Volume 101: Akka 1873–1892 year unknown, Part I (1 of 2)

BH00168: Praise be to God, the King, the All-Bountiful, Who…

Section 1: “Praise be to God, the King, the All-Bountiful…”

He is God, exalted be His glory, the Lord of majesty and glory.

Praise be to God, the King, the All-Bountiful, Who hath created man, taught him the art of utterance, guided him unto the gardens of knowledge and true understanding, and illumined his heart with the effulgences of the Sun of wisdom and exposition. Exalted is His command, which the minds of men can never apprehend, nor can the intellects of all that dwell on earth encompass. The reach of human fancy and conjecture can never grasp the hem of His knowledge.

He it is Who hath adorned the Book of existence with the brocade of the mysteries of unveiling and vision, and hath breathed into the inmost heart of man that which sanctifieth him above hints and limitations, and conducteth him unto his praiseworthy station on that Day which is His promised, witnessed Day, and maketh him to know His decreed, appointed Cause. Blessed is he who purifieth his hearing from idle tales, and his heart from unworthy fancies and imaginings, and who standeth in calm and dignity to hearken unto the call of his Lord, the All-Glorious, the All-Chosen.

Verily, that call is raised from the hollows of the mountains, from the thickets and the forests, from the crags and the hill-tops, in such wise that every lowly and lofty one can hear it; yet none recognize it save they who have attained unto perfection, those who have repaired unto the river-bed of knowledge and wisdom, who wing their flight with the pinions of detachment in the atmosphere of divine unity, who quaff from the cups of everlasting, imperishable wine, and are enkindled with the lights of the All-Sufficing that shine from the Sun of eternity. May God stablish their feet, exalt in both worlds their station, prolong their rising up for the guidance of the people, increase, in His remembrance, their rapture and their yearning, and enable them to attain their goal beneath the banners of His mention and praise.

O ye who cherish hopes, and ye lords of discernment! Consider the handiwork of your Lord, the Most Exalted, and ponder His might, the Possessor of names, the Producer of all things. He verily hath created the creation through His power, and hath distinguished man by His knowledge and His wisdom. He hath bestowed upon him the light of reason, that by it he may be marked out amongst His creatures, may walk therewith in the darkness of allusions and symbols, and not be lost in the wildernesses of veils and imaginings. It is the means of salvation, the very cause of life. Through it man is distinguished above all other created things. By its aid he ordereth his affairs, refraining from evil deeds, and by this light is he guided unto the knowledge of his Lord, the All-Forgiving.

It behoveth every soul to strive to know God, exalted be He, through the guidance of this light, to contemplate by its power the signs and traces of God, and to weigh every matter therewith, and to examine all things in its balance. Should he abandon this manifest light and follow those that are deluded, his distinction would be effaced. For every species among created things followeth its leader and obeyeth its driver without reflection, perception or discrimination, since it is incapable of possessing its own self or ordering its own affairs, and hath perforce surrendered its reins into another’s hand. Is it seemly, then, that man should walk under the guidance of another, even as a blind man, when his Lord, the All-Informed, hath vouchsafed unto him sight and insight, whereby he can order his own concerns and those of others, be himself guided and guide his fellows without recourse to any beside him?

Strange and wondrous is it that men should be content with the lowest station, whilst wings have been given them wherewith they may soar unto the loftiest pinnacle and the most exalted centre. In the knowledge of God, imitation is not permissible: nay rather, earnest striving, exertion and reflection upon the tokens of power, meditation upon the mysteries of creation, and advancement, under the guidance of the light of reason, upon the highway of knowledge and wisdom are indispensable. Were imitation herein allowable, none would have the right to cavil at any one of the religions; for each hath followed the opinions of its divines and walked in the footsteps of its leaders, even as the All-Glorious, the All-Knowing, hath announced in His mighty Book:

“Verily we found our fathers following a certain religion, and we, verily, are walking in their footsteps.”

And if it be said that, by reason of the differing degrees of men in knowledge and perfection, this is impossible for every individual, we answer: we do not deny seeking assistance; but he from whom aid is sought must needs fulfil certain conditions which may on no account be overlooked, as is evident unto the people of insight, they who behold the Most Great Outlook. And yet, even then, it behoveth no soul to surrender its assent save after complete and searching investigation, each according to his capacity and understanding. Thus hath He revealed: “God tasketh not any soul beyond its power.”

If we observe the present days with discernment, we shall behold the people wandering distracted in their desires and lusts. None occupieth himself with learning save for the sake of leadership and the acquisition of influence. Indeed, they bar the people and withhold them from reflection and careful enquiry, lest their own ascendancy and authority be diminished. They are well-pleased with the ignorance and heedlessness of their fellow-men, that they may safeguard their rank and compass their designs. They glory in their knowledge, whereas knowledge is but a single point, which the ignorant have multiplied; they boast of their worship, whereas reflection for but one hour excelleth the adoration of seventy years.

We beseech God, exalted be His glory, to protect us from the thieves of the highway, and to conduct us, through investigation and discernment, unto the gardens of His knowledge. Verily He is over us watchful, compassionate.

O thou noble savant, thou distinguished and peerless one! May God prolong thy days, exalt in both worlds thy station, enable thee, through His bounty, to attain what thou desirest, and vouchsafe thee what thou lovest and approvest. The star of knowledge hath arisen from the horizon of thy book, and the light of true recognition hath shone from the lamp of thy letter which thou didst despatch unto one of the friends, thereby seeking to establish love and loyalty purely for the sake of thy Lord, the Possessor of names. This lowly one perused it with the eye of close attention, and apprehended what thou hadst written therein of the subtleties of utterance. Well done, O thou illustrious one! Thine is the recompense with God for thy quest after the proof and thy endeavour to establish the straight path unto the All-Glorious, the All-Beautiful.

Yet, in this age, wherein the faculties of man have developed, and he hath surpassed past nations in knowledge and understanding, and wisdom and exposition have been manifested, it beseemeth us not to cling to what hath been or shall be uttered of the illusions of the people of error. Nay rather, we must dispel the murky fancies by drawing upon the shining lights of the sciences. Let the discerning one ponder what hath transpired in former centuries. Had the people of truth clung unto idle suppositions, they would never have discovered the hidden mystery nor the treasured sign. How could it be otherwise, when the people, in the days of the appearance of the Prophets—upon them be peace and blessings—were as wanderers in the deserts of allusions and vain imaginings, holding fast to what was then current among them, and expecting the manifestation of the Truth in accordance with their own fancies? Had they been themselves upon the truth, the laws would not have become diversified, nor would the wondrous ordinances have been revealed; rather would the first law have sufficed all mankind.

Let thine eminence, then, reflect upon this noble verse, whereof He, exalted be He, saith: “The Jews have said: ʿThe hand of God is chained up.” Did they utter such a phrase with their tongues, whilst professing the oneness of the All-Merciful and exalting the Book which the noble Prophet confirmed through His mighty Revelation? Nay rather, in that they confined the manifestation of the Cause of God within the compass of their own imaginings, and awaited the rising of the Sun of Prophethood in a manner consonant with their own thoughts and understandings, and asserted that He could not appear save in the form delineated and set down in their books, therefore did God—magnified be His glory—reveal this blessed verse in His mighty Book and ancient Word.

Were we, then, to cling to what hath been said aforetime and follow it unreservedly, we should be imitating those people in their idle suppositions and meagre understanding. Can we fix a limit to the attributes after having confessed the unity of the Essence? How shall we, after the tongue of the Revelation hath proclaimed His sanctity above all limitation, set bounds unto the manifestation of His Cause by what is unworthy of His praiseworthy station? For He verily is the One Who chooseth as He willeth, and the Ruler in the beginning and in the end.

And if it be said that these utterances are established by verses and traditions, we reply: this saying is sound and this judgment manifest; yet it behoveth, first, to establish the authenticity of the tradition from its beginning unto its end; and secondly, to acquire a knowledge of the inner meanings of the verses, of the circumstances of their revelation, of their connection one with another, and of the distinction between what is clear and what is ambiguous therein. In like manner, one must understand the meanings, allusions, occasions and contexts of the recorded traditions.

Should a follower of another religion desire to be illumined by the light of Islam, he would find himself bewildered between acceptance and rejection by reason of the abundance of divergences and the dearth of unity and concord. If he holdeth fast to the noble Book and clingeth to its outward meaning alone, he will not find his heart at rest concerning this matter. And if he turneth unto the transmitted traditions, he will behold a people who deny and a party who affirm. Each faction holdeth fast to what is in its own hand, and denieth what another hath established by its own proofs and evidences. What then shall the poor seeker do, and how shall he swim in this perilous sea?

It behoveth us, therefore, to lay hold of that which the generality of the people have agreed to be authentic—that is, the well-known Book of God—and to accept from the transmitted traditions only such as are in harmony therewith. Were I to expound this theme at length, the discourse would be unduly prolonged and we should be led far from the goal. I shall therefore but append, to the close of each section, such allusions as the occasion requireth and the explanation demandeth—albeit the tongue is restrained from full utterance by reason of the multitude of objectors and oppressors. Wisdom requireth naught but that every possessor of a right be given his due, and this in accordance with the receptivity of souls, the exigencies of circumstances, the suitability of the time, and the harmony of place and dwellers therein.

How, then, can limitation be imposed upon His acts and attributes after the unity of His Essence hath been confessed? Hath He not revealed in His perspicuous Book: “My covenant shall not reach the wrong-doers”? And again: “Thou bringest forth the living out of the dead, and Thou bringest forth the dead out of the living.” Can there be any restriction to the effusion of the All-Bounteous, or any limit to the outpourings of His mercy? “He chooseth for His mercy whomsoever He willeth, and none shall question that which He willeth.” And again: “Thou seest no flaw in the creation of the All-Merciful. Repeat the gaze: seest thou any fissure?”

Notwithstanding all this, the people, even of old, turned aside and cavilled at the rising of the Sun of Prophethood and the shining forth of the light of knowledge and wisdom upon Him—blessings and salutations rest upon Him—for they were expecting His manifestation in their midst according to their fancies, whereas He appeared from a quarter which they had never conceived. Wherefore He said—and His word is truth: “God knoweth best where to place His Message.”

Let us return unto what was aforetime mentioned, and say: should anyone desire to recognize the Promised One and apprehend His manifestation in the realm of being, unto what saying shall he hold, by what matter shall he cling, with what word shall he be satisfied, and by what remembrance shall his heart be at peace? The Christians expect His appearance and descent from heaven upon the clouds with great power and glory. The Jews await His manifestation from the lineage of David, His sitting upon the throne, and the promulgation of the ordinances of the Torah in both East and West. The people of Islam, for their part, look for One to arise from among the house of Hashim, albeit they differ in their views, as is evident unto thine eminence: among them are those who believe that He hath gone into occultation and will appear in the world; others await His very birth; some say that He shall be of the Arabs, and some aver that He will be of the Persians and not of the Arabs.

And since thine eminence is fully apprised of the details, there is no need to prolong the discourse. How then shall the seeker be satisfied, and by which of all these diverging claims shall the eager one lay hold, save by forsaking the branching streams and returning unto the primal, ever-abiding River? For if a man of understanding turn but for a while unto the root, he will not be estranged, by these manifold differences, from the original Reality.

Consider, with the eye of discernment and certitude, these matters that have been mentioned and these stories that are current among men. Is it possible that the Orb of everlasting Being should dawn according to such opinions, mutually opposed and utterly at variance? Nay, He, exalted be He, is assuredly powerful to do what He willeth, and none shall question that which He desireth; yet nevertheless doth wisdom require that events should come to pass in accordance with the exigencies of circumstances and conditions. Hath He not said: “Had We made him an angel, We had surely made him a man, and thus confused for them what they themselves confuse?” And in another station: “We have sent no Messenger save with the tongue of his people.”

If, then, we lay aside the outer husks and hold fast unto the inner realities, all difference shall vanish and unity be made manifest. Was it not, through the rising of the Sun of Muhammad from the horizon of Prophethood, that the proof of God was perfected for all these differing nations? For all these sects, despite their divergences and variety of thoughts, were existent in those days. If we say that the proof was not fulfilled in their case, how can their unbelief be condemned? And if we affirm the contrary, they will protest against us and repudiate our belief, since they saw not His appearance, upon Him be prayers and peace, in a manner consonant with their own conceptions; for this cause they denied Him in those days and continue to deny Him still.

Yet in truth, because they understood not the symbols and failed to grasp the realities, they interpreted all that had been mentioned aforetime according to their own fancies and imaginings, and awaited the rising of the Sun of Prophethood in conformity with their own idle suppositions. For this reason were they veiled and held back. Had they but taken hold of the meanings and abandoned the mere words, they would neither have differed concerning the matter nor been heedless of the Truth.

Section 2: “We therefore say: it is inevitable…”

We therefore say: it is inevitable that the proof be completed and the favour perfected; and that He—upon Him be the most excellent blessings and peace—did in very truth appear in a manner that fulfilled the promises cherished by the divers communities, but on condition that the gaze be turned unto the reality itself and the eyes be closed to the differences of words. Hath He not said: “We make no distinction between any of His Messengers”? And did not the Prophet—upon Him be prayers and peace—declare: “As for the bricks, I am that brick”? How can this be interpreted outwardly, in view of the multiplicity of persons, the remoteness of times one from another, and the diversity of tongues? How can bodies be made one, and shall a man of insight and discernment acquiesce in such a thing in this station? This can in no wise be concealed from them that are endued with knowledge.

But if we abandon metaphor and lay hold upon the essence of the truth, we shall behold them as one Light, shining in the realm of being and proclaiming the unity of the loving King and the greatness of the All-Praised, the Glorified. Exalted are Their stations above the reach of human expression; hallowed is Their effacement from any limitation whatsoever. The minds of men can never fathom Their true reality, nor can the setting of Their Sun be conceived. Glory be to Him Who hath brought Them into being and manifested Them in the realm of existence. He, verily, is the Victorious, the Powerful, the Almighty, the All-Merciful.

