Volume 103: Akka 1868–1892 year unknown, Part I (3 of 5)

BH00370: This is a remembrance from Us for him who…

Section 1: “This is a remembrance from Us for him…”

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

This is a remembrance from Us for him who hath attained the lights of the Divine Countenance and heard the call of the Wronged One whilst He was in this great Prison. Hearken yet again unto the summons, for it strengthens thee and draweth thee nigh unto God, the Lord of all worlds.

O Siyyid Qabl-Mihdi! We have made mention of thee, caused thee to hear, and disclosed unto thee a bounty from Our presence, that thou mayest give thanks unto thy Lord, the One Who ruleth over whatsoever is in the heavens and on the earth. Say: By God! The dwellers of the Mount have circled round the Manifestation; and when they awoke they exclaimed:

“We bear witness that Thou hast appeared, and hast brought forth what was hidden in the Book and treasured in the hearts of the Messengers.”

Beware lest the turning away of the people—those who have denied the Proof and testimony of God and repudiated this Most Great Announcement—hinder thee.

O Siyyid Qabl-Hashim! When in this very hour the shrill voice of My Pen is raised, the angels and the Spirit descend to hearken to that which hath been sent down from the presence of God, the Lord of all worlds. God hath made this station the place of circumambulation for the Concourse on high, whilst most men remain in heedlessness. They have cast the Book of God behind their backs, clinging instead to the idols that are in their hands. They have broken His Covenant and His Testament; verily, they are, in His perspicuous Book, among the greatest of losers. Where are the ears that they may hear the shrill of the Most Exalted Pen which hath been uplifted in this lofty station? Where are the embodiments of steadfastness, that they may arise to champion this mighty Message? Where are the eyes that they may behold the horizon of the Manifestation in this rank, wherein the Tongue of Grandeur proclaimeth: “The kingdom is God’s, the One, the All-Informed”? Thus have We made mention of thee, even as We made mention of thee aforetime in the gathering. Give thanks, and say: “Praise be unto Thee, O Desire of them that truly know!”

O Hasan! Say: O concourse of deniers from among the people of the Bayan! By what proof have ye believed, and by what evidence have ye turned away from this Cause, through which the ocean of divine knowledge hath surged within the realm of being before the faces of all religions, and the Lote-Tree, planted in the Supreme Paradise, hath cried aloud: “Fear God, O people, and be not of the rejecters”? He for Whom the Books of God in former times gave glad tidings hath indeed come, and of Whose mention the tongues of the Messengers have spoken. O Hasan! Take hold of the Book of God with power. Let not the might of the wrongdoers weaken thee—those who claim faith in the Bayan yet deny its Revealer. Verily, they are among the most abased. The Glory from Our presence rest upon thee and upon thy brother. Remind him, on Our behalf, and give him the glad-tidings of My mercy which hath outstripped every lesser and greater thing.

O Muhammad Qabl-Baqi! By God! The gate of heaven hath been flung open, and the Lord of the Kingdom of Names hath come forth, summoning all unto that which bringeth them near unto Him. Verily, He is the Most Bountiful, the All-Forgiving, the Most Merciful. Hasan—upon him be My glory—hath stood before My face and made mention of thee, whereupon We, in turn, have remembered thee, that thou mayest give thanks unto thy Lord, the All-Powerful, Whom neither the wrong of the wrongdoers hath hindered nor the might of the idolaters made afraid. He arose before all faces and cried:

“O people! Fear God, and be fair in this Announcement whereof Muhammad, the Messenger of God, and, before Him, every faithful Messenger, did give you tidings. He hath come for your salvation and for the rectification of your affairs; verily, He is the All-Powerful, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. Cast aside your idle fancies in the days of your Lord, and then turn with hearts made luminous toward the dawning-place of certitude.”

Thus hath the Tongue of Grandeur spoken in this most exalted station, which God hath made the Greatest Outlook among mankind and hath called, in His wondrous Tablet, by the Most Beauteous Names. Glory be upon thee, and upon him who is named Jawad. We counsel him and those who have believed—through whom their stations have been exalted among the peoples—for he is indeed a sincere counsellor, the All-Knowing.

O Rida! Hearken thou unto My call. By the life of God! Wert thou to hearken unto it as is meet and right, it would uplift thee to a station wherein neither the winds of doubt nor the hints of such as have disbelieved in the Day of Reckoning could stir thee. Give thanks unto God, thy Lord, inasmuch as the Wronged One hath turned His face toward thee from this distant quarter. And when thou beholdest the billows of the ocean of Thy Lord’s mercy and findest the sweet savours of His utterance, then say:

“O my God, my God! Unto Thee be praise for that Thou hast opened the doors of hearts and adorned them with the light of Thy knowledge, and unto Thee be thanksgiving, O Lord of Names, for that Thou hast made mention of Thy loved ones in Thy prison, before Thy servants who heed Thee not. O Lord! By the breezes of the dawn of Thy Manifestation, whereby the dwellers of the graves have arisen at Thy command, make me firm in Thy love, that the doubts of the people and the allusions of them that have denied Thy Cause and repudiated Thy bounty may not withhold me. Verily, Thou art the All-Powerful, the All-Subduing, the Self-Subsistent.”

O Zayn al-Ábidin! The Wronged One maketh mention of thee at this moment with that which draweth thee nigh unto the City of Baha, in whose very atoms are heard the words: sovereignty, power, might and choice. Unto God, the Desire of the sincere, be all praise, whenever thou hearest the shrilling of the Pen of the All-Glorious. Say:

“O my God, my God! Unto Thee be praise, inasmuch as Thou hast strengthened me to recognize Him Who hath manifested Himself for the quickening of Thy servants and for their preservation from whatsoever debarreth them from drawing nigh unto Thee, from holding fast unto Thy cord and clinging to the hem of Thy bounty. O Lord! Thou beholdest the hungry at the gate of the kingdom of Thy grace, the thirsty before the Euphrates of Thy mercy, and the poor beneath the shadow of the canopies of Thy favour. I entreat Thee, by the ocean of Thy knowledge and the heaven of Thy bounty, to make me, in all conditions, one who speaketh Thy praise, gazeth toward Thy horizon, and is well-pleased with what Thy Pen of decree hath ordained. Verily, Thou art He Who, by His word Be’, bringeth all things into being.”

O Ghulam Qabl-Husayn! The Kingdom of the Kingdom hath descended, yet the people perceive it not. The Realm of Might calleth aloud, but men lend not an ear. The Mother Book speaketh, and the Mother of the Bayan lamenteth, and yet most of the people understand not. He at Whose behest the ocean of divine knowledge hath surged throughout the realm of being, at Whose command the orb of the Bayan hath risen from the horizon of proof, and by Whose revelation the verses have been sent down and the clear tokens made manifest—Him have the people denied, for that they have followed idle fancies and vain imaginings. Say: Were it not for the Glory—Baha—of Him Who hath manifested the Cause in the mortal world of creation; of Him Who speaketh before the faces of princes and divines; of Him Who sendeth down that which maketh the very limbs of those who disbelieved in God, the Lord of the unseen and the seen, to quake and tremble—were it not for this Baha, how would the truth of the Cause be made known? The Glory from Our presence be upon thee and upon thy brother. Magnify him on Our behalf, and remind him of this mighty, wondrous Cause.

O Ahmad! Is there any soul who will renounce all save God and lay hold of that which hath been enjoined in this irrevocable Tablet? Is there one who will arise to make mention of the Wronged One, severed from all that are on earth? Is there any of might whom the doubts of the people of the Bayan—those who have turned away from God, the Lord of existence—shall not weaken? If thou drinkest the Kawthar of My utterance, traced by My Pen, then say:

“O my God, my God! I entreat Thee by Thy might, Thy protection, Thy greatness and Thy power, to guard me from the mischief of the doubts of Thine enemies—those who have denied Thy proof and Thy testimony, turned away from Thy signs that have encompassed the world, and disbelieved in Thy Manifestation, Thy rising and Thy sovereignty. Verily, Thou art powerful to do what Thou wilt. There is no God but Thee, the All-Forgiving, the Tender.”

O Muhammad! The cloud of bounty longeth to pour upon thee the showers of wisdom and utterance, that it may cleanse thee from all else but Me and draw thee nigh unto Mine own Self through such steadfastness as shall not suffer thee to be hindered by the doubts of them that have turned away and disbelieved in God, the Lord of the Kingdom. When thou dost inhale the fragrances of My utterance, then say:

“O my God, my God! Unto Thee be praise, inasmuch as Thou hast given me to drink, from the hand of Thy bounty, the chalice of Thy knowledge, and hast guided me to the dawning-place of Thy recognition, the day-spring of Thy Cause and the Manifestation of Thine own Self. I beseech Thee, O Lord of existence and King of the unseen and the seen, to inscribe for me, with Thy Most Exalted Pen, that which will make me steadfast upon Thy straight Path, one who speaketh Thy praise and standeth before Thy servants in Thy service. O my God! I, who was in truth non-existent, Thou by Thy grace hast brought into being, through Thy favour, Thy might and Thy power. I beseech Thee that Thou wilt not deprive me, in Thy days, of that which Thou hast ordained for Thy chosen ones. Verily, Thou art the All-Powerful, the Mighty, the Loving.”

Section 2: “O Ramadan-Qabl-ʿAli! Verily the Trumpet-blast hath been raised…”

O Ramadan-Qabl-ʿAli! Verily the Trumpet-blast hath been raised, the Path hath been set up, the Balance hath been established, the Book hath been sent down and the Cause made manifest, and yet most of the people have disbelieved, denied, turned away and cavilled. They have uttered against this Wronged One that which no oppressor hath ever spoken, and wrought that which no Pharaoh nor tyrant of the earth ever wrought. Say:

“O my God, my God! Unto Thee be praise for having vouchsafed unto me the bounty of Thy verses and the Table spread from Thy heaven, and for having sent down to me that which none of the things of Thy earth can match. O my Lord! Thou beholdest me turning toward Thee and setting my face unto Thy horizon. I entreat Thee by Thy Will and Thy Desire, and by those stations that were honoured by Thy coming, to ordain for me that which shall profit me in the life to come and in this first life. Verily, Thou art the Lord of all that are; there is no God but Thee, the True One, the Knower of things unseen.”

Say: O My Most Exalted Pen! Make mention of him who is named Abu’l-Qasim in the Book of God, the Lord of all the worlds, that he may rejoice and give thanks unto his Lord, the Compassionate, the Gracious. The call hath been raised, the dawning-place of the Names hath appeared, while the people are sunk in manifest doubt. They have turned away from Him Who hath come from the horizon of grace with a mighty proof; they have denied the testimony of God and His Cause, for that they have walked in the footsteps of the evil-doers. If thou drinkest the wine of Revelation and hearest the call, then say:

“Unto Thee be praise, O Lord of all that are and King of earth and heaven, for having guided me to Thy straight Path and made mention of me in Thy Most Great Prison, when I was amidst Thy heedless servants. I entreat Thee by the Lamp of Thy Cause, which the winds have encompassed from every side, to make me steadfast in Thy Cause, holding fast to Thy cord and severed from all save Thee. Verily, Thou art powerful to do what Thou wilt. There is no God but Thee, the All-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.”

O Pen! Make mention of him who is named Usta Haji, that he may hearken to Thy call from the quarter of My prison, make mention of Me and My praise amongst My servants, and be of them that rejoice. By the life of God! The Wronged One maketh mention of thee at a time when sorrows have encompassed Him because of those who have denied the proof and testimony of God, and turned away from that Countenance unto which the faces of the chosen and the holy have been directed. Thus have their souls prompted them; and to-day they are sunk in vain imaginings. Take thou the Book with power! Let not the doubts of the idolaters—such as have broken the Covenant, clinging to what is in their hands of the idle fancies of the suspicious—keep thee back. The Glory from Our presence be upon the people of Baha—those whom naught in the realm of being, nor aught that hath been created in this world, hath been able to withhold. These are they whose station God hath described in the Qayyumu’l-Asma’. Blessed is he who hath known their rank and attained to their service, and woe betide the heedless!

O Muhammad-Baqir! In this hour the Wronged One of the world maketh mention of thee, that haply thou mayest attain unto the Most Great Steadfastness, in such wise that the doubts of the people of rancour and lewdness shall not shut thee out from the Supreme Horizon. Shouldst thou meet such as, from among the people of the Bayan, have turned away, say unto them that in establishing this Cause he is in need of no other proof. Is not His own Word, and the verses and clear tokens revealed from His presence, the supreme testimony? Fear God, and be not of the wrong-doers. Hold fast unto this exalted word which flowed from the tongue of the Herald. He saith—and I have caused its gem to be recorded in his remembrance—that in the Day of His Manifestation, this one (the Bab) shall not be consulted by His own indication, nor by aught that hath been mentioned in the Bayan, and that in one station He declareth: “Beware, beware in the Day of His coming lest thou be veiled by the leaves of the Bayan; for all these were created at His behest.”

And again: “Beware, beware lest thou be veiled by the words sent down in the Bayan…” and so on, until His blessed saying: “By the extinction of the Point, to-day the acceptance of this Wronged One is made the very hinge upon which the mission of all the Messengers dependeth. No soul should suffer himself to be veiled, by what is in the Bayan, from Him Who sent it down and from its Revealer—for all the Bayan is but His mention, and a single leaf among the leaves of the Kingdom of His utterance.” From God, exalted be His glory, I beseech that He may make thee steadfast in such wise that the doubts of heedless souls shall not affect thee nor become a veil between thee and Him. Verily, He is the All-Powerful, the All-Seeing.

O Husayn! Upon thee be My glory. We are faithful to the promise; and We have effaced the names that were mentioned, each one of whom hath attained unto the writings of God. Give thanks, and say:

“Unto Thee be praise, O Desire of the world! Unto Thee be thanksgiving, O Glory of all who are in the heavens and on the earth!”

