-Hasan! The deeds of some have become the cause of grief. Today the helpers of the Cause of God are goodly deeds and praiseworthy conduct. Repeatedly hath this exalted word been revealed from the Most Exalted Pen: The harm to this Wronged One came not from the chains and fetters of the land of Ta, nor from the oppression of the tyrants of the land of Mim, but rather from those souls who claim to love Him and count themselves among the people of Baha, yet are found to be enslaved by self and passion. Today the loved ones must be illumined with the light of righteousness and set ablaze with the fire of detachment. This is the counsel of God—glorified be His majesty—both in the past and future. Well is it with them that act accordingly.

Render thanks unto the Desired One Who hath made mention of thee on this night and hath revealed in thy name that whereof every letter is a brilliant lamp and a shining light for the people of the earth. When thou attainest unto this bounty, say: Praise be unto Thee, O Lord of the Kingdom of heaven and earth and Sovereign of might and glory!

O Pen! Make mention of him who is named ʿAbdu’l-Karim, that he may give thanks to his Lord, the All-Bountiful, Who hath come with His mighty Command, despite every perfidious sinner and accursed enemy. The fire of treachery and hatred hath been kindled in the great city. One who claimed to love hath shut the eye of justice and opened the eye of tyranny, and another joined with him. They have committed that which hath caused the hearts of the detached to lament and wail. For the sake of wealth they turned away from the Self-Sufficing Lord. This Wronged One hath come for the sanctification and purification of souls, and hath accepted countless afflictions for the exaltation and advancement of His loved ones. Ask thou God, thy Lord, to assist them to return and to perform deeds whereby the station of God’s Word and His Cause may be exalted. Thus have We sent down the commandments and ordinances from the heaven of thy Lord’s utterance, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. Blessed art thou for having turned unto Him and attained that which the near ones have attained.

O My Most Exalted Pen! Make mention of My loved ones in Shin, from whose soil wafteth the fragrance of love and fellowship through the appearance of the Lord of creation, Who gave tidings unto all of the Sovereign of all paths and took their covenant before His own. Thus may they give thanks unto their Lord, the Ever-Mindful, the All-Bountiful.

O Abu’l-Qasim! The Wronged One maketh mention of thee in this remote prison, that thou mayest know and be of the thankful. Say: O people of God! Aid your Lord through purifying yourselves. By My life! It behooveth every servant to abandon self and desire, and to hold fast unto righteousness and godliness, as bidden by God, the Creator of all things and the Lord of the kingdom of names. Today the enemies wait to observe unseemly deeds and to cast upon the servants that which preventeth them from turning unto God’s path and the tidings mentioned in His divine Books. Goodly deeds are the cause of the servants’ drawing nigh unto their Source. Repeatedly hath this exalted word been uttered by the Lord of all being: One pure deed will cause the essence of earth to transcend the heavens and reach the Dayspring of Revelation.

O people of God! Strive! O people of God! Endeavor! that perchance the idols of self and desire may be destroyed through the power of detachment, and godliness may be established upon its throne. Soon shall extinction seize the world and all that is therein. One must prepare for God’s everlasting realms and become worthy of attaining His presence. This is His irrevocable decree. Blessed is he who holdeth fast unto it, and woe unto every heedless remote one.

O Muhammad-Qabli-Husayn! In these days complaints have come from every direction, and the Hands of the Cause have related strange tales concerning certain teachers which were and are unseemly. In truth I say, from whomsoever appeareth the fire of desire and passion, he is not of the Truth, and never shall be. The teacher must be adorned with the ornament of detachment, godliness, trustworthiness and piety. This is the command of God, before and after. Blessed is the servant whom desire hath not kept back from the Lord of all being. In the Hidden Words We said: O thou who art fair in appearance yet inwardly defiled! Thou art like unto clear but bitter water, which to outward seeming is crystal pure but of which, when tested by the divine Assayer, not a drop is accepted.

The sun’s reflection is visible in both dust and mirror, but know that the difference between them is as vast as the distance from the highest star to the earth, nay, immeasurably greater. The influence of words hath ever depended and shall depend upon sanctification of self. Blessed art thou, for My Pen hath moved to make mention of thee in My prison, at a time when sorrows have encompassed Me from all directions through those who follow their desires and attribute themselves to this hallowed, mighty and wondrous station.

O Abbas! Say: Praise be to Thee, O my God, for having enabled me to hold fast to Thy sure handle and to cling to the hem of Thy garment. I beseech Thee by Thy greatness and Thy sovereignty, and by the pearls of the ocean of Thy knowledge, to make me so steadfast in Thy love that neither the doubts of the hypocrites may hinder me from drawing nigh unto Thee, nor the whisperings of the froward keep me back from turning to the lights of Thy countenance. O Lord! Strengthen my heart through Thy power, and illumine my sight with the light of Thy countenance. Thou, verily, art the One Who hath power over whatsoever He willeth, and Who is the Supreme Ruler over all who are in earth and heaven. There is none other God but Thee, the Single, the One, the Mighty, the Most Bountiful.