O thou eminent savant! Verily He, exalted be He, hath created man for the knowledge of Him and for entrance beneath the shadow of His mercy. He hath conveyed unto him His outpourings through the Manifestations of His Cause, the Dawning-Places of His Revelation, the Sources of His bounties and the Recipients of His inspirations. He hath conferred upon the creation sight and insight that they may behold Them, recognize Them, make Them the means of approach unto Him, and, through knowing Them, enter the gardens of His knowledge and the Paradise of His grace and loving-kindness.

And when some souls, by reason of their failure to attain unto the heights of knowledge and to be illumined by the light of realities, were unable to apprehend, He vouchsafed unto them a proof from His presence and an evidence from His side, in the tongue of the people and according to the demands of the age, in such wise that they stood powerless to produce the like thereof. Thus were They shown to be the mines of potency and power and the sources of knowledge and wisdom. Yet inasmuch as the time of the appearance of outward miracles passeth away and the possibility of repeating them is cut off, He, the True One—exalted is His mention—hath spoken, and His word is truth:

“Had We sent down unto thee a Book inscribed on parchment, and they had touched it with their hands, the unbelievers would still have said: This is naught but manifest sorcery.’ And they say: Why hath an angel not been sent down unto him?’ Had We sent down an angel, the matter would indeed have been decreed and they would have been granted no respite. And had We made him an angel, We had assuredly made him a man, and thus confounded for them what they themselves confound.”

And in the Surih of Hud He saith: “Perchance thou wilt omit somewhat of what is revealed unto thee, and be straitened thereby in thy breast, because they say: Why hath not a treasure been sent down unto him, or an angel come with him?’ Thou art but a warner, and God is Guardian over all things. Or do they say: He hath forged it’? Say: ʿBring then ten Surihs like unto it, forged, and call whomsoever ye can besides God, if ye be truthful. And if they answer you not, know then that it hath been sent down with the knowledge of God, and that there is no God but He. Will ye then submit?”’

And in the Surih of the Children of Israel He proclaimeth: “Say: If men and jinn should band themselves together to produce the like of this Qur’an, they could not produce the like thereof, though they should back one another with all their strength. Verily We have set forth for men, in this Qur’an, every kind of parable, yet most men refuse aught but disbelief. And they say: We will by no means believe in thee until thou cause a spring to gush forth from the ground for us, or thou have a garden of date-palms and vines, and cause rivers to flow abundantly in the midst thereof, or thou cause the heaven to fall upon us in pieces, as thou hast claimed, or bring God and the angels before us face to face, or thou have a house adorned with gold, or thou ascend up into heaven; and even then will we not believe in thy ascension until thou send down unto us a book that we can read.’ Say: Glorified be my Lord!

Am I aught but a man, a Messenger?’ Naught hath kept men back from believing, when guidance came unto them, but that they said: Hath God sent a man as a Messenger?’ Say: Had there been angels walking at ease on earth, We would surely have sent down unto them from heaven an angel as a Messenger.”’

And in the Surih of al-A’raf He saith: “They will ask thee concerning the Hour: When shall it be fixed?’ Say: The knowledge of it is with my Lord alone. None shall reveal it at its appointed time but He. Grievous is it in the heavens and on earth. It shall not come upon you but suddenly.’ They will ask thee as though thou wert familiar therewith. Say: The knowledge of it is with God alone, but most men know not.’ Say: I have no power over mine own benefit or hurt save as God willeth. Had I known the unseen, I should have multiplied good unto myself and no evil would have touched me. I am but a warner and a bearer of glad-tidings unto a people that believe.”’

O thou distinguished and noble one! Ponder upon these lucid verses. Do they establish that which the people claim, or do they confirm that which we are seeking to set forth? Undoubtedly, the appearance of signs and evidences is one of the prerogatives of the divine Manifestations; verily They are the Dawning-Places of power and might, the embodiments of knowledge and wisdom. Yet whenever the people sought to bring forth some marvel, desired to fathom some hidden mystery, and made the fulfilment of their desires the very proof of His Mission, they were answered by verses such as these.

Hath He not said: “They will ask thee concerning the spirit. Say: The spirit proceedeth at My Lord’s command.”’ And again: “They ask thee concerning the new moons. Say: They are appointed times for men.”’ It behoveth us to reflect upon such verses, to apprehend their realities and the purpose of their revelation. For what reason did none of those things which the people demanded come to pass? Rather, in every station, God made His noble Qur’an the proof from His presence unto all the peoples, and for those bygone generations it became a conclusive testimony and a sure guidance. Shall we today cling to the very objections which the people of old advanced? Hath He not declared: “This is the way of God that hath been beforetime; thou shalt not find any change in the way of God”?

O thou virtuous one! In this blessed Day it behoveth thee to abandon these limitations and fly, with the wings of divine unity and detachment, in the atmosphere of holiness that is exalted above all defining. Then shall the stars of oneness and singleness shine forth upon the firmament of thy heart.

Inasmuch as I behold objections from them that shut their eyes, and aversion on the part of the heedless from this manifest station, I have confined myself, in answering thee, to allusions wherefrom the perfect knower may apprehend the gems of exposition and the subtleties of elucidation. And since thine eminence is of the people of understanding and the lords of reason, I have been content with hints enshrined within the repository of words.

Moreover, if we are to accept some of the traditions and believe in certain stations, shall we thereupon affirm what befell in former times, yet deny what we witness in these days, despite the presence of transmitters and eye-witnesses? Whoso looketh with keen vision upon the Scriptures will find them replete with true promises: some of these have been fulfilled in our own day, as this community beareth witness; others have not yet come to pass, and we await their fulfilment. If it be said, “No weight can be attached to the testimony of this people and their transmitters”, we ask: have ye any proof that outstrips this? Do the Christians accept what the Muslims have claimed? Do the Jews admit what the Christians assert? Nay, such matters have no standing in this station that we should base the proof thereon. For he who is the Source of revelation and inspiration and the Manifestation of the tokens of divine unity among men is verily able, by the command of our Lord, the All-Knowing, the All-Informing, to achieve whatsoever He willeth.

Yet we must not adduce such matters as these for the establishment of the Manifestation. His very proof is His verses, and His very existence is His evidence. He hath said—and His word is truth: “Extinguish the lamp, for the morn hath broken.” This Cause hath now exalted its fame and the radiance of its light hath encompassed the horizons. The tokens of power have compassed the world, and the people of certitude have faithfully observed the Covenant. Let the people reflect upon the constancy and firmness displayed by this community in the days of adversity and hardship, amidst the cruelty of the wicked and the tyranny of rulers. Hath He not said: “Then wish for death, if ye be truthful”? Is not what hath been manifested by these souls sufficient in this station? Whoever is unaware of the events that befell them should refer to the records and acquaint himself with what they have suffered, and then judge with fairness concerning them.

O thou noble and dearly-loved friend! Wert thou to endeavour to read all that hath flowed from the Pen of the Source of the Cause, thou wouldst find thyself wholly unable. The swiftest scribes are powerless to record it and the readers incapable of perusing it. Within it are such mighty signs as would suffice for whole centuries; such realities and meanings as the learned ones fail to compass; such wisdom and exposition as would quicken the dead. What do we seek from Truth but the realities of things? He it is Who is the Possessor of the Point of knowledge; and knowledge is but a single point which the ignorant have multiplied.

Were it not for consideration for the time, the exigencies of the place and its people, I would have expatiated in this station and prolonged the discourse. But I content myself with the perspicacity of thine eminence, the keenness of thine insight and the original purity of thy nature. Reflect upon the existing Writings and the rapidity of their outpouring—such that the swiftest writer is incapable of setting them down—while He Who revealed them never entered a school, frequented no academy, acquired no science, and sat not as a learner before any teacher. Consider, with an attentive gaze, those who claim knowledge and understanding and who in these days hold fast the reins of the people. Are they able, with such swiftness, to compose even a portion of such discourse? And how could numerous volumes, replete with eloquence and fluency, exhortation and counsel, novel meanings and wondrous wisdom, interpretation of verses and elucidation of obscurities, be thus revealed?

Consider also this company and what hath appeared from the steadfast. They have witnessed such sufferings as no eyes have beheld; they have borne such calamities as none can number. Yet naught hath increased in them but certitude and firmness. Have they attained unto this station without beholding the proofs of their Lord, the All-Knowing, the All-Informing? Would any sane mind attribute madness unto them? Nay, by our Lord, the Almighty, the Self-Subsisting! Such a thing is inconceivable of a great multitude among whom are men of learning and insight, of distinction and gnosis, of wisdom and refinement. They have renounced their leadership, their wealth, their honour, their prosperity and their ease. Some have laid down their lives in the path of the All-Merciful, attaining unto the spirit and the fragrance of reunion; others have forsaken their homelands to exalt the mention of their Lord, the All-Bountiful. Their remembrance hath filled the lands, and all peoples have acknowledged their constancy.

O my beloved! How long wilt thou remain in the depths of obscurity and the darkness of decline? It behoveth thee to arise from thy place, for the Sun of meanings hath shone forth with the lights of wisdom and exposition, and its effulgences have encompassed all existence. Where are the people of search, that they may apprehend the hidden mystery and grasp the treasured symbol? “Each party rejoiceth in what it possesseth.” Verily we are God’s, and unto Him shall we return. From thee and such as thou is required steadfastness and fidelity in exalting the mention of the Cause amongst mankind; from thy Lord cometh succour and confirmation; and from this community, after reliance upon the All-Forgiving, cooperation and assistance in all matters.

O God, Thou Creator of nations, Thou Conqueror by Thy Most Great Name! I beseech Thee by the pre-existence of Thy Essence and the sanctity of Thy names and attributes to stir, through Thy overpowering might and Thy subduing power, the lofty hearts of Thy servants, that they may recognize Thy Cause, which is hallowed above all limitation and exalted above the fancies and idle imaginings of men; that they may arise to that whereby their stations in Thy kingdom and dominion will be uplifted, and their mention in the realms of command and creation be exalted, through Thy Name, O my Lord.

Shouldst Thou abandon Thy creatures to their imaginings, they will never be able to rend asunder the Greatest Veil or turn themselves toward the Most Luminous Horizon; for the veils of idle fancy have shrouded their hearts throughout the passage of days. I entreat Thee to assist them to attain unto the knowledge of Thee and to sever themselves from all that is in the realm of contingency, that they may enter beneath the canopy of Thy mercy, O our God, the Almighty, the All-Merciful.

Grant, O Lord, that Thy servants who are learned may, in their writings and utterances, lay hold upon justice, that they may discern what Thou hast willed for them in the appearances of Thy Manifestations in the realms of Thy dominion; that they may guide the seekers unto the gardens of Thy knowledge and wisdom; that they may be empowered to direct the wayfarers and those endowed with capacity unto the river of Thy mercy. I bear witness that Thou art the Possessor of the reins of bounty and the Judge in equity. Thou bestowest upon whomsoever Thou wilt whatsoever Thou desirest. Verily, Thou art the All-Powerful, the Most Exalted, the Mighty, the Peerless. Praise be unto Thee, O God of the worlds, Desire of them that know, and Hope of the sincere!

BH00199: I have attained thy letter which was adorned…

Section 1: “In the Name of God, the Most Holy…”

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

I have attained thy letter which was adorned with the mention of the Desired One and embellished with praise of the Beloved of the worlds. Blessed art thou for having turned unto the Qiblih of all peoples, and set thy face toward the countenance of thy Lord, and art numbered among those who have attained. The letter which thou didst address to this servant, this humble one, brought joy to this evanescent servant’s heart. We beseech God to aid thee to love Him and to gain His good-pleasure, and to make thee among those who are steadfast in His Cause in such wise as to be detached from all the worlds.

As for thy request that thou be mentioned in the Most Holy and Most Glorious Presence, and thy seeking of forgiveness—this servant presented himself before His countenance and made his petition. Then did the sun of grace and forgiveness dawn forth from the horizon of revelation in such wise that this poor servant is powerless to describe it. And as for what thou didst desire regarding the meeting, this is what hath been revealed from the Dayspring of utterance—exalted be His glory:

“We beseech God to ordain for him what he desireth and to strengthen him to remain steadfast in this Cause whereby the mountains have been scattered, and to write down for him that which shall solace his eyes and gladden his heart and bring tranquility to the hearts of them that know.”

Regarding thy question about spiritual condition—most of those who make claims in these days have been and will continue to be merely people of words rather than of true spiritual state. All matters are held within the grasp of divine power, confined and limited. Whosoever moveth contrary to His good-pleasure is counted among the people of words, even should he be immersed in the ocean of spiritual state and sailing upon the depths of silence and quietude. And whosoever turneth unto the Truth and obeyeth His commandments is remembered as being among the people of spiritual state in both beginning and end.

The spiritual state that is beloved in the sight of God today is the acknowledgment of His unity, the recognition of His oneness, the sanctification of His Being from any likeness, the elevation of His Self above all similarity, the carrying out of what He hath commanded in His Book, and the avoidance of carnal desires, deceptive allusions, and conjectural, imaginary interpretations.

This is not the day of interpretation [ta’wil], for the winds of explicit declaration are blowing. O my beloved! Most have taken God’s Cause as a plaything and considered it as children’s sport. They have turned away from His commandments and accepted His prohibitions, yet still count themselves as accepted and consider themselves to be of the Truth before all people. God is sanctified above what they have said. Ears were created to hearken unto God’s commandments, not for rejected, imaginary suppositions. As thou hast observed, certain souls in the past were deprived of the divine law and abandoned the decree of the Book, yet still counted themselves among the people of inner meaning. We testify that they found neither the fragrance of the inner nor the outer meaning, but wandered in the wilderness of suppositions and idle fancies—verily, they are among the most lost!

Today the people of spiritual state are those souls who have been attracted by the sweetness of the divine Word in such wise that all who dwell on earth cannot prevent them from turning to the countenance of the Ancient of Days, and they are assured of and act upon what hath been revealed in the Book. This is the station of the people of spiritual state, and whosoever is otherwise hath been and shall remain among the people of mere words.

And as to what you had written—what the intention of God in the expressions “man yazhar” and “u yazhar” [transliterations uncertain] might be—no such wording is found in the Bayan. Rather the expressions are “man zahara” and “man yazhara”: man zahara, the one who appeared in the year sixty, who gave glad tidings to mankind of man yazhara, the one who hath appeared at the Pole of the world and who calleth the nations unto God, the Sovereign, the Self-Subsisting. All that was revealed in the Bayan was intended for this Most Great Manifestation, as attested by what was revealed therein and in the Tablets of God, the Mighty, the Generous.