Say to the deniers of the Point: If but a single verse be manifested, deny it not! Behold, all the heavenly Books have been sent down, and yet the deniers have uttered that which no tyrant hath ever uttered, and have wrought that which the Pharaohs and the despots of the earth never wrought. Beseech thou God to purify the hearts from the doubts of the suspicious and the insinuations of the clamorous, that they may become worthy of the effulgent splendours of the lights of the Most Great Luminary. Verily, He is powerful over all things.

At this juncture We make mention of him who is called ʿAbdu’l-Husayn, that the breezes of remembrance may draw him and bring him nigh unto God, the All-Subduing, the Self-Subsisting. Magnify him, and My loved ones there, with praises. We have made mention of those who have turned their faces to this Countenance, with verses that have attracted hearts and souls alike. Say: O company of God! This is the Day of remembrance, of praise, and of service unto the Cause. Strive that, for the sake of a few fleeting days, ye be not debarred from the eternal, heavenly Kingdom of your Lord.

We make mention of thy wife, and give her glad-tidings of the loving care of God, the Lord of existence. O My handmaid! My call hath been raised in the Most Exalted Horizon, and the Tongue of Grandeur proclaimeth:

“The kingdom is God’s, the Lord of whatsoever hath been and shall be.”

How many a people hath been kept back from drawing nigh, and how many a nation hath come forward and attained unto the knowledge of God, the Mighty, the Loving. We make mention of thy sister as well, and give her glad-tidings in that We have remembered her. Blessed is she, and every community that hath attained unto the knowledge of God in the promised Day.

The Glory from Our presence rest upon those who have not broken My Covenant, who have not denied My love and My proof, who have hearkened unto My verses and taken hold of My Book with power, whom neither the scriptures of the world nor the clamour of them that have disbelieved in the testimony of God, the Lord of the unseen and the seen, have been able to withhold.

BH00374: My spirit and heart be a sacrifice unto thee!…

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

My spirit and heart be a sacrifice unto thee! Thy gracious letter hath reached this lowly servant, and I have attained unto that which the dove of love for our Lord, the Mighty, the Invincible, warbled upon the twigs of its letters and the branches of its words. I have heard the sighs of the fire of thy longing in separation from the Beloved of all horizons. O what a spirit is that fire from which the lights of hearts are made manifest, and by which the lamps of love are kindled in the hearts and breasts, as though it were ignited in the tree of the heart, proclaiming at every moment that there is no God but Him, the Inaccessible, the Mighty, the Most Glorious.

The blessed letter, which was the breath of life itself, bestowed new life and granted boundless spirit, for it was perfumed with the fragrance of the garment of the love of the Beloved. Praise be to God that the sweet-scented breezes from the Ridvan of the mention of the Countenance of Glory and Majesty continually waft from the direction of sanctified hearts and pure souls, and the banners of steadfastness and constancy are raised upon the mountains of hearts and minds. We beseech Him, exalted be He, to extend these musk-laden spiritual breezes through winds that pass over the Ridvan of His glorious and beloved Name, that all created things may be perfumed by these fragrant missives, and all birds may warble in the atmosphere of meanings and utterance. Verily, there is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Glorious, the All-Bountiful.

After the blessed letter was presented before the Most Holy and Luminous Countenance, the Sun of inexhaustible grace dawned and shone forth from the horizon of the favor of the Lord of creation upon that essence of faithfulness, and the water of divine mercy flowed from the right hand of the Celestial Throne. Well is it with thee, for the glances of holiness and the gaze of nearness have been directed towards thee, and the Tongue of Grandeur hath spoken thy name, and the Pen of Power hath moved for thy sake. A Tablet of transcendent glory hath been specifically sent down from the heaven of loftiness and majesty. We beseech God to grant thee the bounty of attaining His presence and contemplating Him.

God willing, they should, through divine grace, be engaged at all times in rendering assistance to the Cause of God. For the sake of God, they should guide people to the Ancient Law. The Tongue of God hath ever proclaimed this word: It behooveth the sincere ones among the loved ones of God to nurture, with utmost kindliness and compassion, the frozen earth with the water of oneness, that there may grow from it that which God hath purposed for it. They should not consider that some are dormant or remote from the Fountain of nearness. They should awaken every soul through goodly exhortations and exert mighty efforts to unite the hearts of the loved ones of God. This matter hath been greatly emphasized, for all have ever been commanded to manifest love and unity. Nevertheless, certain matters are heard which are not pleasing in the sight of God. The world is not worthy of attention, such that it should cause conflict and contention among the loved ones. Ye must surely give attention to this matter.

It hath been revealed by the divine Pen that in every city several souls should gather specifically to consult about teaching God’s Cause, determining what manner is most advisable and proceeding accordingly. Wondrous and sublime utterances have been specifically revealed from the Court of Divine Unity regarding this matter. God willing, they shall be sent later, for this is the most important of all matters. Likewise, it hath been revealed from the Divine Throne that it is necessary to guide, with wisdom and goodly counsel, any of the kindred who have remained distant from the Fountain of Grace and are occupied with worldly desires and passions, and also those souls who were within the Bayan but later became veiled by veils, for God desireth that none of these souls should remain deprived. Verily, He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.

Furthermore, it would be most praiseworthy if souls would, purely for the sake of God, proceed to various regions such as Gilan and other places to teach His Cause. However, the teachers must possess those qualities which have been set forth in the Arabic treatise on conduct revealed by the Pen of God in Iraq. The purpose is that these souls should walk for God, in God, and towards God.

The Divine Command hath issued that the loved ones of God should walk among men with the character of Truth. As can be seen, the greater the afflictions and the more severe the calamities that befell Us, the more firmly did We engage in the promotion of the Cause. Thus did We send forth the Call in the form of a Tablet unto the Pole of all lands, even unto him whom We desired, and all who are in the heavens and on earth were thunderstruck save whom thy Lord willed. Yet in all circumstances wisdom must be observed, and one must deal with people with kindness and compassion, for they are weak. Had they known, they would have circled round the Countenance. The heedless must have a wise counselor—such is God’s decree. All must be seen in complete humility and must, in truth, gird up their loins to serve. Had people heeded the counsels of the Pen of the Divine Command, ye would have beheld all on earth illumined with the lights of guidance and adorned with the Most Glorious Beauty.

No sooner had some measure of tranquility been established in the land than certain ignorant ones in every city laid claim to divinity. Thus from the year when the Most Great Light dawned above the horizon of Iraq until now, numerous souls have cast aside piety and raised the standards of rebellion and transgression. These souls have caused upheaval and revolution in the lands. Ere long ye shall witness that from every land a calf will raise its call. All this We foretold at the time of Our departure from Iraq. Observe how the previous Manifestation informed all peoples of this Most Great Manifestation, even as the son of Zachariah heralded the Son of Mary. They have emphasized this to such a degree that they have said that should anyone speak His verses, none would deny Him.

It is quite clear that they would not have uttered such words and their like except after having knowledge of this Most Great Manifestation; otherwise such words would never have been sent down from the heaven of the Divine Command. For it is observed that most people have spoken words and thereby followed the path of pride and arrogance, and were not and shall never be mentioned before God. They have regarded the Cause of God as futile and have not reflected that were God’s Cause to be of this nature, it would never become firmly established.

In brief, the Primal Point—may the spirit of all else be sacrificed for Him—in those days, in view of the existence of this Manifestation and Its dawning, concluded the entire Bayan with this Most Great Remembrance, lest the people of the Bayan be debarred from the All-Merciful. Otherwise, no previous Manifestation had ever foretold a subsequent Manifestation in such manner. If the intention of the Point of the Bayan were what people have understood, then since most people speak verses according to their own fancy, all of them should be true. Any person of understanding would realize how far these people are from the fountain of knowledge and how they have failed to grasp the meaning. By My life! That Point of existence had no purpose except to exalt this Divine Word. Some time ago, the most ignorant of men came with two others like himself from Iran to the great city and, according to his fancy, uttered verses and made claims. He is but in manifest loss and error. God willing, the loved ones of Truth must protect the Sanctified House from the heedless hosts of the ungodly and must counsel the pretenders.

The Kitab-i-Badi’, which hath been revealed from the Source of Divine Revelation through the tongue of one of the loved ones, should be studied assiduously and promulgated among the servants of God, that perchance they may turn from the path of passion unto the way of guidance, and from the heights of vainglory may seek refuge in the depths of humility and submission.

It is evident that this Prisoner hath forsaken comfort, glory, prosperity, life itself and the like for the life of the world, and hath shown no compromise with anyone on earth in the Cause of God, much less with others. Now must all unite to exalt this all-embracing Word and, with the utmost diligence and wisdom, engage in teaching God’s Cause with prudence and forbearance. We beseech God to aid them in this. By My life! Were they to become aware of this Revelation and its sovereignty, they would be thunderstruck, let alone draw nigh unto it. Most are ignorant to this day. None hath recognized the divine Tree and its sovereignty, majesty and power, save whom thy Lord willeth. Therefore an expounder is needed. God willing, ye must occupy yourselves with serving the Cause in a manner that befitteth and beseemeth it. We beseech God to make thee a key to unlock the doors of hearts and minds, and to aid thee to assist His Cause. He, verily, is the Mighty, the Powerful. Thus hath the Tongue of Grandeur spoken.

Likewise was revealed from the right hand of the Throne: O Ali! From the day that the designated Tablet, which hath been named the Cry, the Hour, and the Trump, was sent forth, the idolaters and deniers have arisen with utmost scheming and plotting. Though outwardly nothing is apparent, thy Lord verily is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. With utmost determination they have sought and continue to seek the Ancient Beauty. In these days, each day witnesseth a fresh occurrence in this land. By the truth of God, never hath there been, nor shall there ever be, any grief from these matters and whatsoever hath occurred before or shall occur hereafter. With such joy doth the Ancient Beauty sit upon the Most Great Throne that were but a whiff thereof to waft over the inhabitants of earth, all would perish from delight, gladness and ecstasy. However, the grief is that the servants are weak, and the Truth, out of kindness and mercy, summoneth them to the ultimate destination through an ocean of tribulations and ordeal, yet these veiled souls perceive it not.

O Ali! Exert your utmost effort and protect the edifice of the Cause from the thieves. Consider the physical house: if its guardians be overcome by sleep, surely thieves will enter, but if the guardians remain vigilant in their protection and guard, they shall never gain access. Now it behooveth the sincere ones among the loved ones of God to exercise the utmost endeavor and protect God’s Cause and His edifice from the thieves. Many a thief appeareth in the guise of a guardian. Be ye vigilant and be not of the heedless. Say: Stand guard at the gate, then drive away the evil ones with the flame of the mention of My Name, the Mighty, the Impregnable.

And regarding the names that were mentioned, they were presented before the Throne, and supreme loving-kindness hath shone forth from the Dayspring of the Cause specifically for each one, and the Tongue of Grandeur specifically uttered these words: “The glory of God be upon them.” However, in these days, due to the severity of circumstances, the sending of Tablets is forbidden. Yet I hope they will be revealed from the Most Holy Court and dispatched. Verily, He is powerful over all things.

Concerning what you wrote about Nabil, upon him be the glory of God, the Sovereign, the Mighty, the Glorious—it brought much joy and gladness, for he is among those souls who spent time in the presence of the Throne. Few are the souls who have attained to that which he hath attained. By the truth of Truth, this servant was much perplexed and saddened regarding his situation, for there had been perfect fellowship and intimacy with him. I greatly regretted the delay in mentioning him. Praise be to God that after the arrival of your letter, sorrow was transformed into joy. We beseech God to assist him to make mention of Him, enable him to serve Him, and make him a champion of His Cause among the worlds.

Convey infinite expressions of devotion and most glorious, most exalted greetings from this evanescent one to Aqa Muhammad Hasan, his brother—upon them both be the glory of the All-Merciful. I once heard specific mention of him from the Tongue of Grandeur, and from that time until now, mention of him hath remained in the heart of this evanescent one.

As for what you wrote concerning the loved ones throughout the inhabited earth, that all are steadfast in their love for God, the Most Glorious—God willing, through your endeavors and influence, they should be aflame at all times. Convey infinite greetings to all from this evanescent one.

Regarding what you wrote about the daughter of His Name the Luminous—upon him be the glory of God, the Most Glorious—although that sanctified soul, upon him be the breezes of intimacy, requested that she be counted among the servants of the Most Holy House, this servant specifically presented this matter before the Presence:

“It behooveth that she be taken by one who turneth unto God, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy.”

Thus was the matter decreed by the Pen of Wisdom, and the sun of permission shone forth from the horizon of thy Lord’s utterance, the Most High, the Great.

Convey wondrous and sublime greetings specifically to the honored father and mother—upon them both be the mercy of God, His blessings, His grace and His loving-kindness—and likewise to the family members, upon them be the glory of God, His remembrance, the radiance of God, His lights. And the spirit, glory and splendor be upon you, O people of Baha and His loved ones. May the spirit of the servant of Baha be a sacrifice for you.

BH00375: Praise be to God Who hath sent down…

Section 1: “Praise be to God Who hath sent down…”

He is the Present One, He is the All-Seeing One!

Praise be to God Who hath sent down the verses and manifested the clear proofs and caused all things to speak of His remembrance and praise. He it is Who revealed the Books and sent forth the Messengers as a grace from His presence, and made them guides for all people and lamps of guidance and success. Through them the clouds poured forth their rain and the earth yielded its fruits, and there appeared what had been hidden in His knowledge and stored in the treasuries of His protection. We bear witness that there is none other God but Him, acknowledging His oneness and confessing His singleness. He hath ever been in the heights of power, might and majesty, and will ever abide in the exaltation of glory, grandeur and magnificence. There is none other God but Him, the Self-Sufficient, the Most High.