O My Pen! Make mention of him who hath been named Haji Mirza, that he may drink from the Word of God the Kawthar of immortality and may recognize the station of this Announcement through which the fragrance of the All-Merciful hath been wafted throughout all possibility. Cast away what the people possess and take what We have revealed unto thee with a power that the oppression of the wicked cannot weaken. We have made mention of Our loved ones, both before and after, in such wise as hath illumined the horizons. O people of Baha! Beware lest the veils of names withhold you from God, the Revealer of mysteries. All must arise with complete dedication to serve the Lord of mankind. This is My counsel. Blessed is he who hath heard and acted upon that which hath been commanded by God, the Lord of the worlds.

O Jalal! Repeatedly hast thou been blessed to hearken unto the divine call. We beseech God to aid all to perform such deeds as would attract hearts and exalt His Word. Today, goodly deeds and character, together with divine wisdom, are the helpers of His Cause. The events that transpired in Muharram in Iraq have caused upheaval and clamor, and likewise in another place, for the people know not that a different matter hath occurred and conditions have changed due to a new development. Therefore, those who have drunk from the wine of wisdom must observe wisdom and refrain from that which causeth shock and perturbation of hearts and minds, until such time as God shall bring about His purpose and reveal its hour. Likewise, words that cause flight and denial are not permitted. The servants must be educated like children—first with gentle nourishment until they progress to meat and its like. Convey My greetings to the loved ones. The handmaidens of God and those related to thee have been and are remembered. Give glad-tidings to all from Me. Verily thy Lord is the All-Bountiful, the Generous. Glory be upon My loved ones and My handmaidens, and upon all who are steadfast and upright.

BH00602: Praise be to God Who hath through His Most…

He is the Herald from His Most Exalted Horizon!

Praise be to God Who hath through His Most Exalted Word revealed that which lay hidden in the treasuries of His protection and concealed in the repositories of His preservation. He is the Almighty through Whose command the ocean of utterance surged in the world of being and the luminary of grace shone forth from the horizon of the heaven of proof. Through Him was the standard raised before the faces of all people, and through Him was manifested the oneness of God, His sovereignty, His power and His might. Salutations, glorification and splendor be upon the Hands of His Cause who have cut across all paths and ways to exalt His Cause and establish His Most Great Word whereby the realities of all things were attracted and the Sadratu’l-Muntaha proclaimed in the Most Exalted Paradise:

“The King hath come with an authority before which the heavens and earth cannot endure, and with a sovereignty that hath subdued all who are in the kingdoms of command and creation.”

He is the One through Whose appearance the countenance of the Mother Book smiled in the Ultimate Goal and summoned all unto God, the Lord of all men. And upon those who hearkened to their call, honored their dwelling-place, and acted according to that which they were commanded in the Books of God, the Lord of Lords.

O friends of God and His party! His honor Baqir, who hath been surnamed Baha’i in My eternal Book, appeared before My face and mentioned you. Therefore have We mentioned you and revealed for you that which hath caused the fragrance of Mine utterance to waft and the ocean of My grace to surge. Verily your Lord is the All-Merciful, the Beneficent. O My Afnan in the lands! Upon you be My glory and My loving-kindness. Hearken unto My call from this Most Exalted Station and Most Sublime Summit. Verily there is no God but Him, the Single, the One, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting. We testify that ye have attained unto the recognition of God, the Possessor of the Kingdom of Names, have believed in Him and turned toward His horizon when the servants who denied His manifestation and His proof turned away and uttered that which none of the ancients had uttered.

O My friends in Ta! Hearken unto My call from the direction of My prison. Verily when it is raised, the countenance of utterance smileth and the earth and heaven speak:

“The Promise hath come and the Promised One hath come with the standards of signs from God, the Possessor of existence.”

O Hands of My Cause! Blessed are ye for having turned with radiant faces and attained unto the recognition of your Lord when the limbs of all names trembled. I bear witness that ye have drunk My Sealed Wine from the chalice of the bounty of My Hidden Name, Who speaketh at this moment before the faces of all who are in the heavens and earth, and giveth them glad tidings of that which hath appeared and become manifest from the horizon of the heaven of God’s mercy, the Lord of the Unseen and the Seen. Blessed is he who hath loved you, heard mention of you, and arose to serve you. He is of those who have attained in My Perspicuous Book.

At this moment My Will hath desired to mention My friends in Qaf and Mim with verses whereby the hearts of those who believed when they heard the call of God, the Lord of what was and what shall be, are attracted. O My friends there! We counsel you to remain steadfast with the Most Great Steadfastness lest your feet slip through the whisperings of those who denied the proof of God when it was sent down in truth and disbelieved in Him Who speaketh among you with the most exalted call:

“Verily there is no God but Me, the Truth, the Knower of the unseen.”

O Land of Kaf! The breezes of the Manifestation passed over thee at the dawn of His Day. Didst thou perceive them or wert thou of the heedless? O My friends there! We have heard your call and witnessed your turning. Verily your Lord is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing. Blessed is the ear that hath succeeded in hearing and the eye that hath beheld My Most Great Signs. These two are under the shadow of the loving-kindness of their Lord, the Almighty, the Powerful.

O Land of Sad! Where are My loved ones and My friends? I testify that in thee the fire of hatred was kindled, and by it were consumed the hearts of the pure ones through whom the Sun of Certitude shone forth from the horizon of the heaven of divine knowledge, and the Herald proclaimed from every direction:

“He Who was hidden hath appeared and He Who was treasured in God’s knowledge, the Lord of this exalted station, hath come!”