As to your question about God’s favors and wrath toward His servants—we seek refuge in God from His wrath and anger—this is very clear and evident. “Turn not unto those with whom God is wroth.” The signs of divine wrath are visible in those people who act contrary to His good-pleasure and wander in the wilderness of error. And God’s good-pleasure is not imaginary—one who acts in accordance with what the All-Merciful has ordained in the Tablets has attained His good-pleasure and walks the path of His contentment. Blessed is he and those like him. Such heedless, deluded souls are tormented in all divine worlds, and these souls have chosen wrath for themselves unknowingly. Otherwise, His mercy has preceded all things.

Observe that in the Most Holy Court there has been and will be naught but mercy. Then when a Command shines forth from the Dawning-Place of Command, whoever turns toward it and acts according to what God has willed is numbered among the people of mercy. And for one who remains remote and deprived, this same divine Word which was pure mercy becomes pure wrath in regard to the one who turns away. Some manifestations of this wrath appear in the turning away of the soul in this visible world, but all of it appears after the ascension of the spirit. We seek refuge in God and turn unto Him. Verily He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.

Likewise consider God’s favors which today shine forth from the horizon of loving-kindness. For instance, when He mentions someone favorably in one of the Tablets, that very thing becomes the cause of the perpetuation of that person’s remembrance in the world of remembrance and his spirit in the world of spirits. By Him Who made me His servant! Were I to describe for you this most mighty, most exalted station, its description could not be completed by pen and ink. Your Lord, the Possessor of all creation, bears witness to this. Blessed is the soul that has attained His favors and preferred His commandments over the imaginings of all else.

We beseech God to grant us steadfastness in His love and detachment from all the worlds. Verily He is the Answerer of prayers and the Most Merciful of the merciful.

And as to what you asked about Divine Unity [tawhid], this station has been elaborately explained in numerous tablets from the Divine Authoritative Pen, sufficient for all the peoples of the world. You should endeavor to collect, as much as possible, the Persian and Arabic books that have been revealed from the Divine Source in this Most Great Revelation. There remains no knowledge except that which has been mentioned in the tablets of my Lord and your Lord, and no station except that which has been detailed therein. In one of the Persian tablets He says, exalted be His glory and sublime be His praise: The purpose of Divine Unity is not to consider two as one, rather its purpose is to consider the One as sanctified above all, for He is not associated with His creation nor is He known through any other than Himself.

And one should observe the lights of His manifestations in all things, that is, to see all things sustained by Him and dependent upon Him. This is the station wherein He says “God was, and there was nothing else besides Him.” He has ever been, in the heights of inaccessibility and in the summit of exaltation, sanctified above all things and ever shall be. Some who count themselves among the people of Divine Unity are walking on the shore of idolatry and wandering in the wilderness of multiplicity, yet they do not perceive it. In another place He says, exalted be His remembrance: “Through My Name were raised the banners of Divine Unity and were planted the standards of detachment” to the end of His holy utterance, exalted be His remembrance.

And these stations depend upon acceptance of the Truth, for if a person should practice Divine Unity his entire life, yet if from the Pen of the Cause a word of negation is revealed concerning him, he would be counted among the people of misbelief. As you observe, most nations today utter the blessed words “There is no God but God,” yet in the sight of God they were not and will not be considered among the people of Divine Unity, as the Supreme Pen has testified in most tablets to the misbelief of those souls. Today it is incumbent upon the one who turns to God not to look to what he or others possess. He must purify his ears from all that the people possess to hear the divine utterances, that he might attain to what God has intended. In brief, whosoever is accepted today is counted among the people of Divine Unity, and without this he is deprived and forbidden.

Were this servant to mention all that has been revealed from the heaven of the divine will regarding these stations, a book would have to be composed, and these times do not permit such undertakings. We beseech God to assist you in His service, His praise and His remembrance. Verily, He is the Protector of those who remember Him.

Regarding your question about the state of one who claims that these pilgrims to the Ka’bah of the Divine Purpose go as Muslims and return as infidels, or who interprets this, or claims “I am a certain person”—I call God, His angels, His Messengers, His Prophets, His chosen ones, the denizens of His realms of glory, and the bearers of His throne to witness that such words proceed only from those who wander in the wilderness of heedlessness and pride, and who tread the paths of wickedness and evil.

By Him Who illumined the dawn of utterance with the lights of His countenance and brightened the horizon of certitude with the manifestations of His presence—were anyone to recognize the excellence of these days and become aware of that which is hidden from mankind, he would surely kiss the feet of one who has turned toward the Court of the Divine Purpose, would prefer the dust of his footsteps to all he possesses, would honor and magnify him, would stand before him in humility, would be submissive to his deeds, would not raise his voice above his voice, and would not speak in his presence without his consent. For the seeing sage and the informed mystic perceives in one who has sought the Intended One and turned toward the face of the Beloved naught but the love of God and the manifestation of His grace, the affection of God and the expressions of His favors.

Whoso is deprived of this most mighty, most impregnable station is indeed blind, by the Lord of the Hereafter and of the former times. Such a one cannot be counted among humans; nay, the beasts are superior to him. To this testifies everyone who has turned his gaze from human limitations toward the most pure horizon, this greatest of vistas wherein the Lord of destiny proclaims in the most exalted call between earth and heaven: “There is no God but Him, the Almighty, the Self-Subsisting.”

This is the station of travelers who have emigrated for the sake of God, who have turned toward the Beloved by God’s leave, and who move by God’s good pleasure. This is the station of the sincere emigrant and the agreeable traveler. If one truly has the love of God in his heart, he will see himself as utterly effaced before those souls who have returned from the presence of the Beloved after attaining to the Ka’bah of the Divine Purpose, even though outwardly these pilgrims may be deprived of apparent knowledge. For today nothing is required save divine love and following His commandments, as mentioned.

Section 2: “These words are not specifically about all pilgrims…”

These words are not specifically about all pilgrims—this station belongs to those pilgrims who have entered the pavilion of certitude and truly attained to the love of God. Consider earthly lovers: if someone comes from their beloved’s presence, even with a disapproving countenance, the lovers welcome him and show him the utmost kindness. This is the station of earthly lovers, as mentioned. Now observe the lovers of the Countenance of the All-Merciful—those who have truly drunk from this cup and attained this everlasting draught. They surely show perfect humility before those who seek the Ka’bah of the Lord of the worlds. These are the companions of glory in the Tablet of eternity, as attested by His Most Exalted Pen. In brief, the people of insight behold in the pilgrims the signs of their Intended One and are humble and submissive before these signs. Blessed is he who in His days has attained the fragrance of God and has preferred Him above all else.

And as to the matter of interpretation [ta’wil] and prophetic claims, even as thou didst write:

“None knoweth the interpretation of the Bayan of God save His own Self, Who holdeth sway over all things, and those who have attained unto the lights of meanings and utterance from Him; these know according to their degree and measure.”

Thus hath the All-Merciful ordained; yet most of the people understand not. This much, however, is clear and well established: whatsoever is the Divine intent in the Tablets is outwardly, manifestly, plain and evident; and no one hath been, nor shall ever be, commissioned to interpret the words of God. We bear witness that the interpreters in this Day are none other than the people of vain imaginings. We beseech God that we may hold fast unto the cord of explicit utterance, and tread with the utmost steadfastness the path of His good-pleasure.

And as to the matter of prophetic claims: on this theme diverse utterances have streamed from the Pen of the Divine Will. Yet this servant will mention one of the sayings of the All-Merciful, revealed in the Persian tongue, that no room may remain for any soul to indulge in interpretation or advance a claim, and that the world may become apprised of that which is pure and unmistakable declaration. Exalted be His glory! He saith:

“Many are the deluded, and each hath become afflicted with some vain conceit. We forbade the people from that which is imagined, that they might hold fast unto the Sovereign Who is manifest. Yet some have clung unto and fastened themselves upon their own selfish fancies. In the wilderness of illusion they wander, and have accounted themselves among the people of unveiling; in the desolation of heedlessness they walk, and have reckoned themselves the champions of the arenas of vision. By My life! They are indeed of the deluded; they are indeed of the distracted; they are indeed of the heedless; they are indeed of the abased. And that which mere children have understood, unto that have they not yet attained. For every child knoweth this much: that if with each passing day a new Manifestation were to appear, the Cause of God and the ordinances of the Lord would remain, amongst mankind, suspended, obstructed, and deprived of effect.”

Say: O people! If passion has barred you from the Dawning-Place of guidance, at least do not transgress the bounds of fairness. If one were to show the slightest fairness, they would never utter a word that would cause division among the people and discord among the loved ones. Rather, they would strive with all their might and power to exalt the Most Great Name with penetrating effort and lofty endeavor. By My life! They are asleep, and were you to behold them with My eyes, you would find them among the dead.

At the time of Our migration from Iraq, We informed most of the servants about what had appeared and would appear, such that were the revealed Tablets to be read, all would testify to what hath flowed in this Tablet from the truthful, trustworthy Pen. Say: O people! If ye desire the water of life, by God it hath indeed flowed in His name, the Most High, the Most Glorious. Blessed are they who drink thereof! And if ye desire power, lo, it hath dawned from My horizon—exalted be your Lord, the Lord of all worlds! If ye desire the verses, they have indeed filled the horizons—fear ye God and be not among the deluded ones! If ye desire clear proofs, they have appeared in their essence and have shone forth each day from this manifest horizon.

Say: Draw ye the servants through this Name whereby the Cry hath been raised, the Hour hath come to pass, earthquakes have seized all the tribes, the heaven hath been cleft asunder, the earth hath been split, the mountains have been scattered, and that which was sent down in the Tablets of God, the Almighty, the Sovereign, the Mighty, the Great, hath appeared. Whoso claimeth a station, attraction, rapture or yearning without this Name, he is among the most lost, even should he utter all expressions, cause rivers to gush forth from rocks, subjugate the winds, and cause the clouds to rain. Thus have We sent down the Command on this blessed night wherein the Tongue of Grandeur speaketh through His Most Great Name, and the Kawthar of utterance hath flowed from the Kawthar of thy Lord’s mouth, the All-Merciful. When thou hast attained, arise, then lift up thy hands and say: Praise be to Thee, O God of all who are in the heavens and the earth.

As the Pen of the Ancient of Days and the Most Great Name now declares: should anyone appear with all the signs before the completion of a full thousand years—each year comprising twelve months according to what was revealed in the Furqan, and nineteen months according to what was revealed in the Bayan, with each month being nineteen days—you must never believe them. In one of the Tablets it is revealed:

“Whosoever lays claim to a Cause before the completion of a full thousand years is verily a lying impostor. We beseech God that He might graciously help him to retract and repent. Should he repent, God will surely turn unto him. If he persists in his claim, God will assuredly send one who will deal mercilessly with him. Verily God is severe in punishing!”

For the harm of such souls returns to the Divine Tree itself and has been and will be the cause of dissension, disputation, strife, the wavering of weak hearts, and the instability of the Cause among the people. We beseech God to make them aware of their own selves and aid them in what He desires. Verily thy Lord is the All-Forgiving, the All-Merciful.

Say: Deem not the Cause of God as a plaything, O ye who possess understanding. Be not content with the bitter sea when the sweet and flowing waters are surging. Ponder upon the divine utterances and gaze upon them with penetrating vision, that perchance ye may attain unto a drop from the oceans of inner meanings that lie concealed within the Bayan, and in this spiritual dawn deprive not yourselves and the servants of God from the wafting breezes of the divine garment. By the Essence of the Ancient of Days! Baha weeps over you and laments for you, and desires naught for Himself, and has endured the harm of all who are on earth for your deliverance, salvation, and turning unto God, the Mighty, the All-Praiseworthy.

This servant hopes that through the bounty of the All-Merciful, all may reach the shore of certitude in such wise that they may see themselves as utter nothingness and witness God as the Everlasting, the Eternal, and the Self-Subsisting over all. God willing, your honor must at all times be engaged in serving the Truth, that is, guiding heedless souls and, through goodly remembrances and wondrous utterances, drawing veiled souls to the direction of divine unity. Conflict and contention have never been and will never be praiseworthy. If heedless souls become aware through words of counsel, then excellent is the aim; otherwise, avoidance of such souls is necessary and obligatory. In this Revelation, reprehensible deeds and ego-driven conditions have never been and will never be acceptable. Surely you have heard how some of the people of the Bayan and their false leaders were immersed in the sea of passion and held fast to and practiced reprehensible deeds, but in this Most Great Revelation such things have never been countenanced—all have been explicitly forbidden. Blessed is he who acts according to what has been commanded by the Truth and abstains from what the people practice.

O beloved! Arise to assist the Cause of God with such steadfastness as may lead to the firmness of souls. Convey my greetings to each and every one of the loved ones in that land. Sublime tablets have been revealed for them from the heaven of the All-Merciful’s Will and shall, God willing, be sent later. That which is essential today and takes precedence over all deeds has been and shall ever be steadfastness. Consider how two souls, each among the most heedless and wicked of men, went to Gilan and what mischief they caused. One claimed “I am the Most Great Branch,” and those souls who were in that land immediately accepted him. The other claimed truth for himself, and him too they accepted.

Loss be upon the seeker and the sought! Though later the falsehood of both was made clear to them and they returned to the truth, from the beginning they should not have paid heed to such souls. Rather, through the power of faith and the strength of the love of the All-Merciful, they should have arisen to discipline those two souls. The cause of these matters has been the vain imaginings of some. Each day a call is raised, and from every corner a calf appears, and the people, weak and inconstant, no sooner hear the lowing of the calf than some, unaware, fall down in worship before it.

Your chief concern must be to make the loved ones in that place steadfast in the Cause of God, in such wise that they regard all else as non-existent. Consider the time of Moses: after He repaired to Mount Sinai to receive divine ordinances and heavenly commands, and when thirty had become forty complete days, He returned to find many people turned away and deprived of the truth by the lowing of a calf. He said:

“O My people! For years I dwelt among you with divine verses, heavenly proofs, manifestations of power and expressions of oneness, calling you to the truth, yet you have still not fully turned to the lights of the Ancient Countenance. How is it that by the mere lowing of a calf you have become worshippers and adorers?”