And peace, shining forth from the horizon of the heaven of His bounty, be upon His loved ones who were not held back by the veils of the world from turning unto the Most Great Name, and whom the might of nations did not frighten. They turned with illumined hearts and radiant faces toward the supreme horizon and uttered that which the Tongue of Grandeur had uttered before the creation of all things:

“Verily, there is none other God but Him, the One, the Single, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.”

O people of God! The Wronged One remembereth you from the precincts of the Prison and calleth you unto God, the Lord of the worlds. He remembereth you with what hath been revealed from His Most Exalted Pen and giveth you glad tidings of what hath been ordained for you from the presence of a mighty and ancient Lord. Hearken unto the call from the precincts of the Prison, from the Lote-Tree planted in the land of saffron, from the presence of the Most Merciful: Verily, there is none other God but Him, the One, the Single, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. Beware lest the veils of humanity hold you back from the Lord of the Throne and Earth, or the conditions of those who have denied the Day of Judgment cause you grief. Ye are the hands of His Cause amongst His servants and the standards of guidance in His lands. Know your stations, holding fast to the grace of God, the Forgiving, the Generous. This is the Day which was announced in God’s Books of old and of which every trusted Messenger gave tidings.

O people of God! We counsel you with that whereby the Cause of God shall be exalted among His servants and your stations shall be made manifest among the peoples. Verily, He is the Sincere Counsellor, the Compassionate, the Merciful. Take hold of the Book of God with the power granted by Him and follow not the desires of those who have turned to the daysprings of idle fancies, turning away from His straight path. This is He Who hath come with the Kingdom of Utterance from the presence of the Most Merciful. Fear God and be not of the heedless. Blessed is the soul that hath attained unto My knowledge, soared in My atmosphere, and held fast unto My strong cord. That which was promised in the Books of God and concealed in His all-encompassing knowledge hath appeared. Every secret hath been revealed and the ocean of knowledge hath surged among all possibilities. Exalted is the Most Merciful, the Manifestation of this mighty Message.

O ʿAli-Qabl-i-Muhammad! Hearken unto the Voice of the Wronged One, and remind His loved ones of that which hath been sent down from the heaven of the Will of their Lord, the Master of this wondrous Day. Say: The Kawthar of life hath flowed from the Pen of the All-Merciful. Draw ye nigh, O people, and be not of the heedless ones. Beware lest anything whatsoever debar you from the Lord of Names. Cast away your idle fancies. By God! The horizon of the heaven of utterance hath been illumined with the light of certitude. This is a Day wherein naught shall profit you save this Name, at Whose appearance all names have bowed down in submission, whereupon the limbs of every heedless and remote one have quaked.

O people! Deprive not yourselves of the breezes of the days of your Lord, the Mighty, the Great. The ocean of knowledge hath surged, and the luminary of proof hath shone forth from the horizon of the Will of your Lord, the Mighty, the All-Knowing. My Most Exalted Pen beareth witness that thou hast turned towards God, the Lord of Names and Creator of the heavens, and traversed land and sea until thou didst arrive at a place wherein the remembrance of God, the Lord of all who are in the heavens and on earth, was exalted, and didst attain the presence of the Wronged One, and didst hear His call, and didst succeed in reaching a horizon from which the Sun of utterance hath shone forth by the command of One Who is the Mighty, the Ancient of Days.

Thou wert present, and didst hear, and didst witness that which the divines and theologians of Persia were prevented from attaining. Thus have We expounded the verses unto thee that thou mayest know and be of the thankful ones. Say:

My God, my God! Praise be unto Thee for having strengthened me, and made me to know Thee, and caused me to hear and to see, and brought me near until I stood before the gate of Thy bounty and grace, and attained unto that which most of Thy servants were deprived of. O Lord! The light of Thy countenance drew me, and the fragrances of Thy Revelation seized me, and separation from Thee weakened me, until Thou didst bring me into Thy presence, and gave me to drink, and provided me with that which was inscribed by Thy Most Exalted Pen in Thy Books and Tablets. O Lord! I beseech Thee by Thy Most Great Signs, and Thy manifestations in the kingdom of creation, and by the waves of the ocean of Thy utterance amidst all possibilities, and the effulgences of the sun of Thy proof upon all religions, that Thou deprive me not from attaining Thy presence and standing before the throne of Thy grandeur. Then write down for me, O my God, that which Thou hast written for Thy chosen ones and Thy loved ones, whom neither the might of kings deterred from turning to Thy Kingdom, nor the clamor of the peoples prevented from facing the light of Thy dominion.

My God, my God! Thou seest me clinging to Thee, holding fast to the hem of the robe of Thy grace, turning to Thy horizon, and speaking Thy praise. I beseech Thee by the lights of Thy countenance to assist me to be steadfast in Thy love in such wise that neither the doubts of Thy servants nor the signs of those in the lands shall prevent me from drawing nigh unto Thee and circling round Thy throne. My God, my God! I know of a certainty that Thou didst create me to know Thee and to exalt Thy Word and to arise to serve Thy Cause. I beseech Thee in all conditions, O Thou the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious, not to deprive me of that for which Thou didst create me, and nurture me for its days, and strengthen me to turn unto it.

By Thy might, O God of Names and Creator of heaven! Nothing in the world gladdens me save the manifestations of Thy grace, the tokens of Thy loving-kindness, the signs of Thy mercy, and the evidences of Thy bounty and tenderness. I beseech Thee, O Lord of Eternity and Sovereign of the world, by Thy Most Great Name, to ordain for me all the good Thou hast sent down in Thy Book. Verily, Thou art He Whom nothing whatsoever can frustrate, nor can the Daysprings of Names render powerless. Thou doest what Thou pleasest through Thy sovereignty and ordainest what Thou willest through Thy power.

O Lord! I beseech Thee by the fire in the hearts of Thy lovers and the light of the countenance of Thy sincere ones to forgive me and my father whom Thou hast caused to attain unto the station Thou didst ordain for him. O Lord! Purify him through that which hath flowed from the Pen of Thy grace. I testify that Thy forgiveness hath encompassed all created things and Thy mercy hath preceded all contingent beings. O Lord! This is a day whereon the ocean of forgiveness hath surged before Thy face and the clouds of bounty have rained the showers of generosity and bestowal upon the hearts of Thy chosen ones. I beseech Thee not to deprive him of the effulgences of the lights of Thy generosity. Verily, Thou art He to Whose generosity all things have testified. There is none other God but Thee, the All-Bountiful, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Generous.

O Ali-Muhammad! Give thanks to God for this supreme bounty! The Wronged One hath turned toward thee from His Most Great Prison and given thee tidings of that which all the treasures of earth and all that the kings and rulers possess cannot equal. Give thanks to God by night and by day, then make mention of Him at all times. He hath aided thee to turn unto Him and hath made thee know His straight and manifest path. Take thou the garment of utterance to the loved ones of the All-Merciful, that they may discover from it the fragrance of the bounty of their Ancient Lord, the All-Bountiful. Verily He will aid them and will acquaint them with that which most of mankind hath been prevented from knowing. To this beareth witness the Truth, the Speaking, the Manifest One.

Section 2: “Make mention of Ha before Sin—upon…”

Make mention of Ha before Sin—upon him be My glory and the loving-kindness of God, the Lord of the worlds. Say: Thou wast mentioned before the Wronged One in the Most Great Prison and hast attained that whose fragrance shall endure as long as the Most Beautiful Names of God and His supreme attributes endure. To this testifieth every discerning one. Blessed art thou for having turned unto a station from which the people have turned aside, though they were created to serve His manifest Cause. They awaited My days through centuries and ages, yet when the appointed time came and I revealed Myself, they denied Me, rejected My verses and turned away from My proof, until they pronounced sentence to shed My blood with such injustice as caused the Supreme Paradise and the dwellers of this exalted station to lament.

Hear thou the call, time and again, from the Supreme Pen: Verily there is none other God but Him, the Speaking, the All-Wise. Be thou steadfast in the service of My Cause and vocal in My praise with the wisdom We have sent down in the Holy Books and Tablets. Hold thou fast unto it in all conditions, as bidden by the Mighty, the Bestower. Let not the intimations and the power of princes sadden thee. Hold fast unto the cord of the loving-kindness of thy Lord, the Master of all creation. Soon shall the world and all thou seest today perish, and there shall endure for thee that which hath been ordained by the Pen of God, the Lord of Lords.

When thou hast attained unto My verses and found the breezes of revelation, say: Praise be unto Thee, O Lord of Names, for having mentioned me while Thou wert wronged at the hands of them that disbelieved in God when He came with power and sovereignty. Verily He will be with thee and will help thee through His grace, and He is the Mighty, the All-Bountiful.

We have found the fragrance of thy love and thy turning unto Him, and thy humility and submissiveness. We have mentioned thee in verses that shall not be effaced throughout centuries and ages. We beseech God to aid thee, make thee successful, and grant thee the blessing of His presence. Verily He is powerful over whatsoever He willeth. There is none other God but Him, the One, the Chosen One. Thou didst desire to attain the presence of the Wronged One, having been seized by the breezes of revelation in the days of thy Lord, the Self-Sufficient, the Most High. Give thanks unto God for having illumined the horizon of permission with the sun of acceptance from thy Lord, the Almighty, the Mighty, the Bestower. Fix thy gaze upon the horizon of wisdom, as bidden by thy Lord, the Master of the Day of Return.

We make mention of thy mother and give her the glad tidings of God’s favors and bounty. Convey unto her face greetings from the Wronged One. Verily, He is the Protector of every servant who hath believed and every maidservant who hath turned towards the Dayspring of Lights. O My handmaiden and My leaf! Glorify thy Lord with praise, then make mention of Him at eventide and at dawn. Verily, He hath made mention of thee with a mention before which all mention hath bowed down in humility. Say: Praise be unto Thee, O my God, for having awakened me through the breezes of Thy Revelation and enabled me to turn towards Thee, O Lord of Lords! I beseech Thee not to withhold from me that which Thy Most Exalted Pen hath ordained for Thy handmaidens who have turned towards Thee in days when most of the inhabitants of the land turned away from Thee.

O thou who gazest upon the Countenance! The Sun of loving-kindness hath shone forth upon thee once again, as We desired to make mention of thy wife, whose mention was made before the Wronged One, Who hath called the people unto God, the Lord of all men. O My handmaiden! Hearken unto My call. Verily, He hath made mention of thee with a mention whose fragrance shall endure throughout the duration of thy Lord’s kingdom, the Subduer of winds. We beseech God to aid thee and draw thee nigh unto Him at all times, and to ordain for thee through His Most Exalted Pen the best of the hereafter and of this world. Verily, He is the One with power over whatsoever He willeth. There is none other God but He, the Mighty, the All-Forgiving.

O name of Ha and Sin! We have desired to make mention of thy son, whom We mentioned before as a token of Our grace, and I am the Mighty, the Compelling. We beseech Him, exalted be He, to strengthen thee and enable thee to remember and praise Him, and to ordain for thee that which befitteth His grace and bounty. Verily, He is the Almighty, the Guardian over those who are in the heavens and on earth.

And We make mention of thy daughter who hath attained the honor of serving thee in the days of God, the Manifestor of clear proofs. O My leaf! The Wronged One hath turned toward thee from the precincts of the Prison and calleth thee with the most exalted call and summoneth thee unto God, the Dayspring of verses. Blessed is the leaf that hath clung to the Tree of Proof, and the servant who hath held fast to the cord of God, the Lord of all religions.

And We make mention of thy other daughter and give her the glad tidings of My loving-kindness which hath encompassed the horizons. We beseech Him, exalted be He, to enable her and ordain for her that which shall profit her in every world among the worlds of her Lord, the Illuminator of lights. And We make mention of My loved ones whom the doubts of the people have not prevented from God, the Guardian, the Self-Subsisting.

This is a day whereon all things have spoken forth:

“The appointed time hath come, and that which was hidden in God’s knowledge, the Lord of existence, hath been made manifest.”

O people of God! His mercy hath preceded you as a bounty from God, the Lord of the seen and unseen. Verily, He hath aided you and drawn you nigh until He caused you to recognize the ocean of His knowledge and the heaven of His grace and the sun of His generosity, the Guardian over what was and what shall be. Nothing whatsoever escapeth Him. He doeth what He willeth by His sovereignty, and He is the Truth, the Knower of things unseen. Not an atom’s weight in the heavens or in the earth escapeth His knowledge. With Him is the knowledge of all things in a Preserved Tablet. Take ye the chalice of salvation in the name of your Lord, the Creator of all things, then drink ye therefrom in defiance of those who have disbelieved in the Witness and the Witnessed.

By God! The verses have been sent down and the signs have appeared, yet the people do not understand. Rejoice in the loving-kindness of your Lord and say: Unto Thee be praise and glory, O Lord of Names, for having enabled us to recognize the Dawning-Place of Thy Revelation and guided us to Thy path and drawn us nigh until Thou didst cause us to hear Thy most sweet call which hath been raised betwixt earth and heaven. We beseech Thee not to disappoint us of that which is with Thee. Verily, Thou art the Almighty, the All-Loving, the All-Forgiving. The splendor shining forth from the horizon of the heaven of My dominion be upon you, O My loved ones, and upon those whom neither ranks nor hosts have deterred from turning to the Praiseworthy Spot.

O name of Ha and Sin, upon thee be My glory! We make mention, at the end of the Book, of thy sister whose days in this world have come to an end, and who remained subject to the will of her Lord, the Sovereign of the Kingdom of Names and the Ruler of all humanity. We beseech Him, exalted be He, to forgive her and purify her from the defilement of this world, as a token of His grace. He, verily, is the All-Powerful, the Mighty, the All-Loving. Rejoice, O My handmaiden, in that the Tongue of Grandeur hath made mention of thee in this spot round which circle them that are nigh unto God. We beseech Him to ordain for thee what He hath ordained in the Most Exalted Paradise. He, verily, is the One Who has power over whatsoever He willeth through His word “Be” and it is. The glory be upon thee and upon those handmaidens who have believed in God, the Lord of the Unseen and the Seen.