O My loved ones therein! Blessed are ye, inasmuch as ye have heard My call and turned with your hearts to My horizon and drunk the choice wine of divine knowledge from the hand of My bounty and acknowledged that which hath been sent down in My Great Book. We have, as a token of Our grace and mercy from the presence of One Who is All-Knowing, All-Informed, veiled your names.

O people of Nun and Jim! My “Ha” hath appeared before My face and desired from the ocean of My bounty your mention. We have made mention of you through that by whose light earth and heaven were illumined. He with Whom is the Preserved Tablet beareth witness unto this. O My loved ones therein! The Spring of Divine Utterance hath come, and We have caused to rain from the clouds of Our mercy the showers of Our favors. Blessed is the heart from which have sprung the ears of wisdom which We have enjoined upon all in Our Great Tablet. Well is it with you for having borne tribulations in My path and endured afflictions in your longing for My good-pleasure. We beseech God to confirm you in steadfastness and to ordain for you through His Most Exalted Pen every good thing which He hath revealed in His Book. Verily, He is the Ancient Revealer.

O Pen! Turn thy face toward Alif and Ra and say: Where is your mention and your praise, and where is your turning and your ardor, and where is your attraction and your detachment? Let not the might of the divines frighten you, nor the power of the mighty weaken you. Aid your Lord, the All-Merciful, through wisdom and utterance, and be not of the silent ones. You had a station with God—soon shall every steadfast one behold what hath been ordained for him from the presence of One Who is All-Knowing, All-Wise. Why do I see you silent and mute in the mention and praise of God? Hath heedlessness overtaken you, or are ye among the fearful? Arise in My Name, take the cup of immortality, then drink therefrom in remembrance of Me, the Wondrous. We have created you and manifested you for My service. Let not the clamors of the babblers hinder you. We counsel you as We counseled you before—to be trustworthy and God-fearing, truthful and faithful, and to that whereby the Word of God, the Lord of all worlds, may be exalted. Blessed is he who hath cast away corruption and risen in reform—he is of those brought near in the Book of God, the Lord of the Mighty Throne.

O My loved ones! We have commanded you to righteousness and piety, and forbidden you oppression and wickedness and whatsoever causeth the servants to grieve in the realm of creation. I am the All-Merciful, the Compassionate. Make it your concern to aid the servants and that whereby their hearts may be gladdened. Your Lord commandeth you to that which profiteth you and forbiddeth you from that which harmeth you. He is the All-Bountiful, the Mighty, the Wise.

O My loved ones in all regions! The fragrance of divine utterance hath been wafted abroad when the Speaker on Sinai spoke. Blessed is the ear that hath heard, and woe unto every heedless remote one. Aid your Lord, the All-Merciful, through utterance whereby the servants may be attracted. This is what We commanded you before and at this time.

O people of Dal and Vav and their environs! Rejoice that We have found from you the fragrance of the love of God, the Lord of this glorious station. We testify that ye have turned unto God, the Lord of the Exalted Throne, and there befell you in His path that which caused the Supreme Paradise to lament, and those who circle round the Throne at morn and eventide. We have indeed revealed for My loved ones in the Tablet which We sent down from the heaven of My Will for those who have soared in My atmosphere and held fast to the cord of My love and voiced My praise among My servants and clung to My luminous hem.

At this moment We make mention of him who hath been named Muhammad, who arose to serve My Cause and to teach that which hath been sent down in My Book. We testify that he hath attained unto that which most of the servants have failed to attain, and I am He Who knoweth and counteth all things.

O Pen! Turn thy face toward Ha and Waw, then make mention of them with words wherewith the trees speak forth, even as the Tree of Sinai spoke unto Moses, He Who conversed with God. O My loved ones! We testify that ye have attained unto My verses and My signs, and there hath been sent down for you in the Tablets that which hath enraptured the hearts of them that are nigh unto God. We beseech God to aid you to remain steadfast in this mighty steadfastness, such that the doubts of the divines who have hindered men from drawing nigh unto the momentous Announcement of God shall not cause you to slip.

O My loved ones! We testify that ye have been beneath the glance of My tender care. Your names have been inscribed by My Most Exalted Pen in the Crimson Book. Verily your Lord, the All-Merciful, is the All-Bountiful, the Almighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. We have not revealed your names nor made mention of them save as a mercy from Our presence and a wisdom from One Who is a wise Judge.

O My loved ones in the cities and villages! This is a Day wherein signs have appeared, verses have been sent down, and evidence hath been made manifest. Take heed lest ye deprive yourselves of that which hath appeared through grace. Cast aside vain imaginings and turn unto this assured Light. This is a Day wherein the Balance hath been set up, the proof hath appeared, and the mountains have passed away like clouds—this is what the All-Merciful foretold in the Qur’an. Blessed is he who hath turned towards it, and woe unto them that turn away.

O people of God! Beware lest ye deprive yourselves of the Most Great Ocean which surgeth before all faces in the name of the Almighty, the Powerful. The rivers of utterance have flowed, and the breezes of the All-Glorious have wafted, and the Spirit crieth out in the wilderness of faithfulness:

“Here am I, O Lord of all beings! Here am I, O Thou in Whose grasp is the dominion of names! Here am I, O Thou Who art the Goal of the knowing ones!”