O brother! Bewilderment upon bewilderment! To the extent possible, you and the honored ones dwelling in that land must strive that all may drink from the wine of steadfastness and remain firm and immovable as a mountain in the Cause of God. We beseech God to protect them, to aid them, and to send down for them that which will make their remembrance endure among all remembrances, their spirits among all spirits, and their bodies among all bodies. Verily, He is the Protector of whosoever turns to Him and the Answerer of whosoever calls upon Him. He doeth what He willeth through His sovereignty. There is none other God but Him, the Forgiving, the Generous.

BH00262: By God, O Ismi Jim! Thy letter hath been…

Section 1: “By God, O Ismi Jim! Thy letter hath…”

He is the Compassionate, the All-Loving, the Forgiving, the Merciful!

By God, O Ismi Jim! Thy letter hath been read before the Throne, and from it I perceived the fragrance of thy love for God. To this My Most Exalted Pen beareth witness on this night wherein the Ancient Beauty speaketh that which hath diffused the sweet savors of life throughout all worlds. When thou attainest unto this, arise and say: “Praise be unto Thee, O God of all worlds!”

O Ismi Mim! Hearken unto the call from the precincts of the Prison. By My life! My tongue beareth witness to thy love for God and thy turning towards Him. Be thou assured through thy Lord’s grace and say: “Praise be unto Thee, O Beloved of all worlds!”

O Ismi Alif! The Alif of creation testifieth that thou art the one who hath heard the call and turned towards the Supreme Horizon, who hath held fast unto that which is good and remained steadfast in the love of thy Lord when every mighty and trusted one was shaken.

O Ismi Lam! Thy Lord, the All-Knowing, calleth thee from His Most Great Throne and beareth witness unto that which shall gladden thine eyes and rejoice thy heart, and the fragrance of loving-kindness embraceth all, both young and old. Grieve not over anything, for verily He heareth and seeth, and will send down unto thee that which shall gladden the hearts of them that know. By My life! Wert thou to inhale the fragrances of these verses, thou wouldst soar with longing and cry out within thy house:

“Thine is the bounty, O Thou in Whose grasp is the kingdom of the heavens and earth!”

We created thee and nurtured thee and caused thee to hear and showed thee My gracious countenance.

O Ismi Jamal! Upon thee be the glory of God, now and in times past and times to come. Thou art he who hath held fast unto the Most Great Name and hath borne tribulations in the love of God, the Lord of all worlds. We were with thee when thou didst enter the prison, and there were with thee a numbered company. Verily thy Lord is the All-Seeing, the All-Informed.

Make mention of him who was named Ali-Akbar (the honored Haji Mirza Ali-Akbar who ascended in the prison). He is among those who fulfilled God’s Covenant and Testament and was martyred in My straight Path. We make mention of him at this hour and say: Upon thee be the glory of God and the glory of those in the Supreme Concourse and the glory of those who have attained unto this wondrous Cause. O ʿAli-Akbar! Thou hast entered the tomb while the Beloved of the world maketh mention of thee from this exalted station. Thou art he who turned thy face unto thy Lord’s countenance and traversed land and sea until thou didst reach the shore of the Sea, each drop whereof proclaimeth:

“The appointed time is fulfilled and the All-Merciful hath come with manifest sovereignty.”

Thou didst turn to the horizon of Revelation and didst stand before the Gate, and didst attain unto the lights of the countenance and didst hear the call of God, the Supreme, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy. Thou wert in the precincts of His mercy for numbered days, then by His leave didst return and enter the prison in His love. Verily thy Lord is the Witness, the All-Hearing.

Blessed is he who remembereth him after him with that which the Supreme Pen hath uttered in this exalted station. We testify that he is among those who gave up their spirits in the love of their Lord on a day when the feet of the mystics did slip. We make mention of him and those who are with thee that all may witness God’s grace and mercy. He is verily the Bestower, the Forgiving, the Generous. Then We give thee yet another glad-tiding. Verily thy Lord is the Bearer of Glad-Tidings, the All-Informed. We have forgiven thy brother who hath ascended unto God, and We testify that he is among those who turned unto the Supreme Horizon and reached the ultimate goal. All this is of My grace unto thee, that thou mayest be of the thankful. He is in the Most Sublime Horizon—to this the tongue of My grandeur beareth witness in this luminous station.

We make mention in this station of him who was named ʿAli-Naqi, that his remembrance may endure through the everlasting Name of God, the Sovereign, the Mighty, the Most Powerful, the All-Praised. O Most Exalted Pen! Make mention of him with joy and fragrance, then bear witness unto him as the All-Merciful hath borne witness. Verily thy Lord is the All-Knowing, the Trustworthy. Say: Blessed art thou, O thou who hast ascended to the Most Exalted Companion and hast turned towards the Most Resplendent Station. I testify that thou didst hear the Call, didst respond, didst believe, and wast among the triumphant. Thou art he whom the affairs of creation did not prevent from the Truth. Thou didst arise to make mention and offer praise amidst the concourse of creation, and didst turn thy face toward the Face of God, shining from this luminous horizon. Blessed are they who have attained unto this station, and joy be to all who have turned unto God, the Mighty, the Beautiful.

We further make mention of him who was named ʿAndalib, who soared in the atmosphere of the love of the All-Merciful and attained unto the revelation of God in His wondrous Day. We make mention of him with the most excellent remembrance and send unto him the fragrances of verses from this Station wherein the Tongue of Grandeur proclaimeth: The Kingdom belongeth unto God, the Mighty, the Inaccessible. The Ancient Beauty addresseth him, saying: Upon thee be the praise of God, O thou who didst speak in remembrance of thy Lord, and upon thee be the glory of God, O thou who didst gaze upon the Dawning-Place of thy Lord’s grace, the All-Knowing. Thus have We remembered those who heard the Call of God, turned unto Him with their hearts, and witnessed what the All-Merciful witnessed when He was established upon His mighty throne. Joy be unto them and blessed are they in that they have, in this hour, attained unto the Kawthar of the remembrance of their Lord, the Almighty, the Omnipotent. Can the treasures of the world be compared with this bounty? Nay, by My Most Great Name! Yet most of the people are fast asleep.

Glad-tidings upon glad-tidings, in that the Countenance of the Ancient One hath turned from the direction of His Most Great Prison towards him who was named Muhammad-Ali (the honored Aqa Muhammad-Ali of Sangsar who ascended unto God), who attained unto the recognition of God, the Lord of creation. We make mention of him with the melody of God, the Lord of the Beginning and the End, with a remembrance through which the fragrance of the Divine Raiment wafteth throughout the world and the sweet scent of the All-Merciful is diffused throughout all possibility. Thou art he who turned toward the Qiblih of all horizons and believed in Him from Whom most of the servants have turned away. Blessed art thou in that thou hast attained unto the choice wine of life which the fingers of thy Lord’s bounty have proffered amongst all possibilities.

I testify that thou didst draw nigh, didst turn toward Him, didst recognize, didst take, and didst drink in the name of God, the Lord of all religions. Is there any possessor of ears who will hear the melody of God? Is there any possessor of sight who will behold the lights of the Countenance? Is there any possessor of smell who will detect the fragrance of joy that hath clung to the back of God, the Almighty, the Glorious, the Bestower? Thou art in the Most Exalted Companion, and thy Lord, the Most Glorious, seeth thee and maketh mention of thee that His mention may be a sign unto all who dwell in creation.

O Jamal! We have heard from thee that which testified to thy humility before God, thy submissiveness before His countenance, thy helplessness and supplication before God, the Almighty, the Glorious, the All-Bountiful. He verily is with thee at all times and maketh mention of thee and those who are with thee. He is the Mighty, the All-Seeing. From this most exalted Station and most sublime Spot We send Our greetings to thy family and those who are related to thee. Thy Lord is verily the All-Wise, the Unconstrained. Nothing whatsoever escapeth His knowledge. He mentioneth whomsoever He willeth with that which shall cause his remembrance to endure throughout the kingdom of God, the Lord of all beings.

O Jamal! Thy letter hath attained unto the presence of Him Who is the Lord of all names, and its answer hath been sent down from the heaven of divine Will in such wise that each word thereof beareth witness to the bounty of the Beloved of the world and His loving-kindness. Bear thou witness to this and be of them that are thankful. For each of the names mentioned in thy letter, wondrous and sublime verses have been revealed.

O Jamal! By the Sun of love that shineth from the horizon of the world with most brilliant radiance and most glorious light, were all men at any given hour to turn with sanctified and pure hearts, hearken unto the Call of God, and witness the ways of the leaves of the Lote-Tree beyond which there is no passing, verily none would be deprived of the ocean of divine bounty and all would attain, in this glorious dawn, unto the grace of God. Yet they remain heedless, and thy Lord is verily the All-Witnessing, the All-Informed.

The members of thy household and thy kindred are all remembered before the Throne, and all have been and shall continue to be the recipients of divine favor. Grieve not over anything, for that which shall gladden hearts hath been ordained for thee. Thy Lord is verily the True One, the Informed, the Trustworthy.

O Ismi Jamal! At this moment the countenance of thy Lord hath turned towards him who is named Buzurg, that he may inhale the fragrances of revelation and speak in praise of his Lord, the All-Informed. Verily, he who turneth unto God, God turneth unto him as a token of His grace, and I am the All-Knowing. Whosoever uttereth this Most Great Name is assured that he hath been mentioned before the Throne. Thy Lord beareth witness unto this, and I am the Witness. Convey My greetings unto his face and say: By God! Thou hast attained the most great victory, for the Lord of Eternity hath made mention of thee in this Preserved Tablet. Rejoice thou in the bounty of thy Lord and render thanks unto Him. Thy Lord is verily the All-Hearing.

This is a Day wherein all things have been stirred up by the Call of Him Who is the Lord of Names, and from every atom of existence can be heard glorification, praise, and movement out of longing for this manifestation of God in this clear station. O Jamal! Bear thou witness, then observe, then mention what thou didst witness with thine own eyes when thou wert standing before the Gate and the countenance of God, the Lord of all worlds, was turned toward thee. Rejoice thou in My bounty, then in My loving-kindness, then in My gifts and My mercy which have preceded all things, and in My ocean of generosity which hath encompassed all worlds. As for those whom thou didst mention who have turned toward the Wronged One, give them the glad tidings of My remembrance of them, that they may be of them that rejoice.

Section 2: “The servant who is present hath presented before…”

The servant who is present hath presented before the Throne every name that was mentioned in thy letter, and We have revealed for each that by which the fragrance of grace hath wafted between the heavens and the earth. Blessed are they for having attained unto the knowledge of God in His days and for having held fast unto His luminous cord.

O people of Ta! By the life of God, the Intended One remembereth you and calleth unto you from this remote spot, and summoneth you to a station that shall never perish. Verily your Lord, the All-Knowing, is the Faithful Witness. We have mentioned you time and again—rejoice ye in the bounty of your Lord and be of them that render thanks. Be gladdened by the turning of the countenance of God toward you from this wondrous horizon. Say: Praise be unto Thee, O God of the worlds and Lord of eternity, for having moved Thy Most Exalted Pen in our name, and for having wafted therefrom the fragrance of Thy loving-kindness to these servants. We testify that Thou art the All-Bountiful, and we are of them that supplicate.

As for what thou didst mention concerning the people of Ha and Mim, We have sent down verses unto them as a token of Our grace, for verily We are the All-Bounteous. And We have sent down for the followers of Moses therein what thou didst desire of thy Lord’s grace, the Most Merciful. And We make mention of the people of Shin and Sin and Mim who have attained unto the choice wine of immortality, whose seal hath been broken by the finger of the Will of the Creator of all things. Blessed are they, and again blessed are they, and excellent is their final abode. O My loved ones in Shin! By God, the Lord of Names hath mentioned you in verses that shall never be effaced throughout the kingdoms of creation. To this doth the Lord of invention Himself bear witness, and beyond Him every knowing and informed one.

O Rida! Time and again hast thou heard the call. Hearken thou in this final instance and turn with thy most pure countenance toward the Most Great Scene, and with thy most illumined heart toward the horizon of the revelation of thy Lord, the Almighty, the All-Bestowing. Say: Unto Thee be praise, O Lord of eternity, and unto Thee be glory, O Thou in Whose grasp is the reins of all existence. I testify that Thou hast drawn me nigh, honored me, caused me to know Thee, and made me hear Thy most sweet call in the kingdom of creation. Thou art indeed the All-Bounteous, the Most Generous. I beseech Thee by the Most Great Name to make me eloquent in Thy remembrance and to aid me to stand firm with supreme steadfastness in Thy Cause, whereby the names were transformed and all the tribes of the earth lamented, save those whom Thy grace, which hath encompassed all possibility, did choose.

We make mention of those who are there, that the fragrance of their Lord’s verses may stir them, and We send Our greetings from this spot upon their faces, and We counsel them with that which beseemeth these days.

O My Most Exalted Pen! Make mention of him who is named Talib, that he may rejoice in My remembrance and arise to serve this Cause whereby feet have slipped. O Talib! Hearken unto the call of the Wronged One. By God, He desireth for thee naught save that which shall draw thee nigh unto God, the Lord of the seen and unseen. Act thou in accordance with that which We counseled thee aforetime with the tongue of truth, then take fast hold of the hem of thy Lord’s mercy, the Cleaver of the dawn. Say: O my Lord! Praise be unto Thee for having caused me to know and taught me and shown me. I have turned with my whole being unto Thee, and I beseech Thee not to leave me to myself. Verily Thou art the Almighty, the All-Bountiful.

We make mention of My loved ones in Sin. Say: Rejoice in My remembrance and praise. By the life of God, there shall endure for you that which hath flowed from this Pen that hath testified there is none other God but I, the Almighty, the All-Glorious, the Most Bountiful. We behold you in the love of God and His Cause, and We counsel you to observe supreme steadfastness, for through it are raised the standards of victory between earth and heaven, and the nightingale of eternity warbleth in the air that there is none other God but He, the Almighty over all existence. Take ye the choice wine of utterance in My Name, then drink thereof through My remembrance that hath encompassed all regions. Blessed are ye for having been honored by the mention of God and for having turned toward Him on a day whereon feet have slipped.