BH00380: Praise be to God Who hath taught the art…

Section 1: “Praise be to God Who hath taught…”

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

Praise be to God Who hath taught the art of exposition through the mysteries of truth, caused to flow from the Pen the symbols of knowledge and wisdom, and clothed in the raiment of manifestation that which lay concealed within existence. We praise Him with such praise as hath adorned the preamble of the Primal Book and caused to shine forth from the Daysprings of Reality the effulgences of the First Creation, whereby the receptacles of being were immersed in the depths of revelation and witness, and the essences of things accepted the limitations of multiplicity, and after testing and trial ascended unto the heights of understanding and knowledge, forsaking their determined limitations and soaring unto the heaven of sanctity on wings of detachment.

And blessings and peace be upon the Guarded Mystery, the Hidden Symbol, and the Treasured Secret, Who in every world among the worlds of God, the Mighty, the Exalted, is called by one of the names of glory and majesty, and in every station is described by one of the attributes of grandeur and magnificence—He Who was honored by the address “But for thee, I would not have created the celestial spheres,” and Who was adorned with the words “When thou didst throw, it was not thou who threw, but God who threw.” And peace be upon His family and companions, an everlasting, eternal, ancient peace.

O God! O Thou through Whose Most Great Name every sick one is immersed in the ocean of healing, and every abased one is seated upon the throne of might and ascension! The mystics and their hearts have been bewildered by the wonders of Thy manifest creation, and the wayfarers have wandered distracted in the wilderness of knowing a trace of Thy firm wisdom. Thou didst create existence from nothing by Thy Word of command, and didst deliver them from the wilderness of the darkness of ignorance through the radiance of the lights of Thy knowledge. When Thou didst observe their inability to know what would harm or benefit them, Thou didst send among them, by the sovereignty of Thy power, pure spirits, luminous persons, and spiritual temples in their form and likeness, that they might teach them what would draw them nigh unto Thee and sanctify them from all that beseemeth them not in Thy presence. This was of Thy beauteous wisdom and Thy sublime grace and compassion, for Thou hast never compelled anyone in anything, but hast given all the choice of acceptance or rejection.

This being so, were the Manifestation of Thy Cause to appear among them in His true spiritual reality and divine attributes, none would have any excuse to reject His Cause, and all would enter beneath the shadow of His Command without distinction between the felicitous and the wretched, the spiritual and the physical. Such acceptance would not be according to the seeking and capacity inherent in the receptivities of the servants’ beings. Verily, Thy Name, the Just, must needs differentiate between them in reward and recompense, for reward and punishment are bound to deeds, and deeds are bound to intention, and intention is bound to the seeking of created things. For this reason hath Thy consummate wisdom necessitated the sending of Thy Prophets in human form, combining both worlds, that the capacity, seeking and receptivity of existence might be made manifest in accepting Thy grace and being illumined by the lights of the Dawning-Place of Thy unity and the Source of Thy singleness.

I beseech Thee, O my God, to assist us to bear what Thou hast entrusted to us of the trust of Thy love, and enable us through Thy power and might to preserve it from the hands of the thieves. Disappoint us not of Thy mercy, and drive us not from the gate of Thy loving-kindness, for Thou hast named Thyself the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate. There is no God but Thee, the Mighty, the Generous.

O thou bird soaring in the atmosphere of love with the wings of affection and the pinions of sincerity and unity! That which was inscribed by the pen and traced upon the tablet in letters from the book of the heart hath been received. When thy love for the loved ones of thy Lord was confirmed, I was commanded to write the reply. I have therefore complied with the decisive decree, and God is He Who guideth to the path of truth.

O thou beloved! I have seen thy letter and understood what thou didst ask concerning the noble Qur’anic verse and the true effulgence manifest in the mirrors of its holy words. Know thou that for the verses of God, exalted be His glory, there are meanings beyond counting and truths beyond reckoning. Were one to desire to reveal that which lieth concealed within the repository of utterance, all the pens in the world would prove powerless to write, and all the scrolls of the nations insufficient to record it. For those endued with knowledge and wisdom, there is in every station an explanation.

Know thou furthermore that each letter of these sacred words hath two aspects—one turning toward the inner meaning and one toward the outer. Would that we could find attentive ears and receptive hearts that could bear to hear the realities of meaning contained within God’s Book and become illumined by the lights of the suns dawning from the horizons of God’s words! Alas! Alas! Due to the people’s lack of capacity, naught appeareth upon the daysprings of the pages save a mere atom of the effulgences of meaning contained within the verses of the Lord of the Day of Judgment.

How can I reveal that which I have not been permitted to disclose? Consummate wisdom requireth that explanation be given only to seekers. Where is the seeking? And how can all that is known be uttered when its time hath not come and its people are not present? By thy Lord, the Lord of the heavens and earth! The dove of utterance in this station hath melodies that attract hearts and notes that cause souls to soar upon hearing them. But alas! All regret! It cannot reveal its warbling for fear of the hunter of envy, the snare of malice, the net of denial, and the arrows of objection and pride.

Since the tongue is fettered and utterance restrained, I shall explain to thee one letter from the book of knowledge and wisdom, leaving aside what is fundamental to the reality of the Qur’an lest souls be disturbed and pillars shake, until the time cometh and the steed of the Pen gallopeth in the arena of exposition and explanation.

O thou questioner! Know that in these mentioned verses there are multiple stations, from the blowing of the trumpet to the illumination of the earth with light. With those possessed of truth and knowledge, all these stations are established in every world. Just as they confirm these in specific receptacles, so too are they realized in absolute, abstract acceptances. As we believe these ranks in the return, we can determine them in the beginning.

We say that the True One, exalted be His station, was alone in His Essence and there was nothing with Him, as mentioned in the sacred tradition: “I was a hidden treasure and loved to be known, so I created creation that I might be known.” When He loved to make Himself known and be described with sanctification and transcendence, He created. He manifested through the lights of His Name, the Creator, and the abstract realities became determined in the world of the particles. In that world, we interpret the first blast as the words “Am I not your Lord?” and the swooning as from the grandeur of God’s supreme Word. Then He blew a second time in the trumpet of power with compassion and mercy, and lo! they arose [from their graves] looking about.

Section 2: “O beloved friend! Know thou that created things…”

O beloved friend! Know thou that created things, with their varying degrees and diverse natures, accept manifestation and visibility only in accordance with their receptivity, yearning, and capacity. For among the essential and established divine attributes is justice. Having affirmed this, we say: How can existence be brought into being except in accordance with acceptance and acquiescence? For the matter resolves to one of four possibilities: either compelling all to obedience, or compelling all to disobedience, or compelling some to obedience and others to disobedience, or giving each its due according to the capacities of contingent beings.

The first two possibilities are invalid, for the purpose of creating contingent beings is the knowledge of God, exalted be His station, and the intent of this knowledge is to convey benefit and mercy to creation. Were we to assume compulsion in either obedience or disobedience, free will would be eliminated, and with its elimination obligation would be nullified, and with its nullification reward and punishment would fall outside the circle of righteousness. It befits not the Just and Wise One to bestow paradise on one who has not performed what merits it, or hell on one who has not done what warrants it. To grant reward after compulsion to obedience is futile, for one has not acted according to his capacity by choice but was compelled, just as if you force someone to pray who would not have prayed without compulsion—his prayer stems not from submission to God’s command but from fear for himself. No rational being would accept such superficial action, how much less the Just and Wise One whose wisdom encompasses all atoms and whose knowledge comprehends all contingent things.

Similarly, compelling disobedience and then punishment during the state of compulsion would be naught but miserliness, and miserliness befits not the Merciful One whose mercy encompasses all and whose bounties overflow.

The third possibility is likewise invalid, for its existence would establish preference, and preference without justification accords not with justice—glory be to the Just Ruler, that He should favor some and deprive others.

Having invalidated these three possibilities, the fourth is established: dealing with things according to their seeking, receptivity, station and capacity. This befits the Just and Wise One, the Generous and Merciful One. If you desire clarification of this truth, consider the lamp—suppose it represents the Creative Word, and suppose the degrees of rays around it represent determined essences. These rays, according to their varying receptivities, are established in different positions of proximity and remoteness—some in utmost nearness and connection, some in furthest distance and separation, and some in intermediate states. In the outpouring of the All-Bountiful there is no disparity or increase or decrease; rather, the differences in degrees arise from variations in seeking.

This being the case, no argument remains for the remote one against the Absolute Bestower, for according to his own acceptance and seeking has he settled in that station. Otherwise, there is no suspension in the bounty of the Generous One, no cause for distancing from the source of bounty and generosity, no aversion of the Creator from the created without reason. As God, exalted be He, has said: “Thou seest no imperfection in the creation of the All-Merciful.”

When thou hast comprehended what We have mentioned and understood what We have explained, thou wilt recognize the dawning of the Divine Word upon the receptive vessels of creation in the world of the atoms, and thou wilt realize the first blast in the forms of power and the second blast in the realm of simplicity and mercy.

As for the swooning, except whom God wills, it is the swooning of all contingent and determined beings except man, by the will of the All-Merciful, as God the Exalted has said in the Holy Qur’an:

“We offered the Trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they refused to bear it and were afraid of it; but man bore it. Lo! he is unjust, ignorant.”

And as for the mentioned rising, it is the response of all things through their acceptance of what the Absolute Bestower has given them according to their seeking, acceptance and capacity.

And as for the shining forth, it has manifold ranks and stations, among them the manifestation of the Hidden Essence in the realm of Divine Unity to Itself by Itself, and the contemplation of Its Beauty and Majesty in that station by Its Own Being unto Its Own Being without the existence of any of Its creation. In this station “God was, and there was nothing besides Him,” and now it is as it has ever been. And among them is the appearance of the true lights in the station of Divine Oneness in the Muhammadan Reality, the First Determination and Mystery of Eternity. He said, and His word is the truth: “But for thee, I would not have created the spheres,” and “Thou didst not throw when thou threwest, but God threw,” and He—may my spirit be a sacrifice for Him—said: “I am He and He is I, except that He is He and I am I,” and in another station: “I was a Prophet while Adam was between water and clay.” And among them is the appearance of the gleamings of light upon the Tree of Sinai and the manifestation of His mighty mystery to Moses, He Who spoke with God. Blessed be God, the Mighty, the Wise. His bounty knows no cessation, nor His mercy any delay.

O thou beloved! Whenever the Pen desires to reveal meanings and wisdom, the exigencies of the time restrain its reins and prevent it from revealing the realities of thy Lord’s verses. I beseech God to make known to thee the reality of expression without its appearing in the visible world. He is indeed the Generous, the Bestower. There is no God but Him, the Gracious, the Mighty, the Helper.

As for what is meant by “earth,” it is the earth of receptivity, meaning that it shone with the light of the knowledge of its Lord and perceived the manifestation of the Sun of Recognition of its Creator according to its capacity and seeking. And as for the rest of the blessed verse, it indicates the testing and trial in this world, for this world is the world of experience and testing, that the blessed may be distinguished from the wretched, light from darkness, and the misguided from the guided. God the Exalted has said: “And they did not become divided until after clear evidence came to them—a Messenger from God reciting purified pages.” Through the existence of tests, the balance of justice is established, judgment is rendered among creation with justice and grace, and His word is made manifest: “And judgment will be rendered between them with truth, and they will not be wronged.”

O God! O Originator of existence and Sovereign of the unseen and the visible! I beseech Thee by Thy all-encompassing mercy and Thy prevailing and all-embracing compassion to open the eyes of humanity that they may behold Thy Most Great Vision and turn toward Thy direction, detached from their desires and holding fast to the cord of Thy commandments and ordinances. Thou seest them in weakness and lowliness, O Thou Who holdest the kingdom of might and power! Deliver them from the depths of idle fancies and vain imaginings and guide them to Thy path, O my Lord, the Mighty, the All-Knowing. Leave them not to themselves and their desires. Take their hands with the sovereignty of Thy power, for in Thy hand is the kingdom of grace and bounty. There is no God but Thee, the Omnipotent over what Thou willest.

O God! Send Thy blessings upon the Mystery of Eternity, the Bearer of the Most Great Name, and the Mystic Symbol concealed and treasured, and upon his family and his companions, with an enduring, eternal, everlasting, ancient peace.

BH00383: In My Name, Who speaketh in the midst…

Section 1: “In My Name, Who speaketh in the midst…”

In My Name, Who speaketh in the midst of tribulations

True praise and the essence of glorification beseemeth and befitteth the people of Baha, whom neither the riches, ornaments, and colors of the world of creation prevented from turning to the Most Exalted Horizon, nor were they hindered by the power of tyrants and the authority of oppressors. Through the light of piety and the penetrating influence of the Supreme Word, they adorned the world with a new life and an enduring existence. These are they whom the commerce of the world occupied not, nor did it keep them from turning to the Ancient King. In tribulations they are patient, and in adversities they are tranquil, inasmuch as they have detached themselves from creation and clung unto the Truth. Exalted be their stations and sublime their steadfastness! We beseech God, blessed and exalted be He, to elevate them among His servants and to adorn them with the ornament of justice in His kingdom, and to ordain for them that which will make them the letters of His Book and the words of His Tablets. Verily, He is the Ruler over what He willeth and the Commander of what He desireth. There is none other God but Him, the Possessor of all creation and the Ruler over all lands.