O My loved ones in Ya! The Wronged One hath turned toward you from the direction of ʿAkka and remembereth you with that which shall cause your remembrance and your names to endure in the Books of God, the Lord of all worlds. Let not the happenings of the world grieve you. By My life! It shall pass away, and that which hath been ordained for you by God, the Lord of the Mighty Throne, shall endure. Tribulations have encompassed Us from every direction, and there hath befallen Us at the hands of the oppressors that which hath caused all things to lament and every informed soul to cry out. We desired for them the supreme bounty, while they desired for My Self the ultimate abasement. We beseech God to adorn them with the ornament of justice and to enable them to return unto Him. Verily, He is the Ever-Forgiving, the Compassionate, the All-Merciful.

BH00608: Praise be to God Who hath revealed Himself through…

He is the Answerer from the Most Exalted Horizon

Praise be to God Who hath revealed Himself through His Most Great Name, whereupon the limbs of the idolaters among the nations did tremble, and the faces of the believers were illumined amidst these intense and gloomy darknesses, and the doves of the Supreme Paradise warbled, and then the rustling of the Lote-Tree of the utmost boundary was raised in the most exalted Paradise. He hath come, through Whose advent both the kingdom of earth and heaven were honored. Blessed is he who hath turned unto Him and attained, and woe unto every heedless doubter. Light and glory be upon the Hands of the Cause amidst humanity, whom God hath purified from tyranny and immorality, and adorned with the raiment of piety. These are honored servants whom God hath mentioned in His Books, His Scrolls and His Scriptures, both in the past and future, and hath preferred them above many of His creatures. Verily, He is the Truth, the Knower of things unseen.

We have arisen this day in this exalted station, and We desire to make mention of God’s friends and loved ones, to give them glad tidings of His grace and draw them nigh unto Him in this Day wherein We are encompassed by the fires of sorrows from those who behold the sea and its waves yet deny them, and the sun and its radiance yet turn away from it, and the heaven and its stars yet object to them. Indeed, they are the worshippers of vain imaginings, to which the Tongue of Grandeur doth testify in this mighty stronghold. Say: O people, shatter the idols of self and passion with the arm of God’s utterance, the Lord of the throne on high and of earth below. Then shall ye behold what no eye hath seen and hear what no ear hath heard, to which God’s perspicuous Book doth testify at this moment. The ocean of knowledge hath surged and the fragrance of the All-Merciful hath wafted, yet most of the people remain heedless.

O Muhammad! Thy letter hath attained Our presence, sent by him whom We named Zaynu’l-Muqarrabin in My mighty Book, and it was presented by one of My Branches whom We named Diya. We have answered thee with verses whose fragrances have been diffused and whose perfume hath been wafted. Blessed is he who hath found them and attained unto them, and woe unto every remote heedless one. We make mention of My loved ones who have turned toward My horizon and soared in the atmosphere of My love and uttered My beautiful praise.

O Manzar! The Lord of Destiny hath made mention of thee from His Most Great Scene with verses through which God created ears among the Concourse on high specifically to hearken unto them. Know thou the station of this bounty and say: Praise be unto Thee, O Thou in Whose grasp are the reins of grace and favors, and in Whose right hand is the kingdom of justice and equity. Thou doest what Thou willest and ordainest what Thou pleaseth. Verily, Thou art the Almighty, the Powerful.

O Na’im! We have mentioned thee before and sent it unto thee that thou mightest rejoice and be of the thankful. Say: Were it not for the Glory (Baha), who would stand before princes and divines? And were it not for Him, who would proclaim between the heavens and the earth? Be fair, O people, in what hath been sent down in truth and appeared in justice, and be not of the wrongdoers. By God! There hath appeared what hath never appeared in creation, whereunto the Mother Book doth testify in this exalted station.

O ʿAli-Aqa! My name Mihdi, upon him be my glory, hath made mention of thee aforetime, and We have sent unto thee that which hath diffused the fragrance of My mercy that hath preceded all who dwell on earth. Say: Praise be unto Thee, O my God, and thanksgiving be unto Thee, O my Beloved, for having caused my remembrance to endure in Thy perspicuous Book. I beseech Thee to aid me and Thy loved ones to perform such deeds as would be honored with Thy gracious acceptance and from which the sweet savors of Thy good-pleasure may be wafted. This is my hope and the hope of them that are nigh unto Thee. O Lord! Assist Thy loved ones to be steadfast in Thy Cause in such wise that the ranks of kings and rulers may not deter them.

O Muhammad-i-Mashhadi! Dost thou know Who maketh mention of thee at this hour, and dost thou recognize Who calleth thee from this most luminous and most holy Spot? By My life! Wert thou to truly know, thou wouldst soar upon the wings of yearning in this hallowed, glorious and resplendent atmosphere. The people have cast the Ocean behind their backs, hastening unto idle fancies and vain imaginings. Thus hath the Ocean of Utterance surged before the faces of all religions. Blessed is he who hath attained and hath said:

“Praise be unto Thee, O my Lord and my King, and thanksgiving be unto Thee, O my Beloved and my Adored One!”