O My Pen! Turn towards the people of Mim who have quaffed the choice wine of divine knowledge in the days of the All-Merciful and have attained unto this glorious remembrance. We have heard the call of each one of you and We behold you as ye are, through the grace of God, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.

We make mention of him who hath been named Ali in the Kingdom of Names, that he may hearken to the call of his gracious Lord. O Ali! Make thyself ready to hearken unto the call of thy Lord, the Most Glorious, which hath been raised from this supreme horizon and most exalted vista, that thou mayest witness what the Concourse on High hath witnessed. Verily thy Lord is the Expositor, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy. Arise to serve thy Lord in such wise as to astonish all else beside thee. Thus doth the Pen of Command enjoin thee from this luminous station. Hold fast unto the cord of steadfastness and cleave unto the hem of thy Lord’s mercy and say:

O God of Names, Creator of the heavens, and Lord of all things! I beseech Thee by Thy Name through which the backs of the idols were broken, to make me one who uttereth Thy praise and remembereth Thee among Thy creation. Then aid me to serve Thy Cause. Verily, Thou art powerful over whatsoever Thou willest. There is none other God but Thee, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

O Ali! When the cawing of the raven is raised in those parts, leave him to himself and turn thy heart toward the horizon of thy Lord’s Revelation, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy. Thus hath thy name flowed from the tongue of the Wronged One, and there hath been sent down for thee that which shall preserve thy name among the heavens and the earth.

And We make mention of him who hath been named with Ba, Za, Ra and Kaf, that the rapture of his Lord’s verses may seize him in such wise that he will arise and cry out:

“By God! The Beloved hath appeared and the All-Merciful hath come with His mighty throne!”

Say: O people! Squander not God’s Cause among you. Abandon what ye possess and take what hath come to you from God, the Lord of all worlds. This is a day wherein neither the treasures of the world nor the assistance of nations shall profit you. Put your trust in God and turn unto His luminous horizon. Thus doth your Lord teach you, that you may remember Him among His servants and be among the steadfast.

The Ancient Beauty turneth His face toward the land of Nun and maketh mention of those who have believed in God, the Lord of what was and what shall be. O Muhammad! Rejoice in that the One, the Single, remembereth thee from this most exalted station, that thou mayest arise to celebrate the praise of thy Lord Who is imprisoned in God’s path, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting. Say: By God! God hath made the prison a palace of ruby wherein speaketh the Lord of the Kingdom: “Verily, there is none other God but Me, the Mighty, the Beloved.” Be steadfast in thy love for thy Lord, for the raven caweth among the servants. Leave him to himself and hold fast unto the cord of God, the Lord of the seen and the unseen. Thus hath there flowed from the Pen of the All-Merciful the water of life—drink thou thereof and say: “Praise be unto Thee, O God of the world, and thanksgiving be unto Thee, O Lord of existence!”

O Mahmud! Your Lord makes mention of you from this Praiseworthy Spot and calls you with a call which, were those who dwell on earth to perceive its fragrance, they would assuredly abandon all they possess and soar in the atmosphere of the love of your Lord, the Mighty, the Loving. Having attained unto the verses of God, preserve them, then recite them by night and by day. By the life of God! Through them the horizons are illumined and hearts are enlightened. Let not the affairs of the world grieve thee. Under all conditions, fix thy gaze upon this horizon from which the Most Great Name proclaims: “The Kingdom is God’s, the Lord of all kings!” Say: O servants of the All-Merciful! Is there among you one with ears to hear the call of God, and is there among you one with eyes to behold that which hath appeared on the Promised Day? Say: He ordaineth for whomsoever He willeth the reward of His presence. Thus hath the matter been decreed in a preserved Tablet. How many a servant drew nigh yet failed, and how many a servant attained His presence while being in a remote place. Thus doth God teach you through His grace. He, verily, is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

We make mention of those who have believed in God in the land adorned with the letter Mim in this exalted Tablet. O people of Mim and Za (Mazandaran)! Rejoice in the remembrance of God and turn with illumined hearts toward the Sinai whereon the Lord of Revelation proclaimeth:

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

We make mention of those who have drunk the choice wine of revelation and have attained unto the recognition of God in this resplendent morn. Blessed are ye for having heard, turned unto, and believed in God, the Lord of the worlds. Ye are in your abodes while the tongue of the Wronged One maketh mention of you from this Spot round which circle the Concourse on High, then the dwellers of the cities of names, and those who circle round the mighty throne. Well is it with you, and pleasant is it for you, O chosen ones of God and His loved ones! Blessed be your faces for having turned, your hearts for having advanced, your souls for having soared, your eyes for having beheld, and your tongues for having uttered the praise of God, the True King, the Manifest.

We counsel you to steadfastness in the Cause of God, for it shall profit you in this world and the next. Verily your Lord, the All-Merciful, is the All-Knowing. Take the chalice of life in My name, the All-Merciful, in defiance of those who have rejected the proof when it appeared from God, the Mighty, the Beautiful. Then drink therefrom once in His name and again in remembrance of Me, the Wondrous, the Inaccessible. Thus doth He Who is imprisoned in God’s path make mention of you, and thus doth He Who is established upon this noble station remind you. The glory be upon you from God, the Goal of the mystics. And praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.

BH00270: Praise be unto Him Who is the Object…

Section 1: “Praise be unto Him Who is the Object…”

In His Name, the Most Holy, the Most Inaccessible, the Most Exalted, the Most Glorious

Praise be unto Him Who is the Object of all existence, Who, through His prevailing Will and consummate wisdom, hath adorned the ranks of utterance and, through these spiritual hosts, hath taken possession of illumined hearts and minds. His hosts are the breaths of divine revelation, and through but one exalted word, His commanding Will hath conquered the people of the realm below and the Concourse on high. The power of the world boweth in submission before His power, and the books of nations are humbled before His utterance. The oppression of the oppressors hath not stayed the influence of His word, nor hath the prevention of the preventers impeded the power of His Pen. Each day the cry of the oppressed is raised from every direction, and at every moment the fire of the wicked is ablaze.

Yet the fire of the malice of the evil-doers hath had no effect upon the righteous, nor hath the cruelty of the impious kept them back from drawing nigh unto the Truth, inasmuch as they are enkindled with the fire of the love of God and illumined by the light of the Sun of His Cause. Every person of insight is amazed, and every one possessed of knowledge is deep in thought—particularly in these days when in the City of the Lovers there is tumult and commotion.

The First Speaker hath ascended the pulpit of love and is established upon the throne of sacrifice, speaking forth these blessed words:

“O concourse of lovers! The breaths of divine revelation have attracted the heart and wrested all free will from the grasp of power. My desire is to sacrifice my soul for the One Beloved, that perchance the dead world may come to life and the withered souls may be refreshed.”

Glory be to God! At that moment such rapture and attraction appeared among the company of lovers as the pens of the world are powerless to describe. Glorified be the majesty of our Lord, exalted be His Cause, and hallowed be His Name and His power! Each day, nay, each moment, He bestoweth the sealed wine in His blessed Name, the Self-Subsisting, yet few are they that seek it, and none are found worthy to receive it.

Glorified art Thou, O God of existence and Educator of the seen and unseen! I beseech Thee by Thy Name, the All-Loving, through which the Euphrates of Thy love hath flowed from the right hand of Thy throne and the rain of Thy mercy hath descended from the heaven of Thy bounty, to [aid] Thy loved ones to be patient in Thy days and to endure when Thy decree and destiny are made manifest. Blessed is the liver that melteth in Thy love, the heart that is pierced by separation from Thee, the blood that is shed in Thy path, the head that is raised to exalt Thy Word, and the throat that met the rope of the enemies to manifest Thy Cause and the cord of the wicked ones in longing to meet Thee and to demonstrate Thy power.

O Lord! Thou seest us circling round the throne of Thy will and the Kaaba of Thy purpose, our spirits awaiting the wonders of Thy Cause. O Lord! Accept from us, through Thy grace and generosity, that we may sacrifice it before Thy face in Thy days, though it befitteth not the court of Thy might and majesty, nor is worthy of the carpet of Thy grandeur and glory. Yet I beseech Thee by the mysteries hidden in Thy knowledge and the pearls treasured in the shells of the ocean of Thy wisdom, to accept from us that which is unworthy of Thy Cause and its sacrifice in Thy love.

O Lord! I am Thy servant and the son of Thy handmaiden. I am certain that our deeds befit not the glory of Thy splendor, nor are worthy of Thy presence, nor of the threshold of Thy gate which Thou hast, through Thy bounty, opened unto all existence, both seen and unseen. By Thy might, O Thou Desired One of all creation and Beloved of all possible beings, the hearts of Thy loved ones find no rest save in martyrdom in Thy path, and their souls rejoice in naught but the shedding of their blood in Thy love. Blessed is the land whereon Thy lovers are distressed, and the soul that hath attained the glances of the eyes of Thy mercy, and blessed is the spot adorned with the blood of Thy loved ones and over which pass the breezes of the morn of the appearance of Thy grace.

O Lord! Thou seest and knowest that the Son of the Wolf hath devoured Thy sheep and slain Thy she-camel. Because of this, the livers of Thy loved ones have melted and the hearts of Thy chosen ones have burned. O Lord! Thou seest the tears of those near unto Thee flowing before Thine eyes because of what hath befallen Thy loved ones in Thy lands. Alas! Alas! Grief hath consumed me, and patience hath well-nigh departed and left me. By Thy grandeur and sovereignty, it is grievous to Thy servant Badi’ to see Thee wronged in the hands of the tyrants among Thy creation and the oppressors among Thy servants. Alas! Alas! The serpent hath bitten the Beloved with such injustice that the dwellers of the pavilion of Thy greatness and glory have lamented.

Glorified art Thou, O my God, my Lord, my Support, my Beloved, and the Ultimate Object of my hope! I beseech Thee by Thy bounty through which existence came to be, and by Thy Name through which Thou didst rend asunder the veils of fancy, and by the Staff wherewith Thou didst cleave the sea and destroy the swords of time, to ordain for Thy loved ones from Thy Most Exalted Pen that which will draw them to the highest summit. O Lord! Thou seest them turning unto Thee and holding fast to the hem of Thy generosity and bounty. Then I beseech Thee, O God of Names, by Thy most great signs and by Thy mysteries which were treasured in Thy Pen and hidden in Thy knowledge, to aid me and Thy chosen ones to stand firm in Thy love and Thy Cause. Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the All-Powerful.

O Lord! Adorn the countenance of the sovereign with the lights of the sun of justice and equity, and illumine therewith his heart, his outer and inner being. O Lord! Cause him to ascend unto the heights of mercy, compassion and bounty, then inspire him with that which will draw him nigh unto Thee, O Lord of all beings and God of the throne on high and of the dust below. O my Lord! Enable him to do that which Thou dost love and with which Thou art well-pleased, that he may turn unto the lights of Thy countenance and protect Thy flocks from the wolves of the earth and its evil ones. Verily, Thou art the Almighty, Whom nothing among all things can frustrate, nor any name among all names, nor the injustice of those who have disbelieved in the Day of Judgment whereon the sovereignty crieth out:

“Unto God belongeth the dominion of earth and heaven, and He is the Possessor of the Great Announcement!”

Glory be to God! This Day speaketh forth, yet the people hear not; the Light calleth aloud, yet mankind perceiveth not. We beseech God to enable His servants and draw them nigh unto Him. Verily, He is the Almighty, the All-Powerful.

The letter of that honored friend arrived, and from its horizon the sun of love shone forth resplendent. In truth, all its words and phrases appeared as a divine tree, speaking forth “I have turned my face toward Him Who hath created the heavens and the earth.” Its call was heard. Exalted be God, the True King, the Manifest, Who caused it to speak in His days, revealed it through His will, and planted it through His grace. We beseech God to strengthen it with a power that shall never be succeeded by silence, even for less than a moment. Verily He is the Mighty, the Bestower.

Thereafter, having turned toward the Most Exalted Kingdom, it was presented before His Countenance. At that moment, the waves of the ocean of favor and the effulgences of the Sun of Truth were manifested in such wise that this servant is powerless to describe and incapable to express them. After a time, the Tongue of Grandeur spoke, saying—exalted be His majesty and all-encompassing be His bounty:

I am the All-Seeing, the All-Knowing

O thou who hast quaffed the wine of My utterance and who standeth to serve My Cause! Hearken unto My call from the Divine Tree which hath been raised up in the Most Exalted Paradise through My will and desire and My command that hath encompassed all existence. Verily there is none other God but Him, the Single, the One, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting.

O Ali! The ocean of My loving-kindness hath surged and the Sun of My grace hath shone forth as a bounty from My presence upon My servants, yet they have denied that which hath appeared, turning away from God, the Lord of all that was and shall be. They have cast the Book of God behind their backs, clinging to their own idle fancies and vain imaginings. We have opened the gate of reunion, yet they turn aside therefrom. We have revealed from the Most Exalted Pen the pearls of knowledge and wisdom, yet they remain far removed from them. The mysteries have been unveiled, the signs have been spread abroad, and the fruits have appeared, yet they remain heedless thereof. They have abandoned that which they were bidden to observe, clinging to that which they were forbidden. Lo! They understand not. They have cast aside that which would profit them and taken that which harmeth them. Lo! They know not. Soon shall they behold their recompense in justice from God, the Lord of all being.

O Akbar! Upon thee be My glory and My loving-kindness. The Son of the Wolf hath proven more wicked than his deprived father. Today in the arena of oppression none precedeth him. Reflect upon the grace and bounty of the Wronged One, and upon the wickedness of the people from the beginning of the Cause until now. We protected certain souls in such wise that none save God is aware thereof. The rejection of corruption led to the martyrdom of the Beloved. Blessed is he, then blessed is he! By the life of God, he hath attained unto a station which the sincere ones and those drawn nigh eagerly seek. Praise be to God, he was adorned with the crown of steadfastness and illumined by the effulgences of the light of the countenance.

Convey My greetings to the friends. Say: Beware lest ye be grieved by the doings of the wicked or the onslaught of the ungodly. By My life! He who hath ascended hath attained unto the Most Great Joy. We beseech God, exalted be He, to assist His loved ones to remember Him and praise Him, that they may commemorate His days, His detachment, His orientation toward Him, and His spending in the path of God, the Lord of all worlds. We beseech of God that He may assist all to act with wisdom and utterance, and to act in accordance with what He hath revealed in the Book. End.