O Haydar-Qabli-ʿAli, upon thee be My Glory! Thou hast ever been and art still remembered in the presence of the Wronged One. Praise be to God that thou hast attained unto that which was recorded and inscribed by the Eternal Pen in the divine Books. That which thou didst mention concerning the devotion and enthusiasm of the loved ones in the Land of Alif and Ra hath been heard. Praise be to God that from the earliest days the light of faith hath dawned, appeared and shone forth from the horizon of that land’s heaven, and especially in this time when from the heaven of bounty of the King of Oneness wondrous and sublime verses have been sent down and dispatched. We beseech God to give them to drink, from the cups of His verses, the Kawthar of His knowledge, and from the goblets of His utterance, the Salsabil of His love and good-pleasure. And we beseech Him to aid them in that which will cause the Cause of God to be exalted above all else.

A mention has been revealed from the Most Exalted Pen concerning departure from the Land of Sad—the intention is that prolonged stay is not permitted in a city wherein dwells the Wolf. This word had previously issued forth from the Kingdom of God’s Command. Most princes and leaders outwardly show love while inwardly they are engaged in stirring up opposition. Glory be to God! Until now, the mighty deeds and great favors of this Wronged One are not known and no one is aware of them. For nearly forty years We have forbidden the people of God from conflict, corruption, murder, plunder and reprehensible deeds and actions, such that all would testify, were they to be fair, that the supreme grace hath been manifested from this Wronged One.

Previously, every year the fire of war was ignited, as all have seen and heard. But after this Wronged One’s arrival in Iraq, no one moved except as this Wronged One desired. Despite the enmity of the heedless and the hatred of the barking ones, not a soul arose to retaliate or defend. The divine counsels and heavenly admonitions had such effect that although they killed and martyred the friends, the friends killed not but left matters to God. Nevertheless neither government nor people showed satisfaction, as though unaware of this deed and hitherto unconscious of this greatest mercy and mightiest favor.

Ask ye God to grant awareness and bestow justice. In most Tablets We have mentioned His Majesty the Shah—may God assist him—and have beseeched protection and safeguarding for him from God. In brief, the good deeds of this Wronged One remain concealed while manifestations of denial are countless. What has happened that the ministers and princes pay no heed to measures that would ensure the protection, preservation and tranquility of the world and its peoples? Today one can hold fast to matters that cause the permanence of government and progress of nation, but future days shall not possess this virtue. To this beareth witness He with Whom is the light of knowledge and utterance.

O Haydar-Ali! If thou wouldst for a few days repair to the land of Kha and fix thy gaze upon wisdom, perchance there might sprout and appear from the Sadratu’l-Muntaha a fruit that would prove the means of mankind’s deliverance. The revealed Tablet that was sent down in the name of His Honour Nabil-i-Akbar, and likewise another Tablet specifically revealed for His Honour Muhammad-Ali from the heaven of utterance—if these are in thy possession, it would be well. In truth these two Tablets are one and should be bound in a single volume, along with such Suras and Tablets as are the cause of attraction and joy, and the means of guidance and gladness. However, in all circumstances the observance of wisdom is greater than all else. Previously We wrote to thee concerning the preservation of the Tablets, and there is no need to repeat it.

Two years ago in the verdant land, a certain person who was known to this Wronged One sought to meet one of God’s loved ones, his purpose being to understand and discover that which was intended by this Most Great Revelation. He did meet with one of the loved ones, yet from that meeting no fruit was garnered, for the session ended in concealment and secrecy, and due to wisdom the matter remained hidden. For wisdom there is a known measure and limit, for if wisdom be observed to such a degree, the people would remain deprived and excluded. In all things moderation is necessary. Now if thou shouldst purpose to journey to those parts to visit and meet the loved ones, results would become manifest. Assuredly, a deed performed for the sake of God will give rise to wondrous and sublime effects and will be adorned with the ornament of influence.

Should some behold certain of the revealed Books, Verses and Tablets, this would be well-pleasing and acceptable in the sight of God, for most of the people, being unaware of the root of the Cause, have been and continue to be held back from drawing nigh unto God by the calumnies of the falsifiers and the claims of the cawers. That which is incumbent upon all today is that they should, for the sake of God, observe with their own eyes that which hath appeared and been revealed, and should, in the path of God, be wholly devoted to protecting His servants, that perchance the people of God may not be afflicted with the vain imaginings of the Shi’ih faction. The names have become idols of the people—these must be shattered and cast down by the arm of power and might; and by power and might is meant the power and might of wisdom and utterance. By the life of God! This power hath been and remaineth triumphant, and neither the ranks of the world nor the swords of the nations can weaken or prevent it.

Verily thy Lord knoweth and declareth, but most people know not. Ask thou of God that He may reveal the treasures deposited in the earth, and likewise men whom no power can weaken, no strength can disable, and no veils or glories of the earth can hold back. They aid the Cause through speech and utterance. We testify that they are God’s loved ones in His earth and His chosen ones in His lands. Blessed is he who heareth and respondeth, and who acteth in accordance with that which hath been enjoined in the Book.

Section 2: “Concerning those souls for whom thou didst request…”

Concerning those souls for whom thou didst request Tablets, some were sent previously, and now sacred Tablets have been sent specifically for the souls A and R, sons of the late F, and likewise for the sons of the departed R. We beseech God, blessed and exalted be He, to aid them in His remembrance, His praise and the service of His Cause. Verily, He hath power over all things. The people of that land have ever been mentioned in the presence of the Wronged One, but neither complete concealment nor complete disclosure is desirable, for verily the wolf howleth and the dog barketh. O Haydar-ʿAli! Supplicate confirmation for all. In that land the seed of wisdom and utterance hath been deposited. Soon will appear that which God, the Lord of the worlds, hath purposed. In every land thou visitest, make mention of the loved ones on behalf of the Wronged One, that their hearts may be attracted by the remembrance of God, the All-Possessing, the Self-Subsisting. Make mention of the loved ones of Shahrud. The glance of Our loving-kindness is directed towards them.

We beseech God to preserve them all from the poisonous winds of doubts. Consider the baseness of Hadi. He hath lately uttered words which no discerning ear hath ever wished to hear, nor will. Now “Mirror” and “Successor” and the like have appeared. Say: Cast away these names that obstruct and hold fast unto that which beseemeth the days of God. Today the Speaker on Sinai is seated upon the throne of Revelation, speaking forth, and the Tree is adorned with ripe fruits and is manifest. Say: O my God, my God! I beseech Thee by Thy most great signs, by the rustling of the Divine Lote-Tree, and by the shrill voice of Thy Most Exalted Pen, to assist Thy loved ones to attain unto such steadfastness as shall not be prevented by the hosts of doubts, nor by the ranks of allusions, nor by names and attributes.

The people of Baha behold the truth and are detached and free from aught else. The weak ones of the world have clung to the calumnies of the past. They have turned away from the ocean and cling to a pond. They are deprived of the rays of the sun and have turned to the source of darkness. Justice and equity have been laid to rest in Iran and are hidden from all eyes and sight. O Haydar-Ali! These wronged ones were slain in the land of Sad and Ishq, yet they showed no opposition nor raised a hand, but held fast to patience and resignation. Nevertheless, the enmity of the people of Iran is observed to be far greater and more complete than before. Upon return, they did that which causeth the tears of those near unto God to flow. We beseech God, blessed and exalted be He, to adorn His lands with His gifts, favors, bounty and loving-kindness. Verily, He hath power over all things.

For forty years this Wronged One hath, by God’s will, exalted be His glory, outwardly protected His Majesty the King. Yet no fruit is visible and no trace is manifest. We thank and praise and say: O Illuminator of existence and Concealer of matters! I beseech Thee by the Dawning-Place of Thy Manifestation, the Dayspring of Thy signs, and the Treasury of the pearls of Thy knowledge and wisdom, to assist the heedless to turn toward the ocean of Thy bounty and the sun of Thy grace. Then ordain for them, O my God, that which Thou hast ordained through Thy munificence and loving-kindness. Verily, Thou art the Mighty, the Unconstrained.

O Haydar-ʿAli! That which is needed today is to prevent the servants from approaching the Most Exalted Horizon. In truth I declare and with the tongue of reality I mention that every lover who is enkindled with the fire of longing and attainment must act according to what was previously mentioned. By the life of God, in this case he will be recorded by the Supreme Pen in the Crimson Book as one of those who have attained His presence and meeting, and as one of the companions of witnessing and hearkening. Give this glad tiding to the servants. That which hath been revealed and flowed from the Pen of God remaineth and endureth in such wise that neither effacement shall overtake it nor change alter it. Verily thy Lord is the Elucidator, the Compassionate, the Mighty, the Bestower. The path is long and its hardships many. Today all must hold fast to the Divine Word and cling to His Will. That which is revealed from the Kingdom of Command is beloved and to be obeyed. Blessed are they that know and they that act.

Convey greetings from this Wronged One to the loved ones of that land, especially to him who soared in the atmosphere of My love and shone forth from the horizon of detachment in My days, and who drank the choice wine of revelation from the cup of My bounty—he who was named ʿAli before Haydar. Upon him be the glory of God, the Lord of destiny and the Most Sublime Vision. Indeed they have performed that which none else hath manifested in this age. We beseech God to aid all to that which befitteth this accepted and praiseworthy deed.

The letter of Jinab-i-Amin—upon him be My glory and loving-kindness—arrived, but since outwardly there remaineth no time, the answer is deferred to another occasion. They are ever mentioned in the presence of this Wronged One and are aided to serve. God willing, they may be as an ocean of bounty unto all and as rivers of compassion and love towards everyone. We have aforetime declared: “We have created souls in various stages.” Therefore the Hands of the Cause must show forbearance, for these are the days of Revelation when mercy and kindness have preceded. His honor the Trustee hath shown forbearance from his first arrival in the Most Great Ocean until now. We beseech God to assist him and strengthen him with the hosts of the seen and unseen to mention Him, praise Him and serve His Cause, the firm, the impregnable.

Jinab-i-Ibn-i-Abhar shall remain in that land. We beseech God, blessed and exalted be He, to make him a promoter of His Cause in such wise that the tongues of all beings shall speak of his mention, his arising, his steadfastness, and his humility and submissiveness before God, the Lord of the worlds. We send him greetings from this Most Exalted Station and give him the glad tidings of what hath been revealed in this Clear Tablet. O Ibn-i-Abhar! Upon thee be the glory of God, the Lord of destiny. The aforementioned household hath been mentioned and hath attained unto the honor of acceptance. Give them both My glad tidings and We beseech God to assist them and ordain for them that which will draw them nigh unto Him. Verily He is the Hearing, the All-Seeing. The glory shining from the horizon of the heaven of My utterance be upon you, O My loved ones, and upon My maidservants who have turned unto God, heard, and believed in God, the Single, the One, the Mighty, the Luminous.

BH00405: The Tablet of God, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting

Section 1: “Praise be to God Who hath appeared…”

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

Praise be to God Who hath appeared from the Dayspring of His signs, the Dawning-Place of His evidences, and the Source of His commandments and ordinances. He is the One through Whom mysteries were revealed, trees did speak, rivers did flow, and oceans did surge. Blessed is he who hath attained unto His knowledge, heard His call, and acted according to that which was commanded in His Book. And woe unto him who hath cast His Book behind him, disputed His verses, denied His proof, and rejected His testimony whereby the doors of bounties and favors were opened, and the Luminary of Justice shone forth from all directions, and the Herald proclaimed:

“The Kingdom belongeth to God, the Lord of the Beginning and the End!”

The Light shining from the horizon of God’s will, the Lord of Lords, and the Glory dawning from the horizon of Divine Will and favors, and the glorification manifest from the tongue of the Lord of creation be upon the hands of His Cause who broke not His covenant and testament, who aided His Cause amongst His servants, and who spoke His praise throughout His lands. These are the keys to the doors of hearts and souls, and the dawning-places of the names of God, the Sovereign of sovereigns. Through them the clouds did rain, and the treasures of the earth were revealed, and whatsoever was hidden therein and concealed beneath its layers.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord of existence and the One Who holdeth dominion over the seen and unseen! I beseech Thee by Thy Most Great Name, through which the mysteries of the Books and whatsoever was recorded in the Scrolls were made manifest, to assist Thy loved ones to aid Thy Cause through wisdom and utterance. O my Lord! I beseech Thee by Thy power that hath encompassed all created things, and by Thy might that hath surrounded all existence, to make me and Thy chosen ones the standards of Thy guidance in Thy land and the banners of Thy Cause amidst Thy creation.

Thou seest, O my God, what the oppressors and pharaohs have wrought. O Lord! Take the reins of their pride in the grasp of Thy power, and the bridles of their rebellion in the right hand of Thy will. Aid the oppressed with Thy hosts, then protect them from the evil of Thine enemies who have denied Thee and Thy signs, and who have risen to frustrate Thy Cause. Verily Thou art powerful over whatsoever Thou willest, and within Thy grasp are the reins of all who are in the heavens and on earth. There is none other God but Thee, the Supreme, the Most Exalted, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

O thou who soarest in the atmosphere of My love! As to what they have mentioned regarding the enthusiasm of the friends in that land, praise be to God, they have drunk the choice wine of utterance from the hands of the bounty of the Goal of all the worlds, and have attained unto that which God hath revealed in His Books. Illumine each one of them with the light of utterance from the Wronged One. They are the primary temples who have drunk the Kawthar of utterance from the hand of the bounty of the Dawning-Place of the Light of Oneness, and who have attained unto the station of maturity through the aid of the Most Exalted Word. We have mentioned them before, and at this time with verses from each letter of which have flowed the rivers of wisdom and utterance throughout all possibility. Blessed are they and happy are they. We bear witness that they have attained unto the hearing of My sweetest call and the rustling of My Most Glorious Pen. These are servants whom God hath described in His Books of old and to come. Verily, He is the Protector of those who do good, and He wasteth not the reward of the doers of good.