I testify that Thou hast adorned the Tablets with Thy mention and Paradise with the breezes of Thy Revelation, and hast honored the earth with Thy footsteps, and illumined the horizons with the light of certitude and hearts with the light of Thy knowledge. There is none other God but Thee, the All-Bountiful, the Gracious. Blessed be My name Jamal who hath drunk the choice wine of My utterance from the chalice of My bounty and hath voiced My praise amongst My servants in days wherein the faces of the ignorant have been darkened and the feet of the mystics have slipped upon the path of God, the True King, the Manifest One—save whom God hath willed, his Lord, the Lord of the Mighty Throne. Blessed is he who hath heard His call in this Most Great Remembrance and followed Him in this wise Command.

O ʿInayatu’llah! This is a Book inscribed by the Pen of God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting, and this is a sealed tablet, a command from God, the Lord of what was and what shall be. Blessed is he who hath shattered the idols and taken up the chalice of utterance in My Name before the faces of men, and hath drunk in remembrance of Me, the Mighty, the Beloved. The Day is come, yet most of the people comprehend not. The Light hath shone forth, yet most of the people recognize it not. They have cast justice behind their backs, clinging to tyranny, yet they perceive it not. Say: My God, my God! Adorn my head and the heads of Thy loved ones with the crowns of detachment and their temples with the raiment of godliness.

Thou, verily, hast power to do what Thou willest. O my Lord! Aid me in that whereby Thy Most Exalted Word may be uplifted amongst mankind, and enable me to achieve that which Thou lovest and pleasest. O my Lord! I am Thy servant who hath turned unto Thee and held fast unto the cord of Thy bounty. I beseech Thee to ordain for me the good of this world and the next, and whatsoever beseemeth the ocean of Thy generosity, O Thou Lord of existence!

O Habbu’llah! We have commanded all to be trustworthy and religious, and to that whereby the station of man may be exalted, yet the people have wrought that which hath caused the Pen of God, the Lord of the seen and the unseen, to weep. The verses have been sent down and the evidences have appeared, and the Tree of Utterance hath cried out when He Who conversed on Sinai was established upon the throne of Revelation:

“O people of the Bayan! Fear the All-Merciful. This is He but for Whom I would not have revealed Myself nor uttered a word. Fear God, then hasten unto Him. There is no God but He, and He is the Truth, the Knower of the unseen. If anyone denieth Him, by what proof can he establish aught else besides Him? Be fair, and be not of them who see and deny. This is He through Whom the standards of verses were hoisted and the banners of signs appeared, and through Whom every tongue hath spoken. Sovereignty belongeth unto God, the Lord of creation.”

O Muhammad-Rida! Hear the call from the Most Exalted Horizon—verily there is no God but Him, the Mighty, the All-Bountiful. He hath come, He by Whose name the scrolls of God, the Lord of lords, were adorned. We have remembered thee with that which neither the treasuries of kings nor the wealth of servants can equal. To this the Mother Book beareth witness in the final return. Blessed is he who remaineth serene, whom armies cannot frighten, and strong is he whom the might of the wicked cannot weaken. We have sent down from the heaven of grace that which encompassed all regions. Yet when the light shone forth and the people felt secure, they emerged from behind the veils and committed that which caused the hearts of the righteous to melt. Say: O people, fear God! He hath come unto you with oceans of verses and proofs, and hath called all on earth unto God, the Lord of creation. Glorify thy Lord with praise and remind the servants of that which will draw them nigh unto the most exalted station. Blessed is he who hath heard and responded, and woe unto every denying infidel. The glory of God be upon thee and upon thy daughter who hath believed in God in the final return.

O ʿAli-Qabl-Muhammad! This Name hath come and given glad tidings to the people of My manifestation, My appearance, My grandeur, My power, My might and My sovereignty. Yet when I came with the standards of guidance and success, My servants turned away from Me, denied My manifestation and disputed My verses. Thus did their own souls deceive them. Verily they are in heedlessness and error. Say: Praise be unto Thee, O my God, for having guided me unto Thy straight path and revealed unto me that which delighteth eyes. O Lord! Drive me not from the door of Thy grace and deny me not from the ocean of Thy bounty. Ordain for me that which will draw me nigh unto Thee. Verily Thou art the Powerful, the Chosen One. O Lord! Aid Thy servants unto virtues through which Thy Cause may be exalted among Thy creation and Thy glory in Thy lands. Thou art verily the Powerful, the Mighty, the All-Bestowing.

O Husayn! We have sent down unto thee a Tablet that no other tablets can equal, and We have remembered thy father with such remembrance as hath melted hearts. Grieve not over anything. Trust in all matters in Him. He is the Powerful, the All-Forgiving. We beseech God to punish those who wronged thy father and pronounced judgment against him without proof or evidence. The servants who circle the Throne have wailed in grief for him at morn and eve. Grieve not over anything. Verily he dwelleth now within the pavilion of My glory, surrounded by angels and the Spirit from God, the Revealer of verses. We have remembered the sons of him who ascended unto God, the Lord of religions, and We have remembered al-Ashraf whom the wolves of the earth devoured out of hatred toward God, the One, the Almighty.