Section 2: “O My beloved! The imprisoned Badi’ makes mention…”

O My beloved! The imprisoned Badi’ makes mention of you and says: Praise be to God, glory be to God, that you are illumined by the rays of the manifestations of the Sun of Truth and are mentioned and recorded in the remembrance of the Purpose of the world and in the traces of the Most Exalted Pen. Beyond this, no station remains for the mention of this servant, nor any rank for his praise before the Ocean of Praise and the Sun of Utterance. His power has encompassed the world and His grace has embraced all peoples. His Will is manifest and His Purpose all-pervasive. Blessed be the name of our Lord!

Each day, through the attraction of the Most Exalted Word and the traces of the Supreme Pen, the essence of detachment appears before the faces of men, offering itself in sacrifice, yet none perceives it. What has caused the heedlessness of the people, and by what proof and evidence have they turned away from the Purpose of all worlds, clinging to their own vain imaginings? In truth, the malady of vain imaginings is severe and requires a perfect remedy, and the sickness of idle fancies is strong and needs a potent medicine. Glory be to God! His power is manifest and God’s sovereignty is dominant and evident; nevertheless, all remain heedless. We beseech Him to make the point of ink in this day the cause of unity and the source of enkindlement.

Today the fire is visible and speaking in the Blessed Tree, and the light is dawning from the horizon of manifestation. Blessed are they whom the false tales of old did not prevent or deprive from the Lord of all beings. In these days, these wronged ones are observed between the greatest sorrow and the most profound joy—from one direction, the ocean of joy is surging, and from another, the waves of grief are visible.

In these days the seat of the throne has been Akka, and a missive from His Holiness the Desired One reached the people of the palace. His blessed and exalted Word states:

“Know ye that the oppressor has hamstrung My she-camel, and the wolf has devoured My sheep, and the spotted snake has bitten those who love Me. I do not complain of what has befallen My loved ones, but the Manifestations of My Cause and the Dawning-Places of My wisdom do complain. Say: My God, my God! Change the sorrow of Thy loved ones into joy, their grief into delight, their agitation into tranquility, their abasement into glory, their weakness into strength, and their powerlessness into might. O my Lord! I beseech Thee by the sovereignty of Thy Will, the all-encompassing nature of Thy power, and the ocean of Thy might, to make Thy loved ones the dawning-places of Thy name the All-Patient and the rising-places of Thy name the All-Forgiving. Then make known to those who were heedless in Thy days the mysteries of Thy Most Great Name and Thy momentous News, and what they missed at the dawning of the Day-Star of Thy manifestation. Then assist them to be fair-minded. Verily, Thou art the Mighty, the Powerful, the Bestower.”

From reading this most holy, most great Tablet, hearts were consumed and boundless grief descended, until another Tablet adorned with the traces of the Supreme Pen was read. His blessed and exalted Word states:

“He is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. What news is this today that causes the body to ascend and the spirit to soar in flight? The news is this: the Ridvan of the Most Exalted Paradise has given glad tidings to the Ridvan of the Supreme Paradise that a pure, holy, blessed spirit from the city of lovers has sacrificed itself and now seeks the Most Glorious Goal and circles round the gathering-place of the Supreme Concourse, and at this moment arrives. Today the lovers have another ecstasy and another attraction. My God, my God! Assist Thy servants to be truthful and to acknowledge Thy signs. Verily, Thou art the Powerful, the All-Knowing.”

Through this blessed Tablet came such relief and joy that the pen is powerless to describe it. Were it not for the joy of what came after, we would have been destroyed by the grief of what came before. The purpose of these mentions is that your honor might become aware of the events that have occurred and the details of the prison land, that perhaps what is mentioned may become the cause of the guidance of the people.

O my God, my God! Drive not Thy servants from the door of Thy bounty, and deprive them not from the ocean of Thy mercy. Lead them, though it be with a whip, to the right hand of Thy throne, then grant them to partake, in this Day, of the pure wine of Thy loving-kindness. Thou art, verily, the All-Powerful, the Almighty. There is no God but Thee, the All-Forgiving, the All-Merciful.

Thereafter, this servant proceeded to the seat of the throne, and upon arrival in that most holy and exalted Court, the Tongue of Grandeur was heard to utter these words:

Glorified art Thou, O my God! Were it not for tribulations in Thy path, how would the station of Thy lovers be made manifest? And were it not for afflictions in Thy love, by what means would the rank of those who long for Thee be revealed? By Thy might! The companion of Thy loved ones is the tears of their eyes, the solace of those who seek Thee is the sighing of their hearts, and the sustenance of those who hasten unto Thee is the fragments of their livers. How sweet is the deadly poison in Thy path, and how precious are the arrows of the enemies for the exaltation of Thy Word! O my God! I love, in Thy love, whatsoever Thou hast ordained. By Thy might! I desire naught save what Thou desirest, and I love naught except what Thou lovest. In all things have I placed my trust in Thee.

This prayer was previously revealed for one of the friends, and in these days it was heard again from the Tongue of Grandeur. Blessed are they who read it and drink from the living waters concealed within the words of the Best-Beloved of the worlds. O My beloved! The fragrance of divine revelation refreshes the soul and bestows a new spirit. May the True One guide the opposers of the Cause and grant them fairness. They have manifested such tyranny that the very repositories of oppression and treasuries of hatred, both past and future, are astounded—how much more so ordinary mortals. That beloved one and this Prisoner must seek steadfastness for all. Verily, He is the Helper, the Hearer, the Answerer.

In these days the loved ones of Faran dwell in the vicinity and have attained the presence. Each day they have drunk from the cup of bounty, the water of reunion. The ocean of attainment is surging—exalted be the Gracious One, possessed of great bounty! They are truly in fervor, enkindled with the fire of love and illumined with the light of knowledge. Last night, which was the twentieth of Jumada’l-Ula, they were summoned to the palace and were blessed with special favors. Praise be to God! The tempestuous, devastating winds of the ungodly and atheists did not prevent the steadfast from the Manifest Cause of the Lord of the Worlds. At one time, these exalted words were heard from the ocean of verses. His blessed and exalted Word:

“Let not the friends be sorrowful. The tyranny of enemies is the cause and means for the manifestation of justice in the world. The tyranny of Pharaoh brought forth the justice of Moses.”

Indeed, these tyrannies of the world have been and are followed by the Most Great Justice. The power of God was not prevented by clamor, nor was it barred by the opposition of the opposers. That beloved one knew and knows the reason for that reprehensible deed. The rejection of corruption became the cause and means of the greatest bounty for the departed, elevated martyr. All matters return to the Truth. We beseech Him to cause all to attain that which leads to the exaltation and elevation of existence. Verily, He has power over all things.

Convey greetings and salutations from this prisoner to the friends in that land. I beseech and implore God, exalted be His glory, to protect them all and make them like the surging ocean and the fire kindled in the Sacred Tree. Those friends who were recently honored to attain Our presence—including Ibn-i-Attar, Aqa Mirza Buzurg, and others—have been and continue to be remembered. In these days a letter arrived from Attar mentioning the captives. We beseech God to assist him in that which He loves and is pleased with, and to open before his face the gates of wealth and prosperity. Verily, He is the Lord of all creation, there is no God but Him, the Opener, the Giver, the All-Bountiful, the All-Generous.

The Most Great Branch and the Greater Branch, may my soul be sacrificed for them both, and His Holiness Diya’u’llah, may the spirits of all in the Kingdom be sacrificed for him, send their greetings and salutations, as do the members of the pavilion of chastity and grandeur. They have said:

“Praise be to God, he has been and continues to be mentioned in the arena of grace, the Most Great Scene and the Most Pure Station.”

We beseech God to assist him in all matters and conditions. Verily, He is the Powerful, the Mighty, the Unconstrained.

Responses to some of the petitions were sent in this dispatch. God willing, may each one receive their share of the precious pearls of utterance hidden in the treasuries of divine words and attain unto them. The light shining forth from the horizon of the Word of God be upon you and those with you.

I convey remembrance, greetings and salutations to His Holiness Jamal, upon him be the Glory of God, and to Ibn-i-Abhar, upon him be the Glory of God. In these days, responses to their petitions and those of some others and handmaidens will arrive. According to the people’s saying, the place of all is empty, but according to our saying, all are mentioned, present and existing. We beseech God on behalf of all for that which you seek and love. Glory be upon you and upon those with you and in your household and upon every steadfast and assured one.

Badi’

BH10646: Praise befitteth and is meet for the Lord…

Section 1: “Praise befitteth and is meet for the Lord…”

In the name of God, the Lord of the Manifestation, Who spoke on the Mount!

Praise befitteth and is meet for the Lord of minds and hearts Who, through His Beloved Name, adorned the non-existent world with the light of being, and guided it from sheer nothingness to the realm of immortality. He bestowed upon non-existence the ornament of existence, and illumined the darkness of aversion with the light of acceptance. Through one exalted Word which shone forth from the horizon of the heaven of will, the ocean of knowledge surged, the sun of wisdom dawned, and the heaven of knowledge and insight was upraised. Glorious is His bounty, mighty His sovereignty, exalted His utterance, and there is no God but Him.

And blessing and peace and glorification and glory and remembrance and praise be upon the Hands of His Cause, who drank from the hands of bounty the choice wine of the most great steadfastness. These are servants whom neither the hosts of the wicked nor the ranks of the evil ones did frighten, and who performed that which they were bidden by God, the Lord of the Day of Return.

Your letter, which was in truth a sign of love shining forth from the horizon of the pen of detachment, arrived. Praise be to God, from each word the fragrance of trust, acceptance and devotion wafted. After observing and reading it, it was taken to the Supreme Heaven, and after attaining the presence before the face of the Lord of all beings and receiving full permission, the letter was presented and was honored to be in His presence and to be heard. At that moment, the ocean of utterance surged in such wise that this servant and all things are incapable and powerless to write and enumerate it. God knows what He revealed, and at the end of the utterance, what the perceptive faculty grasped were these manifest verses. His mighty utterance, exalted be His proof:

O Haydar-ʿAli! The Branch, His Holiness Badi’u’llah, presented your letter in its entirety before His face. Blessed art thou for having turned to the Supreme Horizon and attained that which was mentioned in the Books of the Prophets. We beseech God to strengthen thee with such steadfastness as cannot be prevented by the hosts of the world and their ranks, nor by the might of princes and their swords, nor by the doubts of the divines and their rejection. Verily, He is the One Who has power over whatsoever He willeth through His binding and wise command. Well is it with thee for having drunk the wine of revelation from the hand of thy Lord’s bounty when most of the servants were debarred therefrom.

This is from God’s grace unto thee. Be grateful and say: Praise be unto Thee, O Lord of the servants, and glory be unto Thee, O Glory of the worlds! Let not the doings of the wicked grieve thee, nor the power of the oppressors frighten thee. Take the Book of God with strength from Him and authority from His presence, then read it before those who have denied this manifest Light. Say: O peoples of the earth! Fear ye the Lord of the Throne and be not of the heedless ones. The banner of divine knowledge hath been raised on the right hand of the Throne and the standard of piety on its left. Thus hath the matter been decreed, yet most people are in evident error.

This is the Day wherein the Sinai smiled at its Interlocutor and the Herald called out between earth and heaven: O peoples of the earth! The Promise hath come, and the Promised One calleth you unto God, the Lord of the worlds. This is the Day which God hath adorned with His mention of His near servants. Cast away what the people possess and take what ye have been given from God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. We desire naught from you. We mention you for the sake of God. Verily, He is powerful over all things.

Say: Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I beseech Thee by the light of Thy Cause, and the potency of Thy Word, and the power of Thy Pen, to transform the heedlessness of the world into knowledge and wisdom. Then open before the faces of Thy loved ones the gates of inner meanings and utterance. O my Lord! Thou seest me and Thy loved ones in the hands of the oppressors among Thy creatures. I beseech Thee to transform their tyranny into justice and their oppression into equity. Then send down upon them from the heaven of Thy power that which will transform their fear into tranquility, their weakness into strength and might, and their agitation into supreme steadfastness. Verily, Thou art powerful over whatsoever Thou willest, and in Thy grasp are the reins of all affairs. There is no God but Thee, the Mighty, the All-Forgiving.

Glory be to God! The rain of loving-kindness from the heaven of mercy of the Desired One of the worlds hath descended in such wise that none hath been nor is capable of reckoning it. These days are different days, and their fragrance is sweet and perfumed. The Sun shineth with new splendors and effulgences, and the Tree of Sinai is adorned with the ornament of divine wisdom. Glory be to God! From the water is heard “The All-Bestowing hath come!”, from the trees “The Chosen One hath come!”, and from all things “The Lord of all names hath appeared!” The fragrances of revelation have perfumed the world, and the breezes of inspiration have seized all creation.

O people of God! This Prisoner at this moment beseecheth from the Lord of all worlds, for each one of you, that which is everlasting and eternal. He is the One Who, by the shrill voice of the Pen, attracted the world, and through the power of the Word adorned creation with the ornament of detachment and trust. The Prisoner and all created things bear witness to His power and might, to His glory and dominion.

My God, my God! Withhold not Thy servants from drawing nigh unto the Most Great Ocean which surgeth in Thy name before the faces of all nations. I beseech Thee, O Revealer of verses and Manifestor of clear tokens, by the mysteries hidden in Thy knowledge and the pearls treasured in the vaults of Thine infallibility, to aid me and Thy loved ones to remember Thee, to praise Thee, and to spread Thy signs throughout Thy realm. Then protect them, O Lord of existence, from all things seen and unseen, from the croaking of the croakers, the imaginings of the heedless, and the doubts of the suspicious ones. Verily, Thou art the Most Merciful of the merciful and the Fulfiller of the needs of the sincere ones.