We beseech God, blessed and exalted be He, to aid them to achieve such steadfastness as cannot be shaken by the hosts of the world nor the power of the nations. Verily, He is the Almighty, the Glorious, the All-Bountiful.

Mention hath been made of him who remembereth and counseleth. Verily, he hath attained unto acceptance and hath spoken in remembrance and praise. We beseech God, blessed and exalted be He, to strengthen him with the hosts of utterance and to guard him through His might and power which have encompassed all regions. O […]! Verily We have heard thy call and made mention of thee aforetime in a Tablet that hath shone forth from the luminous horizon of God’s loving providence, the Lord of all worlds. Blessed is the tongue that hath spoken My remembrance, and the heart that hath attained the warmth of My love, and the eye that hath been honored to behold My traces, and the hand that hath taken My Book, detached from the earth and its ornaments, its favors and its wealth.

O Ta, the Wronged One maketh mention of thee from the precincts of the Prison with that which shall assist thee to quicken souls once again and to refine them. Verily thy Lord is the All-Knowing Speaker. Say: O people, cast away what ye possess of idle fancies and vain imaginings, and take what hath been given you from God, the Lord of the mighty Throne. Say: My God, my God! Illumine the hearts of Thy servants with the lights of Thy knowledge and adorn their heads with the crowns of Thy love and their temples with the robes of detachment in Thy days. Verily Thou art the Powerful over whatsoever Thou willest. There is none other God but Thee, the Mighty, the Powerful, the All-Wise.

God willing, may His glory be glorified, may He ordain for that honored one the living waters. O concourse of the dead! May they attain unto new life through the breezes of utterance. Verily He is the One Who hath power over whatsoever He willeth through His word “Be” and it is.

Mention was made of Mirza ʿAbdu’l-Husayn who hath intended to attain the Most Exalted Horizon. Blessed is he and well is it with him. We beseech God, blessed and exalted be He, to aid him to serve His Cause and to adorn him with the ornament of steadfastness in such wise that the names shall not prevent him from their Owner, their Quickener and their Ordainer.

O ʿAbdu’l-Husayn, hearken with the ear of thy soul to the call of the Wronged One […] The year the Shi’ih faction was devoted to mere names while heedless of the Truth […] Pride reached such a state that they […] When the dawn of the Day of Manifestation broke, all inflicted upon the Dayspring of Divine Revelation and the Fountainhead of heavenly inspiration that which caused the white stone to lament […]

Say: My God, my God! I testify to Thy Manifestation and Thy establishment upon the throne of knowledge at the midmost heart of contingent being, and to Thy standing before the faces of all religions. I beseech Thee, O Lord of the Kingdom and Sovereign of might, by Thy Name through which Thou didst subdue the hearts of the nations and by the light of Thy Cause wherewith Thou didst illumine the world, to protect me from the evil of the oppressors. O my Lord! I am Thy servant and the son of Thy servant. I have turned to Thee, detached from all else but Thee, and I desire from Thee the wonders of Thy bounty and bestowal. O my Lord! Disappoint me not from the ocean of Thy utterance and the sun of Thy generosity. Verily Thou art powerful over whatsoever Thou willest. There is none other God but Thee, the Forgiving, the Merciful.

Mention was made of his honor Ibrahim. We make mention of him from this most exalted station and give him the glad-tidings of that which hath been sent down for him from the heaven of God’s utterance, the Lord of all worlds. O Ibrahim! Hear the call from the Most Exalted Pen—sovereignty belongeth unto God, the Mighty, the Wise. We beseech God to grant thee the heavenly table that hath been sent down from the heaven of the bounty of thy Lord, the Generous, for it is His utterance through which the hearts of those who are nigh and the sincere ones have been attracted. Say: Praise be to Thee, O my God, for having given me to drink of Thy sealed wine and for having made known to me Thy straight path. I beseech Thee to adorn me with the ornament of trustworthiness amongst Thy creatures, then open before my face, through the key of Thy Most Great Name, the doors of grace and […]

Section 2: “Bounty and generosity are Thine, verily Thou art…”

Bounty and generosity are Thine, verily Thou art the One with power over whatsoever Thou willest. There is no God but Thee, the Single, the One, the Mighty, the Omnipotent. O Ghulam-Qabl-Husayn! We have counseled the friends of God, both past and present, in numerous Tablets concerning trustworthiness, religious devotion and chastity. However, most heeded not what God counseled and exchanged righteousness and godliness for […] and wickedness. Soon shall they find themselves in manifest loss. The bounty of this Revelation has been beyond […]. […] what strife, contention and corruption have been strictly forbidden in the Holy Books and Tablets. We beseech God that He may aid thee in that which will cause the sanctification of the servants and the exaltation of His Word. Verily He is the Helper, the Counselor, the All-Wise.

O Rida-Qabli! He who loved Me made mention of thee, and We make mention of thee with wondrous mention. The horizons have been filled with the signs of thy Lord, the Master of the Day of Meeting, yet the people are in evident doubt. We beseech God to aid thee to rend all veils asunder and draw thee nigh unto Him. Verily He is the Mighty, the All-Knowing.

We make mention at this time of him who was named ʿAli, then of him who hath raised in the edifice of God that which none of My Branches hath raised—he who was named Badi’u’llah in My perspicuous Book. We beseech God to protect them both and aid them in that which befitteth this blessed, mighty and wondrous Day. Verily He heareth that which proceedeth from the mouths of His servants. Thy Lord is, in truth, the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.

O My loved ones! This Day is the Day of assistance, albeit through wisdom and utterance. We counsel all to such deeds as will cause the peoples of the world to turn towards Him. Some in various regions have departed from wisdom. We beseech God to grant them success and aid them in that which will attract the hearts of His servants. Verily He is the Mighty, the Omnipotent.

O Khalil! Upon thee be My glory and mercy. Each of the souls mentioned hath attained unto the Most Great Remembrance […]. Today the station of the Word of God is not known to some. Blessed is the affliction of one who hath attained unto this with evident certitude. Know ye that every word […] that hath issued forth from the mouth of the Will in the name of anyone is like unto a lofty, towering and blessed Tree, whose fruits, signs and leaves are ever fresh and verdant. Blessed are they that understand and they that have attained.

The glory that hath dawned from the horizon of the heaven of My Kingdom be upon you, O My loved ones, and upon those whom the names have not prevented from drawing nigh unto God, the One, the Single, the Mighty, the Powerful.

O My Most Exalted Pen! Blessed art thou for that which We have caused to appear through thee of the pearls of wisdom and utterance, and that wherewith the ocean of exposition hath surged throughout creation. Exalted is the All-Merciful Who hath caused all things to speak even as the Tree of the Mount spoke unto Moses, son of Imran. Make mention of him who loved Me and drank the choice wine of reunion from the hand of My bounty when he was present before the Wronged One with such humility as caused all directions to bow down before it. Verily, he was named Ali-ʿAskar in the Book of Names by God, the Revealer of verses. Blessed art thou for having inhaled the fragrance of utterance and having set thy face towards the Ultimate Goal and the Supreme Summit, until thou didst attain His presence and win that which most of the servants were debarred from. We made mention of thee before, and We make mention of thee now with that which causeth the hearts of them that are nigh to be attracted in the Tablet of God, the Lord of lords. Be thou steadfast in the Cause of thy Lord in such wise that the might of […]

The Glory which hath dawned from Us be upon thee and upon those who have turned towards thee and have said: “Praise be unto Thee, O Lord of all mankind!” We make mention of Our loved ones in Mim and Ya and give them glad tidings of that which hath been ordained for them by the Most Exalted Pen in the Books and Tablets. Blessed art thou, O Land of Mim and Ya, by reason of that which God hath manifested in thee through His beloved one who was named with Alif and Ha, whose mention We have sent down in the Crimson Scroll from My Most Exalted Pen. Blessed is he and blessed is he who loveth him, as decreed by the Lord of creation.

Verily, We have mentioned and continue to mention Our loved ones there who were not held back by swords from drawing nigh unto God, the Dayspring of Inspiration. Take ye the cup of steadfastness from the hand of bounty, then drink therefrom in the name of your Lord, the Mighty, the Bestower. Grieve not over that which hath proceeded from every lying impostor who hath exchanged trustworthiness for treachery and truth for falsehood. Indeed, they have cast the Book of God behind their backs and have denied His verses, before which all remembrances bow down when they are revealed. Rejoice in My remembrance, then aid Me through deeds from which the fragrance of acceptance is wafted. Thus hath the Pen spoken while the Wronged One was in the hands of the wicked. The splendor of the All-Merciful shall come upon you.

O friends of that land! We have made mention of you and continue to do so. Blessed is the face that hath turned, the heart that hath advanced, the tongue that hath spoken, and the hand that hath taken hold of My perspicuous Book. These are the days of revelation and He Who conversed on Sinai is seated upon the throne of utterance. Strive ye, that haply ye may attain unto that which is everlasting and enduring.

Jinab-i-Amin—upon him be My glory and loving-kindness—hath repeatedly made mention of the friends of that land and its surroundings and hath sent word to the Most Holy Court. We beseech God to assist you to remain steadfast in His Cause and to adorn you with the ornament of His bounty. Today the Pen is in joy, and the Tablet in rapture and delight. Blessed is the soul that hath been awakened by the call of the Most Exalted Pen and hath arisen to serve the Cause of God.

Give thanks unto your Lord for this great bounty and this loving-kindness which hath no peer in all creation nor likeness among His servants. Make mention of the devoted handmaidens on behalf of the Wronged One and illumine them with the lights of the utterance of Him Who is the Goal of all existence. The resplendent and gleaming Light shining from the horizon of the heaven of proof be upon you, O My loved ones, and upon you, O My handmaidens, and upon all who are steadfast in all regions in the Cause of God, the Lord of Names and Attributes.

BH00436: Praise be to God Who hath opened wide…

Section 1: “Praise be to God Who hath opened wide…”

He is the Compassionate, the Answerer, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise

Praise be to God Who hath opened wide the portals of arts and knowledge through the key of His Most Holy, Most Great, Most Glorious Name, whereby He hath pitched the pavilion of glory at the most exalted station in the realm of creation, and through which He hath caused the waves of the ocean of utterance to surge, and the stars of the heaven of divine knowledge to shine, and the sun of remembrance to shed its radiance, and the earth of certitude to yield its treasures, and the mountains their mines. Exalted, exalted is He Who hath revealed through it the mysteries of His Book and that which lay hidden in His knowledge and was veiled from the eyes of His servants. Praise be to God Who hath opened upon the countenance of His Glory the gate of His tribulation and destiny, and sent down upon Him from the heaven of His bounty the verses of His grace and the standards of His utterance. He, verily, is the Almighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.

Not a thing escapeth His knowledge. He adorneth whomsoever He willeth with the ornament of His bounty and generosity, and divests whomsoever He pleaseth of the garments of His might and majesty. He, verily, is the Sovereign, the Mighty, the Bountiful. There is none other God but Him, the Single, the One, the Powerful, the All-Wise. We bear witness that there is none other God but Him, and that He Who hath come from the horizon of the heaven of utterance is the Hidden Secret and the Treasured Mystery, at Whose manifestation all things proclaimed:

“The Kingdom is God’s, Lord of the Throne on high and of earth below, the Lord of the world to come and of this world.”

O thou who standest before the Gate and who, in thy final goal, seeketh after God, the Lord of all men! Know thou that We bear witness that thou hast drunk the choice wine of the love of God, the Lord of the worlds, and hast turned toward His horizon while most of the people were turning away. We beseech Him, exalted be He, to strengthen thee with His sovereignty and to aid thee in manifesting His Cause in such wise that thou mayest arise before the faces of His servants and take the chalice of utterance from the hands of the bounty of thy Lord, the All-Merciful, and drink therefrom despite those who denied Him Whom the Concourse on High and the dwellers of the Most Exalted Paradise have recognized, as well as those who circle round the Throne of their Lord, the Mighty, the Bountiful, at eventide and at dawn.

Say: O people of God! By the life of God, We had taken for Ourself a brother and aided him to serve Our Cause before Our face, and revealed for him that which diffused the fragrance of God’s utterance throughout all else. We then raised him to a station beyond which the stations of the servants and the reach of those in all lands were cut off. But when he saw himself in that most holy, most noble, most mighty, most exalted station, pride seized him until he turned away from God, the Lord of the Day of Resurrection and He Who conversed on Sinai. I beseech Thee, O God of the world and Desire of the nations, to aid him and those who turned away to return unto Thee and to repent at the door of Thy mercy. Thou knowest that I summoned him in all conditions unto Thee until he drew against Me the sword of hatred and there appeared from him that which caused the limbs of all things to quake. O Lord! Help him to return to the door of Thy mercy, which Thou hast opened through Thy Most Great Name unto all peoples. Verily, Thou art the Almighty, the Powerful, the All-Bountiful.

O thou who gazeth toward the horizon of utterance and who holdeth fast to the cord of the loving-kindness of thy Lord, the All-Merciful! Know thou with certain knowledge that the Wronged One desireth naught but the exaltation of the Word of God and the manifestation of His Cause amidst His servants. By this hath the fire of envy and hatred been kindled. Beseech thou God, thy Lord, to quench it through the living waters of His utterance. Verily, He is the One Who hath power over whatsoever He willeth through His mighty and wondrous Word. Blessed art thou, O Sadiq, in that God hath aided thee to turn unto Him, to hold fast to His cord, and to cling to the hem of His mercy.

Hear thou in the Persian tongue the divine call from the direction of the Prison of ʿAkka. Verily it draweth thee unto a station wherein the ranks of the world and the doubts of nations shall not prevent thee from drawing nigh unto the All-Informed One. All created things bear witness that this servant’s purpose in arising and bearing the wrongs of mankind hath been that bonds might be loosened and the captive set free. Should any soul deny or stray from its shelter, it mattereth not; nay rather, we are grateful, for afterwards the difference will become clear and distinction made between pearl and potsherd. Say: O my God, my God! I beseech Thee by Thy radiant light. O my God, my God!