The son of the wolf opened his mouth and his followers devoured him. Verily he is in abasement and loss. Soon shall he see the recompense of his deeds as did his father, and the angels of torment shall cause him to enter with wrath from God, the Powerful, the Compelling. We promised him in the Tablet of Proof concerning the evil punishment that would befall him. And We remember at this time My handmaidens and counsel them to fear God, the Lord of the Day of Reckoning. The glory from Us be upon you, O My loved ones, and We beseech God, blessed and exalted be He, to aid you in that which will attract the hearts of the servants. He is verily the Powerful, the Protector, the One Who speaketh before the faces of the parties.

BH00712: In My Name that prevaileth over earth and heaven!

In My Name that prevaileth over earth and heaven!

From the right hand is raised the Call of God, and from the left is manifest the Name of God, and before the face appear the signs of God, and above the head existeth the Word of God. Blessed is the soul that, through the attraction of the Divine Word and the key of heavenly bounty, hath opened the door of detachment. He is the educator of the servants and the servant of the Cause of the Lord of creation.

O ʿAli-Qabl-i-Akbar! Upon thee be My glory and My bounty. In this Most Great Revelation there hath been sent down that which was not revealed from the beginning of creation until now, and there hath appeared that which hath been sanctified from similarity and likeness. Observe how the attraction of the Supreme Word hath influenced the world of creation. Reflect upon its traces and fruits. The tribes of lovers were attracted by the mention of the Luminary of the horizons and were sent to the place of sacrifice. And He illumined the peoples of the cities of longing with the light of His manifestation in such wise that the gems of existence held neither station nor rank in their eyes. Detached from all else, they set their faces toward the court of the Most Glorious.

The power of the world produced no weakness, and the might of nations became no barrier. Exalted, exalted be His all-encompassing power and His prevailing Will! The harm inflicted upon this Wronged One hath outwardly exceeded human capacity; nevertheless, it did not prevent God from His purpose nor hinder the exaltation of His Word. Your honor is aware of the calumnies of the calumniators, the oppression of the oppressors, and the lies of the barking ones. Yet before the manifestation of God’s Cause, all these were seen as non-existent, nay, utterly lost.

Regarding what thou didst mention about Ibn-i-Rajab’Ali and his calumnies—that party hath not spoken, nor will they speak, the truth. They attribute to Yahya the treatise of the exalted Khal (the Bab’s maternal uncle) which was outwardly called “Iqan” out of wisdom. By God’s life! He is incapable of understanding it. Such deeds appeared from that source of tyranny as had no parallel in the world. The fire of his self consumed and destroyed the veil of the Most Great Infallibility. Despite there being several women in his household, most of whom are known by name and reputation, yet he did not spare the honor of the Primal Point, may the spirit of all else be sacrificed for His sake.

That shameless one committed that which caused the Ancient Beauty to be afflicted with great sorrow for a time. This incident occurred during the days of exile of the Truth, exalted be His glory. Similarly, for the sake of two days of worldly life, he caused the martyrdom of Dayyan and Khalilu’r-Rahman, sending a woman to the government house for begging. He ordered the execution of the honored Mirza ʿAli-Akbar, who was reportedly one of the relatives of the Exalted One (the Bab), and had him martyred. He caused the unfortunate Abu’l-Qasim, who had been with him for several years, to be lost through great injustice, for it is known that in the absence of the Ancient Beauty, he had sought the daughter of the honored Aqa Muhammad-Karim, sending one note with a bottle of perfume, a handkerchief, and a knife.

Her parents rejected this, and afterward gave her to Abu’l-Qasim. This became the cause of enmity and the manifestation of the fire of hatred. God protect us and you! All the companions who were in that land are aware of this incident.

Among the events that occurred was that Mulla Rajab-Ali himself came from Karbila to Baghdad for two months to complain about Siyyid Muhammad. His son knows what transpired between them. After he voiced his complaints, We said: “O Rajab-Ali, abhorrent deeds have been heard of from that land. It is said they have resorted to theft, even biting off pieces of the holy shrine with their teeth, and likewise they have stolen the possessions of pilgrims to the illumined shrines.” He swore that these acts were from Siyyid Muhammad, who had gathered a group engaged in such deeds, and there existed utmost enmity between him and Siyyid Kamal. The friends in the land of Kaf are aware; if one were to inquire of those three souls, perhaps he would confess. In any case, Mulla Rajab-ʿAli said: “I told the Siyyid these actions are not good.” In response he said: “You are unaware of the matter.”

In brief, after this Wronged One’s return to Iraq, a sorrow descended that had no equal, until finally through sufficient healing words and loving counsels these impure deeds and their stench were eliminated. The Cause of God was so exalted that the people of Iraq of every kind attained the Most Holy Court, and on the day of the move from the house to the garden, the learned of that land, such as the late Alusi and others, came forward and cried out, and the people of Iraq from the Governor to military chiefs, judge and others were present in the Imam’s garden. Surely you have heard of the gathering of the servants on that day and the love of the people.