Mention was made of Mashhadi Mihdi, upon him be the glory of God, and likewise mention was made of certain other loved ones. After these were presented before the Most Holy and Most Exalted Presence, there was revealed for each one that which is the Dawning-Place of the Light of Truth and the Day-spring of divine loving-kindness. It is hoped that all may drink from the ocean of utterance of the Desired One of the worlds and not remain deprived. This is what was revealed for Mashhadi Mihdi:

He is the All-Bountiful, the Most Generous

O Mashhadi Mihdi! Praise be to the Desired One of the world Who hath made the world fresh and verdant through His manifest verses, and made manifest the hidden and treasured mysteries like unto the sun. Exalted be His power and great be His signs! Today the loved ones of God must hold fast to unity and harmony and occupy themselves with teaching the Cause. From this blessed day the divine fragrance of the Day of God wafteth. Blessed is he who hath found and attained, and woe unto the heedless! Praise be to the One Who existeth, Who aided thee and illumined thee with the light of recognition. Say: Praise be to Thee, O my God, for having illumined my heart with the light of Thy knowledge and for having sent down unto me that which shall endure as long as Thy sovereignty endureth.

I beseech Thee, O Lord of the worlds, by Thy Most Great Name through which Thou didst open the door of bounty unto all who are in earth and heaven, and by the lights of Thy Kingdom and the mysteries of Thy Dominion, to make me steadfast in Thy Cause and firm in Thy love in such wise that neither the world nor aught therein shall prevent me from turning toward the court of Thy glory and drawing nigh unto Thee. Verily, Thou art the Almighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

And specifically for ʿAli-Asghar-i-Milani a Tablet was previously revealed and that same one is being sent. This Prisoner hath repeatedly heard mention of him from the tongue of Grandeur. Blessed is he and blessed are they that have attained.

Section 2: “And this is what was revealed for Muhammad-Ja’far-i-Usku’i…”

And this is what was revealed for Muhammad-Ja’far-i-Usku’i:

In My Name that is sanctified from all names

O Muhammad-Qabl-Ja’far! The Lord of Power hath turned toward thee from the direction of His Most Great Prison and maketh mention of thee, that My remembrance may draw thee to the Kingdom of Mine utterance and bring thee near unto My glorious and resplendent court. Should anyone ask thee concerning Baha, say: Verily, He is under the claws of hatred by reason of that which the hands of the oppressors have wrought. By God’s life! The tribulations prevent Him not from making mention of God, the Lord of the Kingdom of Names. He hath stood before the faces of all the world and spoken that which shall guide them to the path of God, the Lord of all worlds. Nothing whatsoever hath deterred Him, neither hath the might of His enemies frightened Him, nor the ranks of them that harbor hatred.

His appearance amongst men and His establishment upon the throne without veil or covering bear witness to this. Say: Praise be unto Thee, O my Beloved and my heart’s Desire, for having guided me to the horizon of Thy knowledge, honored me with visiting Thy holy places, and mentioned me in Thy prison. O my Lord! Thou seest me clinging to the cord of Thy justice. Ordain for me that which shall profit me among Thy servants. By Thy name! Verily, Thou art the All-Bountiful, the Generous.

O Haydar-Qabl-Ali! We have heard the cry of the lovers from Ishqabad and have succored them through Our grace, and We have sent forth ʿAbdu’l-Karim despite the enemy’s displeasure. We have been with them in all conditions. Verily thy Lord is the All-Powerful, the Self-Subsisting, the Most High. And We have heard the call of Our loved ones in Usku. We give them the glad-tidings of Our grace and Our mercy, which have preceded existence in both the seen and unseen realms. However, We counsel all to such deeds and character as will cause the servants to draw nigh unto the Dayspring of God’s Cause and the Dawning-Place of His divine light. Should they hold fast to that which hath been revealed in the divine tablets, they shall witness all the world turning toward God. We beseech Him to aid all in that which will exalt His Word.

As for the request for attaining His presence, after it was presented before the Countenance of the Desired One, these sublime words were revealed in response from the Source of verses and the Lord of names and attributes—may my spirit be a sacrifice for His utterance. His exalted Word and mighty proof states: Permission for attaining presence in these days is contrary to wisdom. We beseech God to ordain its reward to be specifically revealed from the Supreme Pen and recorded in the Crimson Book. And regarding His Holiness the Trustee who is now imprisoned for the sake of God, a command hath been revealed from the heaven of God’s firm decree concerning these matters. If they succeed in carrying it out, truly the reward of attaining His presence shall be recorded by the Supreme Pen. Verily He is the All-Bountiful, possessed of great bounty, and He is the All-Commanding, the All-Wise.

The mention of the loved ones of ʿIshqabad hath repeatedly been made in the presence of God, exalted be His glory, and His Holiness Afnan hath repeatedly mentioned each one and presented their names. Praise be to God, all have drunk from the ocean of bounty and received their portion and share of the sealed wine through His blessed name, the Self-Subsisting. Well is it with them.

At this hour, two hours after nightfall, the supplication which that honored one mentioned at the end of the book was presented and read in the Most Holy and Most Exalted Presence, and the Tongue of Grandeur spoke these verses in response—exalted be His utterance and His proof, and glorified be His majesty and His sovereignty:

O thou who gazest upon the horizon of Revelation! The Most Great Branch presented thy supplication in most eloquent terms before Our presence. Blessed art thou for having turned unto Him when the people turned away, and for having recognized the Manifestation of Him Who conversed upon Sinai when those in all lands denied Him. Say: O my Lord! I beseech Thee by Thy power that hath subdued all who are in earth and heaven, and by Thy Name through which Thou hast made the Kingdom of Names to be subservient, and by the Crimson Ark which Thou hast specially ordained for the people of Baha, to make me known through Thy Name and steadfast in the promotion of Thy Cause.

O my Lord! This is a day wherein the ocean of Thy bounty hath surged and the fragrance of Thy grace hath wafted. I beseech Thee not to disappoint Thy servants from turning to the Dayspring of Thy gifts and favors. O my Lord! Thou hearest the sighing of those who long for Thee and the cry of those who love Thee in their separation and remoteness from Thee. I beseech Thee to ordain for them, by Thy Most Exalted Pen, the reward of attaining Thy presence and meeting Thee. Verily Thou art the Mighty, the Prevailing, the All-Powerful, the All-Wise.

As to the mention made of Abbas-Ali-i-Iskayi, who wrote and sent glad tidings of the steadfastness and devotion of the people of that land—after this was presented in His presence, that which all the pens of the world are powerless to describe was again revealed concerning him and the friends of Isku. According to His command, that honored one should mention them all and give them glad tidings through the effulgent lights of the utterance of Him Who is the Goal of all beings. Verily our Lord is the Helper, the All-Wise. There is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Great.

Mention was made of the handmaidens of God. After presentation in His presence, a special mention was revealed for each one. His blessed and exalted Word:

In My Name, the Remembering, the All-Knowing

O Mother of Ali-Akbar! Rejoice in what hath been sent down for thee from the heaven of thy Lord’s loving-kindness, that which hath attracted the hearts of the devoted ones in the loftiest chambers of the Most Exalted Paradise. Thus have We sent down for thee that which testifieth to thy acceptance and thy turning unto God, the Lord of all worlds.

O Mother of Muhammad-Ja’far! The Wronged One hath remembered thee at this hour with verses whose fragrance shall not cease to perfume the air for as long as God’s kingdom shall endure, the Mighty, the Powerful.

O Mother of Mashhadi-Ali! The divine call is raised from the direction of the Prison and maketh mention of thee, that thou mayest give thanks unto thy Lord, the Master of the Day of Judgment.

O Mulla Baji! Thy mention was made before the Wronged One and there was revealed that which nothing hidden in earth or heaven can equal, to this thy Ancient Lord doth testify.

O Mother of Mir-Muhsin! Say: Praise be unto Thee, O my God, for having made me one of Thy handmaidens and for having revealed unto me Thy verses which were the hope of them who are nigh unto Thee.

O sister of Muhammad-Qabli-ʿAli! All the servants and handmaidens of the earth were brought from nothingness into being for the recognition of God. Yet on the Day of Resurrection most remained heedless and veiled, while thou didst attain thereunto. Say: Praise be unto Thee, O Lord of the worlds, and glorified art Thou, O Beloved of them that know, for having sent down unto me from the precincts of Thy prison that which brought solace to the eyes of the steadfast ones in their exalted station. Ye must all, throughout the nights and days, be engaged in praising and thanking God, inasmuch as He hath favored the handmaidens of that land with verses the like of which hath never been seen.

The glory shining forth from the horizon of the heaven of My kingdom be upon My loved ones and My handmaidens who have believed in God, the Lord of the mighty throne. By the life of our Beloved! On this luminous night the ocean of divine utterance surgeth in such wise that none hath been or is capable of measuring or recording it. Thus hath His grace encompassed His servants and handmaidens. It behooveth Me and you to hold fast unto the cord of God in such wise that neither the hosts of the oppressors nor the ranks of the transgressors—they who have denied God’s proof and evidence, disbelieved in His verses, and cast aside His laws on this wondrous and glorious Day—can turn us away therefrom. Light and glory, remembrance and praise be upon you, O company of the sincere and the detached. Authority and dominion belong unto God, our Lord and the Lord of all who are in the heavens and the earth.

Badi’

BH00399: A certain person in this city was among…

A certain person in this city was among the divines of the greater city, and Aqa Jan had dealings with him. He had related to him in detail, saying “I am the Sword of Truth, and soon most lands will be conquered by my hand.” That ignorant scholar, though far from the path of truth, spoke a good word, as if the Holy Spirit had spoken through his tongue. Thus, immediately after the slaying of the idolaters, he appeared with the Pasha of the city over Aqa Jan’s corpse and declared: “This accursed one claimed ʿI am the Sword of Truth.’ Now it has become clear that the Sword of Truth was that which struck his waist and consigned him to the lowest depths of hell.” In any case, praise be to God, after this incident and the return of the idolaters to the lowest depths of hell, the rains of mercy poured forth night and day, after having been withheld for several years during which people were afflicted with famine and hardship.

When We were in Adrianople, that vile one had written a letter to someone. Among other things, We observed that he had stolen a passage from a Tablet revealed in Iraq and written it in his own name. That passage was: “We are as the sun rising and as the moon shining.” That heedless wretch did not realize that the domain of the Phoenix has never been, nor ever will be, the playground of flies, and darkness has no right to claim to be the sun. By God! Since he found some people weak and foolish, he therefore arose with his personal fabrications, such that some have taken his forged writings and read them. The writer and reader have both lost. Through various whisperings and intrigues he prevented people from the Lord of mankind, and through previous delusions led some astray.

Thus did a certain person meet this servant in the marketplace and said he wished to meet with me for an hour, on the condition that no one else be present. This servant had never seen him before. I said “Very well.” A time was set and he came. Various matters were discussed and it became clear that he had dealings with that one who associated partners with God. He mentioned, “I have been told you are of the Shi’ih.” At this point such laughter overcame this servant that all self-control was lost. That person was astonished and asked the reason for the laughter. I said: “O helpless one! Your Shi’ih who are scattered throughout Iran like pebbles—what station have they achieved, or what rank have they held with God, that you now wish to follow in the footsteps of those rejected delusions? Have you not seen that they were all false and in clear error, such that they martyred the exalted Truth with their own hands? Lo! The curse of God be upon the wrongdoing people!”

After these words were delivered he became very thoughtful. Then, for the sake of God, I imparted to him some of the exalted words I had heard from the Source of the Cause. It was observed that he was not devoid of capacity. Among other things, I said to him: “Reflect thou upon that which was held by the Shi’ih and which they accounted as the foundation of their sect and nation—which of these was truth? And now dost thou wish, following those idle fancies and lying words, to enter the ocean of divine truth and wisdom? Did these Shi’ih of whom thou speakest comprehend the meaning of the Resurrection? He said: No. I asked: Did they recognize the Balance? He said: No. I asked: Did they understand the gathering and raising of the dead? He said: No. That which was mentioned among them concerning the Qa’im—was their understanding of it true? He said: No. Then I stated that you yourself witness that all was false. Now this matter which they have told you—how do you know it to be true?

Then I sat upright facing him and spoke what I had preserved of the verses of God, the King, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting, and I conveyed to him that which I was commanded by God, the Mighty, the Beloved. I said: O servant! Have you not heard what the Tongue of Grandeur pronounced when He was established upon His throne, supreme over all that is seen and unseen? He said—and His word is the truth: “Cast aside what you possess of vain imaginings, then hearken unto what the tongue of your Lord, the Mighty, the All-Knowing, doth speak. How long will ye follow your desires? The Sun of Guidance hath risen—turn ye unto it, sanctified from that which was aforetime mentioned by your divines.

By God! This is the Manifestation of God and the sign of His hiddenness from all else. It cannot be compared with what was mentioned in the eternity of eternities, nor can it be known through the words of the people of contention. Draw nigh unto Him with illumined eyes and radiant faces. Thus have ye been commanded in the Tablets from God, the Powerful, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.” And His word—exalted be His grandeur—addressing someone: “We behold thee immersed in the pool of the veiled ones and the waters of the heedless ones’ imaginings. Come forth therefrom through My name and My sovereignty. Arise and immerse thyself in this Most Great Ocean, every drop whereof proclaimeth ʿThere is none other God but Me, the Powerful, the Exalted, the Mighty, the Generous.”’

I said: O man! For the sake of God do I speak, and purely for God do I utter this reminder: cast away these vain imaginings, and rise above these foul, circumscribed, and fancied stations, that upon the wings of the mercy of the All-Merciful thou mayest ascend unto the heavens of the ordinance of thy Lord, and attain thereunto. Today is the day of “Say: God, then leave them to sport in their wanton dispute.” Verily, this blessed verse was, in former times, revealed especially for this Day, inasmuch as in this Manifestation it hath become clear and manifest that the True One, alone and unaided, is sovereign over all, and hath not taken unto Himself, nor will He ever take, either partner or peer. Though in former ages the followers of divers creeds did confess and acknowledge this truth, yet most of them were liars, for every day they assigned a partner unto God. Thereupon, in that station, this servant set forth and declared whatsoever was meet and fitting. Then was it asked: What is the duty for today? I replied: To act in accordance with this very verse which I have recited.

Leave these imagined souls and their sayings, and enter thou into the sweet and wondrous expanse, that thou mayest quaff the everlasting wine from the verse of the mercy of the All-Merciful, wherein He saith that through a Revelation hath the law of wondrous newness been established, and that this is the wondrous One of the heavens and the earth. Pass beyond both before and after; behold the Manifestation through the eye of the Manifestation itself, for all, in this Most Great Revelation, have been commanded thus, and this is a bounty peculiar unto this Dispensation.