I beseech Thee by Thy all-embracing remembrance and by Thy dawning, gleaming Name to transform the abasement of Thy loved ones into glory and their weakness into strength. Thou art verily the Powerful, the All-Knowing, the Wise. Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I beseech Thee by the poverty of Thy lovers to open before their faces the gates of Thy wealth. Thou art verily the Bountiful, the Generous. O Lord! I beseech Thee by the Word whereby were attracted the hearts of all things and the souls of all beings, and by the Light whereby were illumined the hearts of the sincere ones, and by Thy sovereignty wherewith Thou didst subdue all names, to ordain for me by Thy Most Exalted Pen that which shall abide with me in every world of Thy worlds. Thou art He to Whose power testifieth all in existence, both seen and unseen. There is none other God but Thee, the Bountiful, the Generous.

We beseech God to aid thee to serve His Cause and to enable thee to hold fast unto whatsoever leadeth to the exaltation of His Word and the manifestation of His Cause. Say: O people! By God, the Promised Day hath come and the Book hath been sent down and the Throne hath been adorned by the Lord of all men, yet doubt stirreth in hearts. This is naught but a wondrous matter. O people! The Day hath come and the Self-Subsisting calleth out: The Kingdom is God’s, the Lord of Lords! O thou who gazest upon the Countenance! Should anyone ask thee concerning the Ark of God, say: Verily it is amidst the waves. Thus did My tongue speak aforetime in the kingdom of My utterance, and at this moment: Verily My brother whom We reared over successive years hath risen up before the kingdom of utterance and committed that which caused the near ones and the sincere to weep at eventide and at dawn.

Thus did the Wronged One suffer at the hands of him whom We had raised to the most exalted station. Would anyone deny what hath flowed from the Pen? Nay, by My life, save he who casteth justice behind him, clinging to tyranny and oppression. I beseech Thee, O Joy of the World, to transform the sorrows of Thy servants into gladness. Thou art verily the Kind, the Forgiving. Take once again the cup of utterance from the hand of the bounty of thy Lord, the All-Merciful, then drink therefrom in His Name through which He subdued the kingdoms of wisdom and utterance. He is verily the Powerful through His sovereignty and the Manifest through His signs. There is none other God but He, the Commander, the Wise.

Section 2: “O Sad! This is a Book that calleth…”

O Sad! This is a Book that calleth out from every direction: O Manifestations of Names and Attributes! The Revealer of Verses hath come with the standards of knowledge and wisdom. Nothing escapeth His knowledge. He heareth the call of His loved ones and answereth them through His grace and mercy. He is the Powerful, the Mighty, the All-Bestowing. O thou who gazest upon the Countenance! We bear witness that thou didst attain and win the choice wine of immortality from the hands of bounty and what is in the Crimson Scroll from the Pen of God, the Lord of all men. Thou art he whom God did strengthen to turn towards Him in His days, and caused to speak His praise, and revealed unto thee what was hidden from all eyes and sight.

As to what was asked concerning the blessed word “He” appearing in the garment of “I,” and hidden in “I am the One Witnessed,” and its restriction in this Revelation: For the Daysprings of Divine Revelation and the Manifestations of His Cause there is, in every station, an utterance, and at every rank, a mention. At times they speak with “Verily, I am God,” and at other times they utter “I am a servant who hath believed in God.” Since this word hath been revealed in this Dispensation, it is specific thereto. For the birds of the Paradise of inner meanings, it is a melody when they are seated upon the throne of “I have with God a station,” speaking with an utterance transcending the limited expressions current among men. The aforementioned word is but a single word, yet in the eyes of those endowed with insight, it hath been revealed from the King of Words through the Dawning-Places of Divine utterance, according to time and station, that which the world of existence is powerless and incapable of comprehending.

O thou who dwellest in My vicinity and drinketh the choice wine of My utterance! This Wronged One hath not attended schools nor engaged in formal discourse. Out of pure bounty to thee are these few words mentioned and shall continue to be mentioned. In stations where they regard the purpose of creation and its effects, they ask about all matters and manifest the utmost servitude. And when they behold the signs deposited within existence, they speak that which transcendeth comprehension and minds. Thus it is that in one station, looking toward the expression of humility, submissiveness and utter poverty, they utter “My Lord, show me,” and the purpose of this word is to express powerlessness, nothingness and evanescence before the manifestation and appearance of the might and grandeur of God, exalted be His glory.

In brief, the Manifestations of God at times express power, wealth and independence, and at times they express weakness, poverty and evanescence. The purpose of these two stations, two mentions and two utterances hath been and is to demonstrate the power and might of God, exalted be His glory.

As to what was asked concerning the blessed verse about the Son of Mary, this word is clear and evident. According to the opinion of the learned ones, it is a rhetorical question meaning “Didst thou say…?” Since the followers of Christ believe in the trinity, meaning the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, therefore the purpose of the verse was to reject the statements and beliefs of that people. In the innermost mystery He says: “Glory be unto Thee! Glory be unto Thee! Thou knowest what is in my soul, and Thou art the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. I seek Thy forgiveness for what the heedless say. Glory be unto Thee! I am of those who repent.”

And as to what was asked concerning the verse “God forgiveth not that partners should be set up with Him; but He forgiveth anything else,” it is incumbent in this day upon this party to beseech from the Truth that He may enable them to attain unto true Divine Unity. Every soul who fixeth his gaze upon and cleaveth unto God, glorified be His majesty, and Him alone, is reckoned before God as one of the people of unity and is accepted; otherwise he is accounted among the idolaters. Thus were the Shi’ih party idolaters while they counted themselves believers; they were ignorant while they deemed themselves learned. From the recompense of deeds on the Day of Judgment, the stations of that party are manifest and evident as the sun.

And as to what thou didst mention concerning the Unseen and the knowledge of the Prophets, there hath been and is no doubt that knowledge of the Unseen is exclusively reserved to the Ancient Being, glorified be His majesty, and all the Prophets unanimously acknowledge this fact. “None knoweth the Unseen save He” is established and proven. Likewise the blessed verse “No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp is over all vision,” for the impenetrable Unseen hath been and ever shall be hidden, and outward vision is powerless and incapable of beholding and comprehending it. These outward eyes have not been and are not capable of beholding even outward things, much less that which is concealed behind the veils of the Unseen.

The Wronged One testifieth with His outer and inner tongue that “No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp is over all vision, and He is the All-Subtle, the All-Informed.” Both the outer and inner eye are powerless and incapable of beholding. If thou wouldst hear from Me, purify thy heart and pen and tongue from that which beseemeth not the days of God, then confine thy affairs to teaching His Cause and guiding His creation. And now that honored one should speak of that which causeth eagerness and longing, and is the cause of ascent and elevation in those immersed in the sea of sanctity. These mentions are the cause of pause. We beseech God to give thee to drink of a cup whose effect shall sanctify thy being from the words of them that are veiled, and purify thine essence from the doubts of the suspicious ones and the uncertainties of the barking ones.

There hath been and is no doubt that in this Most Great Revelation there hath appeared that which existed not before. The Cause hath attained to such a station that the Primal Point—may the spirit of all else be sacrificed for Him—hath spoken “I am the first of the worshippers.” We beseech of the Truth that He may sanctify that honored one through the Kawthar of holy utterance. Verily He is powerful over all things. Say: My God, my God! Praise be unto Thee for having guided me unto the horizon of Thy manifestation and caused me to hear Thy sweetest call and the rustling of Thy Most Exalted Pen. My Lord! Rear me according to Thy will and not my will. Then make me a standard of Thy Name in Thy lands and an ensign of Thy Cause amongst Thy servants. I testify to my poverty and Thy wealth, my powerlessness and Thy might. I beseech Thee by Thyself and by Thy signs and Thy standing before the faces of Thy creation, to remember me in all conditions at Thy mention, O Thou through Whose Name the Mother Book hath spoken in the final abode.

BH00445: May my spirit be sacrificed for you!

May my spirit be sacrificed for you!

The blessed letter that you had previously sent arrived later, bringing joy to heart and soul. Praise be to God, once again the holy spiritual breezes and true intimations of divine companionship were inhaled from the paradise of meaningful love. I was blessed with the jewels of wisdom and utterance, and with exquisite novel expressions and sublime words. That which you confided in God, your Lord, was repeatedly presented before the Throne, time and time again. Once more, countless suns of favor have risen and shone forth from the horizon of grace of the King of Names, specifically for your honor. Blessed be your tongue for having mentioned the Beloved of the worlds and for having spoken with the raptures of those attracted and the melodies of the yearning ones. By God, through these the hearts of the sincere were attracted and the souls of the lovers were enthralled.

Regarding the names previously mentioned, unique and wondrous Tablets were revealed and sent for each one. Blessed are they, for their names were mentioned by the Pen of Revelation and the gaze of God was directed toward them from this Great Prison. However, the names were not mentioned in the Tablets, for wisdom’s sake. Your honor may dispense them as appropriate, for each Tablet is specifically for one of those names that were mentioned before the Throne, and their names have been recorded in a mighty Tablet. As for the names of the people of S that you wrote about in your subsequent letter, God willing, they will be revealed and sent later. That beloved one should not mention divine favors to all until the Tablets arrive. And regarding the Tablets that you mentioned Aqa Mirza ʿAli-Naqi had requested, wondrous and sublime Tablets were revealed and sent. Give him the glad-tidings and convey infinite greetings from this evanescent one.

Again it hath been revealed from the right hand of the Divine Command: Some people have been and are requesting special worldly ornaments from the Most Holy Court, and this is exceedingly far from justice and fairness. From the beginning of this Revelation until now, never have We made any intimation to anyone regarding such matters—holy is the hem of the Cause from the mention of such things, much less their practice. It is incumbent upon all to counsel such souls and to declare unto them what cometh from God. The Herald of Divine Unity proclaimeth from the realm of Godhead: O ye loved ones! Soil not the holy hem with the clay of earthly things, and speak not according to the promptings of self and desire.

I swear by the Sun of the horizon of the Cause, which shineth with utmost brilliance and light from the heaven of the prison, that they who have turned to the Qiblih of existence must today be sanctified and detached from the seen and the unseen. If they engage in teaching, they must do so with pure intent, in a spirit of complete detachment and independence, with lofty purpose and a sanctified nature, turning to all regions with the fragrances of the All-Possessing. It behooveth such souls to make their provision trust in God and their raiment the love of their Lord, the Most Exalted, the Most Glorious, that their words may take effect.

Those souls who today fix their gaze upon the desires of self and the ornaments of this vanishing world are seen to be exceedingly remote. In most times, there have been no outward ornaments in the court of the All-Merciful, and those who circled round were in great hardship. Nevertheless, never hath there shone forth from the Dayspring of the Supreme Pen any mention of the world or word indicating it. And if any soul was blessed to send a gift to the Most Holy Court, it was accepted as a token of grace, although were We to desire all the riches of earth and take possession thereof, none would have the right to question it. No deed hath been or will be more abhorrent than to beg among people in the name of God.

It is incumbent upon that soul and the friends of God to summon the people to the most great detachment and the most great sanctification, that the fragrance of His most glorious Robe may be inhaled from His loved ones. However, the wealthy must be mindful of the poor, for the station of the patient among the poor is great in the sight of God. By My life! No station can equal it save what God willeth. Blessed is the poor one who is patient and concealing, and blessed is the rich one who giveth and preferreth others.

God willing, the poor should strive and engage in crafts and trades, for this hath been made obligatory upon everyone in this most great Revelation and is accounted among good deeds in the sight of God. And whoso acteth upon it, the hidden assistance of God will assuredly encompass him. He enricheth whomsoever He willeth through His grace. He, verily, hath power over all things.

Likewise, from the Dayspring of the merciful Will, words have shone forth concerning the protection of souls and the education of the people of the nation and realm, the benefits of which shall reach all who are on earth, were they to hearken to what hath been sent down from the heaven of the Command. At present it is not expedient that these be sent. They remain suspended in the heaven of Will until such time as the divine Purpose shall determine they be sent. The Command is in His grasp. Strive earnestly in the education of souls, for this hath been and shall remain among the most important of all things.

And glory be upon thee, O thou who hearest Our call in the remembrance of thy Lord, the Powerful, the Mighty, the All-Possessing.

According to the Most Holy and Supreme Command, send copies of this letter with haste to the land of [Ya] and Shin and Sad and other countries. Furthermore, twenty tumans have been allocated to be delivered to you for the children of Ismu’llah-il-Munir-il-Anvar, upon him be the Most Glorious Baha. Furthermore, that person has been given the choice; He said:

“If they follow the truth, what is on earth is theirs, otherwise thy Lord is the best of inheritors.”

However, it is incumbent upon all to be attentive to their condition at the time of acceptance. The Glory be upon thee and upon those who have turned with radiant faces toward the Most Glorious Horizon and have detached themselves from the worlds.

Likewise, from the Dawning-place of the utterance of the All-Merciful, say to the loved ones of God that the first quality of humanity is fairness, and all matters depend upon it. Let them reflect somewhat upon the tribulations and afflictions of this Prisoner, Who has spent His entire life in the hands of enemies, and every day was afflicted with a fresh trial in the path of divine love, until the Cause of God was raised up among the servants. Now if someone should arise and, following his own imaginings, occupy himself secretly and openly with causing division among the people—is such a one to be accounted among the fair-minded? Nay, by His Self, the One Who rules over the worlds! By My life, My heart laments and Mine eyes weep for the Cause of God and for those who say what they understand not and imagine within themselves that which they perceive not.