O ʿAli-Qabl-i-Akbar! Later they did not observe the sanctity of Muharram, considering the rising of the Imams from their graves. This grievous error caused the people to withdraw and keep their distance. Glory be to God! We came from Iran to Iraq by the command and permission of the sovereign, and after some time Yahya arrived, and later the command to proceed to the great city appeared, and this Wronged One, in response to the plea of ministers and princes, departed. Each day he would make some demand, and then it was decided that he should proceed to Iran with the trust of the Primal Point, may the spirit of all else be sacrificed for Him. After the move, he went towards the Threshold.

When We arrived in Mosul, it was observed that he had stayed in that land waiting for Our arrival, though inwardly he denied the presence and approach of all, and his foolish followers accepted this. In brief, wherever We turned, he followed from behind. Seventy people in that journey saw and heard his deeds, actions and words. Nevertheless, the utmost kindness was shown to him, for had he been disappointed in this matter, he would never have turned in the direction this Wronged One turned. Every fair-minded and perceptive person bears witness to this. One must reflect upon the outward deeds to become aware of the degrees of opposition. In brief, there are many matters. We conclude them with the remembrance of God, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

O ʿAli-Qabli-Akbar! God willing, through the favors of the Lord of Destiny thou shalt attain to that which hath no likeness or equal. We testify that thou didst turn unto Us when most of the servants turned away, and thou didst arise to serve the Cause when the people were wrapped in heedlessness and error. Convey My greetings to the loved ones in that land on behalf of the Wronged One. Say: Beware lest the clamor of men debar you from the Creator of heaven. Associate with the people of the earth with pure hearts and radiant breasts, and seek from God for all that which is the cause of eternal salvation and everlasting remembrance. Verily He is the Omnipotent over whatsoever He willeth, and He is the One, the Single, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

And concerning what thou hast written about Hadi-i-Dawlat-Abadi having in these days resorted to the recitation of elegies—God knoweth that that oppressor hath appeared with such deceit and craftiness as hath had no equal. He hath denounced certain ones to the oppressors. When that transient shadow failed to achieve his rejected purpose, he raised the standard of sedition and hanged the wronged Siyyid, and committed that which caused the Holy Spirit to lament. We beseech God, blessed and exalted be He, to aid all to do that which beseemeth His days. Verily He is the Omnipotent, the Mighty, the All-Wise. And may He cause to appear before the faces of His loved ones that which shall adorn them with the ornament of joy and gladness. Verily He is the Protector, the Mighty, the Great.

The splendor that shineth forth from the horizon of the heaven of My loving-kindness be upon thee and upon thy wife and upon those who are with thee and who love thee and hearken unto thy words for the sake of God, the Lord of the worlds.

BH00717: Glorified be He Who doeth whatsoever He willeth! Verily…

He is the Compassionate, the All-Bountiful, the Forgiving! He is the All-Powerful, the Mighty, the Ever-Relenting!

Glorified be He Who doeth whatsoever He willeth! Verily He is the Commander of earth and heaven. Neither the hosts of names nor all that exists in the realm of creation can withhold Him. He is, in truth, the Just Ruler, the Trustworthy.

O thou who art immersed in the ocean of transgression! By My life, what hath been attributed to thee and what hath become known of thy deeds hath grieved Me. By God! Such sorrow hath seized Me that the Pen hath been prevented from the remembrance of God, the Lord of all nations. We have heard its lamentation and its cry concerning that which hath befallen its Beloved in days wherein every mouth should smile, every sorrowful one rejoice, every hesitant one hasten forward, and every seated one soar on the wings of longing. Yet there hath appeared that which hath caused the liver of righteousness to melt and justice to wail before God, the Lord of all mankind, by reason of what hath befallen the Wronged One on a day wherein the fire of passion was kindled amongst men.

Grief hath overtaken Me on account of that which hath seized the crown of thy head and the adornment of thy temple. The hand of destiny hath stripped thee and rendered thee deprived of the outpourings of thy Lord’s days, the Lord of all names. It behooveth thee to weep, and I weep for what hath befallen Me and thee through thy evil deeds. By God! Deeds have wailed because of thy actions, and the Book of Forgiveness because of thy disobedience, and the hearts of them that are nigh unto God have been consumed by the desires of thy self.

Thou wert created to aid My Cause, yet thou didst support Mine enemies through deeds more powerful than the hosts of kings and sovereigns, and thou didst abandon Me to the tongues of Mine enemies which were sharper than swords and more penetrating than the venom of serpents. Thus doth the Lord of Religions lament upon the dust before all faces.

I know not by what word to speak nor by what mention to recall that which hath befallen Me at the hands of those who claim to love Me. Shall I say what Jacob said—I complain of my distress and grief unto God? Nay, by My soul! I desire not to complain of tribulation, suffering and ordeal. Rather, I give thanks unto God in His decree and destiny, and I shall exercise beautiful patience. He is the Help in time of need against what they describe.

Can anyone stand against His decree and destiny? Nay, by His own Self, the Truth! Verily He is the Self-Subsisting in His Cause, the Executor of His judgment, the Supreme Ruler by His sovereignty. He is the Praiseworthy in His deeds, the Obeyed One in His judgment, and He is the Strong, the Triumphant, the Almighty.

By My life! My condition and circumstances have transcended mention and utterance. While I was sitting upon the ashes, crying and weeping for Myself and for what had befallen Me from the loved ones, at that moment a letter arrived and was presented by the servant who was present before Me.