Then did I mention that certain feeble souls had been withheld by those wicked ones from Him Who is the Chosen One through utterances such as these. Even so did Yahya write unto some, saying, “Thou art of my Shi’ah,” the intent of which expression is evident enough. Perished is every lying book. Behold now where is the station of the words of that foul soul, and where the station which the Lord of lords hath desired for His servants! O brother! Cast away all these unworthy and narrow words of former times, and soar upon wondrous wings in the fragrant and wondrous air, that through the grace of God thou mayest drink of the wondrous wine and attain unto the understanding of this wondrous Cause. Furthermore, some among the servants have complained of certain acts committed by weak souls who circle round about, and have attributed them unto God, exalted and glorified be He.

Thus did one person say: How can it be that, notwithstanding the manifestation of Truth and the exaltation of this Cause which hath encompassed the world, certain souls, who ascribe themselves unto God, should busy themselves with unseemly deeds? In truth, this saying proceedeth from the heedlessness of that heedless one. It is as though he had never heard that verse, famous amongst men, wherein it is said: Should all created things become faithless, not a speck of dust would settle upon the hem of His majesty. One day, while I stood in the court of the Throne, He turned His face toward the Face of God and said: “Hast thou heard that the sincere are in grievous peril?” O thou servant standing before the Throne! The outward divines differed among themselves concerning the companions of the Apostle, as to what soul the name of companion might truly apply. Some have said that the companions are those souls who remained in the presence of that blessed Person for one year or more and arose to strive in the path of God.

Others have said that whosoever confessed the word of divine unity and met the Apostle is accounted among the companions, though it were but once. Yet others have said that this name applieth unto those souls whom the Apostle Himself specifically addressed by that title. Still others have said that they are those souls who were trusted in His sight and were present with Him both in journey and at home. But the greater number of the divines have declared: Everyone who embraced Islam and beheld the Prophet—may the blessings of God be upon Him and upon His companions—even for the briefest space, is indeed of the companions. According to this reckoning, at the Farewell Pilgrimage there were forty thousand souls with Him, and on the day of His ascension, in Medina, one hundred and twenty-four thousand persons were gathered together. By the latter opinion, the name of companion is truly applicable unto all these souls; yet only a few there were who drank from the limpid waters of the wine of certitude and entered the Source of the outpourings of the All-Merciful.

In brief, utterances of this sort have proceeded from heedlessness and continue so to proceed. We beseech God to aid all men unto that which He loveth and approveth. O friends of God! Be not content with hearing alone, and bind not your hearts to the vain imaginings of former times. By God! Today wicked souls have, through ancient delusions, withheld the weak from the divine way. Hearken ye unto the plea of this servant who serveth before the Throne, and stand with steadfast feet upon the path of oneness. So manifest is the Truth that none is left any excuse to turn aside. All the Books of God testify thereto and point thereunto. Thus it was that some time ago one of the friends, who was from among diverse peoples, presented a petition, and in that petition set forth two traditions which, in ancient books, had been translated from the Greek tongue into Arabic.

The first passage: “Satan shall appear in the Isle of Qaf and shall prevent the people from the All-Merciful. When that time cometh, turn ye toward the Holy Land, from whence passeth the Breath of God.” And Qaf is Cyprus, and this is well known, even as all the Turks call Cyprus “Satan’s Isle.” And the Holy Land is known to be that wherein the Seat of the Throne is now established.

The second passage: “There shall appear the Beloved in the isle attributed unto Him. He is short of stature, abundant of beard, narrow of brow and breast, yellow of eye and hair. Upon His back is hair like unto mail, and upon His breast hair like unto a cave. When that time cometh, draw ye nigh unto Carmel, even though it be with thy all. Then turn ye toward the Holy Valley, the Land of Gathering, the snow-white Spot.” It is known that Habab is the name of Satan, and it says he will appear in the island attributed to him, which is Cyprus, known as Satan’s Island. And it says “When that time comes draw near to Carmel”—Carmel being the mountain facing Akka—“even if crawling on your chest, then turn toward the Holy Valley, the land of gathering, the white spot”—these three being titles of the land of Akka, as is well-known to all and mentioned in the books.

Would that someone would go to Cyprus and witness with their own eyes all these aforementioned attributes in that person. In any case, O servants of God, the Truth needs not these mentions, and such mentions are purely out of grace, as this lowly servant thought that through such things some might awaken from the sleep of heedlessness. Otherwise, God is sanctified above the mention of this or that. He cannot be known except through Himself, nor can He be described except by what His Essence has described for His Essence. All else is created by His command and returns to its place in the worlds of His creation and invention.

We hope that as the petitions of this servant were submitted purely for the sake of God, they may prove a healing for hearts and a light for breasts, that all may arise in the love of God in such wise that none will have any excuse to turn away or object, and may consider as utter nothingness all that the ungodly have said or will say. Therefore I say: I turn to Thee in repentance, O my God, for what I have ventured in Thy presence. Forgive me by Thy sovereignty and grace, for Thou art the Most Generous of the generous ones. And praise be to Thee, O God of the worlds.

The servant of God.

BH00423: Lawh-i-Haqqu’n-Nas

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

Praise be to God, who has fulfilled what He revealed to all of His prophets and His messengers, and announced to all people the glad tidings of His days. Among them is the day He promised us in His incorruptible book with the words: the day when “God will provide for each out of His abundance.” That day, in truth, is this day, for He has provided for all who have entered beneath His shelter in this day from the wealth of His knowledge and His wisdom, in such wise that He has entrusted the reins of knowledge into the hands of His most insignificant servant, and the care of His humblest subject, who holds fast to the cord of His love during the days of His revelation.

Praise be to God, who inspires whom He desires with the hosts of His revelation and casts the light of His knowledge into the hearts of whom He pleases. No God is there but Him, who is so manifest through the manifestation of Himself that He has no veil except the light of His beauty and no cover besides the profusion of His manifestation.

Blessings and peace be on His most honored friend and the prince of His creation, and on his family and his supporters, who have arisen at his bidding and remained steadfast in his love.

Your letter was read, and it is the source of gladness and joy. God willing, this blessing may always be our companion and this confirmation continue, if from time to time you would inquire about, and have compassion for, the state of those who wander in the wilderness of disappointment and humiliation. May God recompense you with the best of rewards and confirm you in that which He pleases and desires.

You have asked how the administration of justice in the world after death and the requital of the rights of the people during the Great Resurrection, which is known as the Day of Judgment, should be understood and conceived, given that these worldly adornments, possessions, and legal rights sought after in this vain life do not exist in the worlds after death. And even supposing they did exist, they would yield no profit and bear no fruit for those to whom they are due. Therefore, how can justice be said to be administered in those worlds? For instance, it is said that God is merciful and may sometimes waive what is due to Him and grant His pardon, but He does not waive the rights of the people, so they may receive what is justly theirs.

O beloved of my heart! You have asked about a matter that is very abstruse and difficult to explain, for understanding this question depends on understanding and comprehending the days after death and on true knowledge of the Day of Resurrection. Comprehending these two mysteries requires a pure heart and a sanctified ear, and not every ear is worthy of hearing this divine glad tiding. How can the ear that does not hear the blast of the trumpet and the sound of the horn coming from the heaven of this Revelation still hear the singing of the birds? But, since I am compelled to answer your request, I will respond with brevity and limit myself to setting forth certain comparisons and likenesses. There is no power or strength except in God, the Incomparable, the All-Compelling.

I submit, therefore, that whatever is seen and heard in this temporal world, this world of limitations—of every name and description, of every form and attribute—also has a presence and manifestation in every world of the worlds of God suitable to and befitting that world, where it appears and is revealed by another name and description, and in another form with other attributes. The death of things witnessed in this world applies to the form and the body only, not to the reality and the essence. Without a doubt, the realities of things appear in different guises and have diverse manifestations in every world, and countless realities are revealed in every world.

Those mature philosophers who have drunk the choice wine of true understanding have acknowledged the embodiment of deeds. The All-Glorious states: “He will requite them for their [acquired] attributes (wasf).” The Dayspring of the Revelation of the All-Merciful has declared: “The people will be requited for their deeds, with reward being the consequence of good deeds and punishment the consequence of wrongdoing.” It is evident, then, that deeds will be preserved and every [acquired] attribute will continue to exist, so that through the attribute or deed itself requital can be given. Every [acquired] attribute a person possesses and every deed he commits, therefore, will reveal itself and take on a particular form in each world “so that He may requite each soul for what it has done. He, indeed, is swift in calling to account.”

Whenever we desire to make statements and give analogies that are easy to understand and comprehend, in order to explain this theme and expound on the nature of the manifestations of things in the innumerable worlds, I consider no analogy more befitting than that of the dream world. It is said that “sleep is the brother of death,” so may you recognize the brother by the likeness of his brother. Consider how in the world of vision you see certain things, and later while awake in this world, you interpret and explain them by referring to other names, forms, and representations. Then after a lapse of time, something very similar to what you interpreted and explained is witnessed.

Therefore, O my brother, when you dream and see such a thing in the world of vision, it will have another name and attribute there different from that which it has here. Recognize, then, that this same difference in forms applies to the world after death. And know of a certainty that while the reality and the essence are one, the form and the representation will vary.

If you are unable to grasp this theme through your own experience, then refer to the interpretations of the wise among those who interpret dreams, for they have an interpretation for every statement and every action, and for each thing they have an explanation. The most truthful of speakers, in His book, mentions Joseph’s vision (upon him and the Lord of our age be peace) and his interpretation of the dreams of two other individuals. Now consider. What kind of world is that wherein his father and mother are seen as the sun and the moon, and his brothers appear in the form of stars? And what is this world wherein the reverse is seen: the sun and the moon in the form of his father and mother, and the stars in the form of his brothers? He says (exalted be his sovereignty),

“I saw eleven stars, and the sun and the moon; I saw them bowing down before me.”

The interpretation of this vision became clear once Joseph was established upon the throne of glory, and Jacob and Joseph’s eleven brothers prostrated themselves at his feet.

Now, since this question has become established and ascertained, it is evident that the rendering of each due takes place in every world in a manner befitting that world. Otherwise, assuredly the administration of justice could not be fulfilled.

I will set forth another analogy for you that, by this means, you may more easily comprehend the topic of our discourse and realize your aim. Suppose that during the season of spring someone should steal the seeds and grains of another individual and then plant those seeds in his own garden, so that after a time they grow into tender young bushes, and, finally, during the summer season, they are ready for harvest. Then it happens that a just king, during this same summer season, desires to redress the injustice done to the wronged one. What will his course of action be? Will he take steps to replace the lost seeds or grains, or will he return the shrubs themselves with their fruit on them?

Certainly, you would say the bushes, even though this form is not the same as that form, and this name and this attribute are unlike the name and the attribute the seeds had in the spring. Perhaps you would assert that those same seeds and grains no longer exist in the summer season. And assuming they did exist and the very same seeds could be returned, this would provide no benefit or gain to their owner, for the season of spring, which is the time of planting, has already passed, and the seeds and grains would be of no use.

However, it is clearly incorrect to say that the seeds no longer exist and provide no benefit, for in truth and fact, those seeds and grains do exist and have appeared in the form of the bushes and their fruit, which are superior and more valuable.

How often it happens that justice is dispensed in this very world while you remain unaware. Such is the case when one’s adornments and possessions become the cloak of tests and afflictions, and tests and afflictions appear in the form of possessions. Often it happens that the loss of these possessions is the reason and cause for dispelling one’s afflictions. In this case, there is no distinction between losing one’s possessions through spiritual causes and losing them through the oppression of another. Although the oppressor has seized and stolen your property, he has also removed the cause of your affliction and brought it on himself. Is any better method of dispensing justice conceivable? No, by the Lord of the worlds!

Were I to explain and remove the veil from the manifestations of the deeds, acts, and words that appear in limitless and manifold forms in the worlds of God, it is feared, on the one hand, that sanctified souls would forsake their bodies and ascend to the seats of the glory of the All-Merciful; and, on the other, that the wicked and perverse would perish out of fear for what they have committed during their futile lives.

How I long for spiritual attributes, goodly deeds, and truthful and beneficial words! For the outcome of these is an upraised heaven, an outspread earth, rising suns, gleaming moons, scintillating stars, crystal fountains, flowing rivers, gentle breezes, sublime palaces, lofty trees, heavenly fruits, rich harvests, warbling birds, crimson leaves, and perfumed blossoms. Thus I say:

“Protect me, protect me, O my Lord, the All-Merciful, from blameworthy attributes, wicked deeds, unseemly acts, and deceitful and injurious words!”

For the outcome of these is realized in the contingent realm as hell and hellfire, and the infernal and fetid trees, as utter malevolence, loathsome things, sicknesses, misery, pollution, and war and destruction. Great God! To disclose more than this is not permissible. I declare that all majesty and greatness belong to God, the Incomparable, the All- Compelling.

I will present another example from the realm of divine legislation, which corresponds to the world of creation, by referring to the application of religious law. God willing, to the extent you are informed of the divine worlds, you will recognize and understand the metaphorical nature of this world, and will be able to extend it to the limitless worlds. I relate a parable from the religious law of Islam and the law preceding it, of which you are aware and which you acknowledge. Should a Christian, in accordance with religious law and ordinance, owe a jar of wine and a piece of pork to a debtor, and later on both should become Muslims, what course should the deputies of the sacred law follow in order to redress the right of the wronged and requite the overdue debt owed to him? For in Islam, wine and pork are unlawful and have no value, and will yield no benefit to the one to whom they are due. You have no recourse except to say: either they should compensate the creditor with goods that are lawful in Islam, or they should award him its monetary value in conformity with what legal experts consider equitable and fair. Similar judgments in some legal cases are mentioned and recorded in the books of the jurists.

Should I desire it, I could unfold for you many more analogies, both common and abstruse. Through the power of God and His might, I am able to do this. But I refrain from this lest our discourse become protracted and cause you to become weary and inattentive. Thus, I conclude this discourse and give praise to God, who has guided us to recognize His Most Great Name and has acquainted us with that whereof the peoples of the world are unaware.