Today it behooveth all to cling to the Most Great Name. There is no refuge or haven save Him. They must unite the people. Should anyone, though he be dwelling in the highest heights of grandeur, utter words that would cause division among the people, divert them from the shores of the Most Great Ocean and turn their attention to any direction save the praiseworthy station which is manifested within human limitations and directions, all existence beareth witness that he is deprived of the breezes of the All-Merciful. Say: Be fair, O people of understanding. He that is unfair hath no humanity.

God is aware of all souls and what they possess. The forbearance of God hath caused people to become heedless, for He doth not rend asunder the veil before its time, and due to the precedence of mercy, wrathful manifestations have been prevented. Therefore most people, being engaged secretly in that which they commit, have imagined God to be unaware of it. Nay, by His All-Knowing and All-Informed Self! All is visible and evident in the mirror of His knowledge. Say: Praise be to Thee, O Concealer of the weaklings’ faults, and praise be to Thee, O Forgiver of the heedless ones’ sins! We forbade the people from following delusion that they might recognize the sovereign Truth and that which appeareth from His presence.

Now they are seen to be afflicted with the vain imaginings of their own selves. By My life, they themselves are the deluded ones and perceive it not, and that which they utter is delusion though they comprehend it not. We beseech God to assist all and to make them know Him and their own selves. By My life, whoso attaineth unto His knowledge soareth in the atmosphere of His love and detacheth himself from the worlds, turning not his attention to all who are on earth, how much less to those who speak according to their desires that which God hath not permitted them.

Say: Today is the day of hearkening. Hearken unto the voice of the Wronged One. Speak ye in the name of Truth, and be adorned with the ornament of His remembrance, and illumined with the lights of His love. This is the key to hearts and the polish of existence. He who remaineth heedless of that which hath flowed from the Finger of Will is in manifest error. Righteousness and uprightness are conditions of faith, not difference and corruption. Convey that which thou hast been commanded by the Trustworthy One.

The Glory be upon thee, O thou who rememberest My Name, who gazeth toward My direction, and who uttereth the praise of thy Gracious Lord.

At one time, I was present before the Throne, and He commanded: Write to Ali—O Ali! In certain places, some have outwardly clung to one of the branches of this Divine Tree, seeking thereby to lead weak souls from the shore of oneness to the wilderness of misbelief and error. In truth, these people’s secret purpose was never and is not the branch of the Tree, but rather their own selfish desires. God will reveal what is in their souls and what is hidden in their breasts. Verily, He is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. People must be strictly forbidden from entering such places, and every possible effort must be made to protect the Cause from all directions, lest the evil ones find a way to infiltrate.

O Ali! Strange indeed are the people who each day soar with a different desire and wander in a wilderness. These souls never truly sought the branch, nor will they; rather, they have made him a means for attracting people to themselves. God protect us and you from the evil of such as these. Out of consideration for past mercy, We have not exposed the secret of these souls in this instance, that perchance they might become aware and feel remorse. They have also deceived some village folk with their vain imaginings. If someone could, with wisdom and kindness, guide these weak ones to the shore of the might of oneness, it would be praiseworthy.

And the Glory be upon you and those with you.

This servant submits that since the veil has not been rent in this instance and counsels of loving kindness have been sent down from the Pen of Command to those souls, therefore, as commanded, your honor should also not expose them but speak with perfect wisdom, that perchance they might become aware. Otherwise, God will rend the veil. Verily, He is the Powerful, the Mighty.

Your honor knows that it is now nearly ten months since this petition was submitted, and likewise a petition to his honor the illustrious Nabil (upon him be the remembrance of God, the Mighty, the Beautiful), along with certain passages from the Most Holy Court that needed—indeed, absolutely needed—to be delivered. It was delayed all this time and did not arrive, so it has been sent by a new route. We hope, God willing, that it will arrive soon. Furthermore, two special cloaks have been bestowed, one for his honor Nabil and one for your honor. Upon you be the Glory of God and His remembrance.

As commanded, at least once every month, the friends of God in whatever land they reside should, either collectively or individually, read whatever divine utterances have been revealed in this leaf and meditate upon them.

BH00447: God testifies that there is no God but Him…

In the Name of the Most Invincible, Most Exalted, Most Holy, Most Glorious

God testifies that there is no God but Him and that ʿAli-Qabli-Nabil is His servant and His Glory. The days of servitude have passed and the Glory has appeared with a sovereignty that has encompassed all created things. Then the clamor was raised from all who are in the heavens and earth except those whom We protected from the depths of fire and whom We saved through Our grace. Thus were We powerful over all things and predominant over all in the kingdom.

Say: O people! The thunderbolt of the Cause has come to you, then the breezes of torment. Beware that you show mercy to [yourselves] and do not dispute with Him Who has come to you with all the signs and Who speaks to you at all times that which the Ancient Being spoke within His breast. The reins of patience and forbearance have been taken from Him and He speaks as He wishes and is not questioned about what He wishes, and verily He has power over all things. And whenever I became powerless before Him:

“O my Lord! Have mercy upon my soul and leave me not in the hands of the wicked. You witness how these wolves have surrounded me, yet He does not hear from me and speaks in all things that ʿI am God, there is no God but Me. I created all possible things for the knowledge of My Self and brought beings into existence to attain My presence.’ And then I manifested My Self in truth as a grace from Us, and thus was the matter decreed from the direction of wisdom in truth.”

Say: O people! By God the Truth, verily He speaks now and utters what He wishes and wills, and I am not able to prevent Him. And if I try to prevent Him, by God He will not hear from me. Verily He is the Truth, there is no God but Him, and He is wise over all things.

O people! You cannot slay me with the swords of your rancor. By God, verily your Beloved has manifested me in truth, and all created things bear witness to this, if you be informed thereof. O people! If this be my sin, then ʿAli came to you before with what I have brought you, and before him Muhammad the Messenger of God, and before him the Spirit. Thus has the matter been from time immemorial, if you be aware thereof. Fear God and dispute not His signs, war not against His Self, and deprive not yourselves of the mercy that encompasses the worlds.

Then know, O thou who gazest upon the Countenance, that from the thicket of hypocrisy has emerged a band of wolves, and among them is he who cried out within himself: “Is God able to make sweet bitter, or black white?” Say: Yea, by my Lord! Verily He is powerful over what He wishes. He changes all things at every moment, if you be discerning thereof. Nothing in the heavens and earth can frustrate Him. Rather, impotence is an attribute of His servants, while He has ever been sanctified beyond the description of His creation and powerful over all things.

And among them is he who said that this Manifestation has appeared too soon, and this is not from God’s practice that has gone before. Say: Yea, by my Lord! This is that innovation the like of which the eye of creation has never witnessed, and thus does the Tongue of Truth speak in the heaven of mighty and lofty glory. Beyond that, say: Verily He has ever been manifest above all things, but you did not recognize Him because the veils of fancy and desire seized you. Every possessor of knowledge beareth witness to this truth: If ye would judge fairly within yourselves and ponder upon those days when the Day-Star of the horizons shone forth from the quarter of Iraq—by God!

No eye there was but witnessed from Him what none other had witnessed, and heard what none among all created things had heard. Such indeed was the matter, did ye but know it. God Himself walked among you and spoke unto you with His holy tongue, yet ye knew Him not and remained veiled from His presence. Say: By God! After Me no ear shall hear what was heard from My tongue, nor shall any eye behold what was witnessed in My beauty. But when We found you veiled by fancy and desire, We concealed Our countenance and manifested it not to you, though it was shining like the sun from a glorious horizon.

Say: O people! Fear God and act not as did the people of the Furqan towards ʿAli. Be ye ashamed before God Who created you for this Day and gave you glad tidings of this Manifestation in all the Tablets through a sublime and exalted Pen. And thou, O Zaynu’l-Baqa, grieve not because of these people and what proceedeth from their mouths. Leave their mention, their selves, and all that pertaineth unto them, then turn thy face unto thy Lord and be steadfast in His path. Take heed lest thou be impatient in the Cause of thy Lord. Rather, speak forth between earth and heaven as We commanded thee before and now command thee again, as a token of Our grace unto thee and unto those who hearken unto thy words concerning God, thy Lord, and who take refuge in the shadow of thy Lord’s protection, remaining faithful to the truth.

Be thankful unto God thy Lord for having purified thee from the defilement of these people. Leave them and all their followers—they are but as a handful of clay in thy Lord’s sight, nay less than that, wert thou to know. Purify thine ear that thou mayest hear what the Dove of the Cause warbleth in all things. By the True God! Then wilt thou hear the call from all that hath been created between earth and heaven. Thus have We rent asunder the veil by Our command, for verily We have power over all things. We have uttered a Word and suspended it in the air—it verily attracteth the essences of all created things while casting aside their accidents. It is the magnet of divine attraction, remembered before the Throne. Through it God separateth light from darkness, the fortunate from the wretched, the rejector from the acceptor. Thus doth He what He willeth by His command, and He is indeed wise over all things.

Know thou that what thou hast called unto God, thy Lord and the Lord of the worlds, hath come before Us. We have heard the sighing of thy heart and the lamentation of thy soul, and We have accepted from thee both what thou hast done and what thou hast not done, as a grace from Our presence, that thou mayest be among the thankful. We have aided thee in the Cause and shall continue to aid thee as We wish, by Our command, for verily We are the Commander. We have distinguished thee among all creation through Our love, wherefore thou shouldst glory among the concourse of the worlds. Be thou steadfast in the Cause in such wise that thou seest naught in existence save My hallowed, mighty and luminous Beauty, and beholdest all else besides God thy Lord as dust kneaded with brackish water. They have no mention or name with thy Lord today, save those who have ascended unto God and attained the riches of the heavens and earth, and verily it is for the love of thy Lord. He who hath it not is indeed the poorest of creatures—to this every discerning and fair-minded person beareth witness.

Thou dost not ride upon the camel, nor dost thou disgrace thy Lord, for We have forgiven thee before thy asking and clothed thee in the robe of forgiveness before all creation. Therefore keep this to thyself, then thank God thy Lord for having enabled thee to recognize His Self and to stand before His presence, and for having detached thee from all else besides Him. Verily He is the All-Merciful, the Most Compassionate. Blessed art thou for having entrusted thy affairs to the Best Bestower, the Most Excellent Helper, and the Most Great Trustee. Be thou therefore assured in thyself through God’s might and power, then turn thy face toward the House and say:

“O my Lord! Praise be unto Thee for what Thou hast bestowed upon me from the wonders of Thy favors and enabled me to entrust my affairs to Thy Self, the Almighty, the Mighty, the All-Knowing.”

Thus doth God single out whom He willeth through His grace and purify his heart from the defilement of the idolaters.

As to what thou hast mentioned regarding Huquq and such matters, We have verily appointed thee as a trustee from Our presence over all the worlds. All that thou hast done, committed and performed, We have accepted from thee. Grieve not within thyself but be assured through the grace of thy Ancient Lord. There have shone forth from the horizon of thy Lord’s fingers resplendent words and consummate wisdom, which We have sent unto thee that thou mayest witness and be of those who are well-informed. We desired in this Tablet to inform thee of what hath befallen Us, but We have restrained the Pen from mentioning sorrows lest thou be disturbed within thyself and grieve for what hath befallen the Self of God, the Supreme, the Mighty, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: By God! There hath befallen Us what hath not befallen any of the Manifestations of old, and I have been tried in the mouth of the serpent, and none knoweth this save My mighty and beloved Self. At first he desired to slay Me, but when God frustrated his desire, he then arose to calumny, and there flowed from his pen that which he himself witnessed, showing no shame before Him Who created and nurtured him, and taught him morning and evening. When he saw the people were foolish, he committed this sin within himself and was among those who play. Had people possessed illumined vision, they would surely have witnessed in his calumnies his falsehood and would have discovered what lay within his breast of hatred for God and enmity toward Him. But the people do not understand. Would that thou hadst been informed of the essence of his affair, but We have veiled it as a wisdom from Our presence which none comprehend save those who are endowed with understanding. Days passed during which no one could mention what befell God, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting. We showed patience and concealed matters until God should bring about His purpose. Verily He is the Almighty over all things, doing what He willeth through His command “Be” and it is.

Your letter has reached the Exalted Presence, and as to what you mentioned regarding the transactions that have occurred—what is done is done, be not troubled. You are trustworthy in the sight of God. Arise at all times to aid the Cause. What is beloved in the sight of God today has been and will ever be the recognition of His Being. Whosoever guideth a soul shall have ordained for him an infinite reward.

O Zaynu’l-Muqarrabin! God, exalted be His mention, hath not manifested such falsehood in any people as He hath in the people of the Bayan. For in every people, a thousand or more or less years would pass before one would appear by whom the truthful could be distinguished from the false, and the believer from the misbeliever. But since the people of the Bayan regarded themselves as the most discerning among the peoples of the earth and superior to all creation—to such extent that they considered all others veiled while deeming themselves as having recognized God and among those who had attained His presence—therefore but one breath of test blew, and it caused them all to fall back to the lowest station of previous peoples.

Thus they have argued against God with the same arguments that the foremost among the followers of the Furqan used at the time of the manifestation of the Point of the Bayan—may the spirit of all else be sacrificed for His sake—and they inflicted upon the Truth what they inflicted. Away with such wrongdoing people! Indeed, they have uttered words and advanced proofs such as no people had ever advanced, even though the veils have not yet been lifted, and what hath been mentioned is less than can be counted in the sight of God. Yet these immature servants have raised such objections as no people had ever raised at the time of a Manifestation.

Soon will the tablets of fire spread to all regions. Leave them behind you, then turn toward God, the Mighty, the Beautiful. And regarding the names mentioned in your letter of those who have ascended unto God, verses from the heaven of glory have been specially revealed for each one and sent in a scroll. God willing, it will have reached you and you will deliver them. And the glory be upon you and upon him who hath occupied the seat of independence in this firm and wondrous Cause.