We heard a cry, uttered by the Maiden of Heaven, and a lament, voiced by the fruits; and therein He said:

O my God, my God! My deplorable state has reached such a pass that all remembrance is cut off, and my rebellion has attained such a degree that neither turning to Thee, nor remembrance, nor return, nor seeking forgiveness can profit me. I have violated Thy sanctity after Thou didst enjoin me to preserve it amongst Thy loved ones. By Thy glory! My transgression has become as fire consuming my deeds and devotions. Is there for me, O my God, any station of return whereat I might turn in repentance unto Thee? I testify that through my rebellion the rain of mercy has been withheld from the clouds of Thy bounty, and the manifestations of the lights of grace from the Daystar of Thy forgiveness.

O Lord! The ocean of rebellion advances toward Thee, and the mountain of error turns to the court of Thy generosity. Thou seest me, O my God, immersed in the sea of disobedience and consumed by what hath befallen Thee through my evil deeds, O Ocean of forgiveness! By Thy might and Thy majesty! I am ashamed to seek pardon from Thee or ask Thee for forgiveness, for through my deeds the fire of despair and deprivation was ignited, and I was not inclined to return, O Lord of forgiveness and beneficence.

In such state there occurred to my mind a remembrance from among the remembrances which flowed from the Pen of Thy Command in the Book of the Righteous. Though my deeds have made me despair of Thy tenderness and mercy and forgiveness and bounty, and deprived me of Thy grace and generosity and benevolence and favors, yet I cannot say that my rebellion has overwhelmed the ocean of Thy forgiveness, or that through my error the traces of Thy favor have been erased and the waves of the ocean of Thy pardon have been stilled.

Since this is so, then Thou seest me, O my Beloved and my Purpose, bereft of every rank and good deed and kindness and virtue, clinging to the cord of Thy generosity to which all beings have testified, and to Thy grace to which all things have borne witness. Deal with this abject one who hath acknowledged Thy glory and power, this poor one who hath confessed Thy might and riches, this wearied one who hath testified to the kingdom of Thine utterance.

Thereupon the tongue of my inner and outer being is silenced through my shame and rebellion and abandonment of what Thou didst command me. By Thy glory! I have cast aside my pleading and hope and deeds and will, looking to Thy grace and Thy will. Do with me as Thou pleasest. Verily Thou art the One praised in Thy deeds and obeyed in Thy command.

And when another letter arrived from him and was opened, hearts and souls wailed from its lamentations, and from its despair the livers were burned and tears flowed. Then the gates of grace and bounty were opened, and the door of mercy and faithfulness.

We said: Do not grieve, even though your error has stripped the temple of the Cause of its robe of glory and dignity. But thy Lord’s mercy has preceded both the righteous and the wicked. Verily thy Lord forgave Adam with a word from His presence–the father of mankind acknowledged his error and was forgiven. The oceans of rebellion cannot stand against a drop from thy Lord’s ocean of forgiveness. We have purified thee with the Kawthar of return and forgiven thee through Our grace. Verily thy Lord is the Mighty, the All-Forgiving, and He is the Ever-Turning, the All-Compelling, the Unconstrained.

However, from thy deed appeared that which had never occurred to anyone among those who circled round the Cause in this Most Great Prison. O Muhammad, rejoice! By God, God hath forgiven thee and purified thee by His binding command among the nations. Today thou art before God among those who have no sin. Whoso imagineth otherwise is among the worshippers of vain fancies in the sight of God, the Lord of all beings.

Say: O people of Baha, fear God and be not among the heedless. How did ye precede with speech after We had described the people of Baha as those who precede Him not in speech and who act according to His command? And they spread indecency after We had forbidden them from it. Those who love that indecency should spread among the people of Baha have no share in God’s grace and mercy, nor have they any station beneath the canopies of His grandeur.

Behold, O people of the Bayan, what the All-Merciful hath revealed in the Qur’an. I seek refuge with God, the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing:

“Verily they who brought forth the lie are a band among you. Do not consider it an evil for you; nay, it is good for you. Every person among them shall have what he hath earned of sin, and he who took upon himself the chief part thereof shall have a grievous punishment. Why did not the believing men and believing women, when ye heard it, think good of themselves and say: This is a manifest lie?’ Why did they not bring four witnesses thereof? Since they have not brought the witnesses, they are liars in God’s sight. Were it not for God’s grace and mercy upon you in this world and the next, a grievous chastisement had befallen you for that which ye spread abroad, when ye uttered with your tongues and spoke with your mouths what ye had no knowledge of, and counted it a light thing, while with God it was grave.

And why, when ye heard it, did ye not say: It is not for us to speak of this. Glory be unto Thee! This is a mighty calumny.’ God admonisheth you that ye never return to the like thereof, if ye be believers. And God maketh clear to you the signs, and God is Knowing, Wise. Verily those who love that indecency should spread among the believers–for them is a grievous chastisement in this world and the next. God knoweth, and ye know not. Were it not for God’s grace upon you and His mercy, and that God is Kind, Merciful… O ye who believe! Follow not the steps of Satan, and whoso followeth the steps of Satan, verily he commandeth indecency and wrong. Were it not for God’s grace upon you and His mercy, not one of you would ever have been pure; but God purifieth whom He will. And God is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.”