Volume 107: Date unknown (2 of 7)

BH02189: Peace be upon you, O you whose body…

Peace be upon you, O you whose body is like a niche wherein is a lamp! Peace be upon you, O you over whom the people of the world of shadows wailed and lamented! Peace be upon you, O you over whom the essences of spirits wept! Peace be upon you, O you who walked the path of triumph and success! Peace be upon you, O confirmed moth! Peace be upon you, O you whose mountain-like form was like an engraved seal! Peace be upon you, O you whose subtle temple was carved! Peace be upon you, O you who passed over the bridge like a rushing wind! Peace be upon you, O you who by sacrificing your lifeblood burned the hearts of the servants like a flash of lightning!

Peace be upon you, O you at whose martyrdom, when the mighty frame was rent asunder, the Hour approached and the moon was cleft! Peace be upon you, O you whose body was pierced and upon whom were set the candles of affliction! Peace be upon you, O you whose branches the infidels kindled and lit, though its oil would glow even if no fire touched it! Peace be upon you, O you whose weakness dripped upon earth’s table as sweetness and drink, and heaven cried “Would that I were dust!”

Peace be upon you, O you whose limbs were torn asunder, O you whose vitals were roasted—alas for you! You melted as wax candles melt, and your parts, both root and branch, dissolved away. The essences of your spirit danced in your eternal temple, and the minds of the holy ones were bewildered by your most glorious state. How strange that when people refused… your noble being went to the test… indeed it was not counterfeit in all creation.

Peace be upon you, O salamander in the fire of the Divine Essence, O dove soaring in the air of love for the Eternal! Peace be upon you, O peacock of the ruby heaven in the sphere of the fire of might! I testify that you sang as sang the dove of the Divine Essence in the atmosphere of the heaven of burning, and you shunned the people of creation… and poverty, and complained not among the companions of separation and hypocrisy, though among them your legs were bound together.

Peace be upon you, O you whose pure spilled blood reddened the face of the trampled earth! I testify that by the torch of your body, blazing in the pitch darkness, you revealed the paths through the gloom until you guided Khidr to the darknesses.

Peace be upon you, O you who entered naked into the scene of the Point of the Bayan, being well-watered from the Kawthar of love yet thirsting from drinking the cups of trials, whose body Satan’s blind hosts cut to pieces, whose blood tears flowed from the eyes of swords, whose exalted, most glorious mention spread to all regions, whose supreme, most high Cause shone forth among the noble ones, and from whose calamity the earth of hearts was crushed as though it were Mount Qaf!

Peace be upon you, O you who flew on wings of longing to the highest pavilions of the lovers! Peace be upon you, O you who magnified the wondrous Cause and manifested the mysteries of love in this mighty cycle, and called to all the people of the earth with a call: “Wish for death if you speak truth!” Peace be upon you and upon all the martyrs with you, and we, God willing, shall join you and attain. Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds.

BH02216: Glorified art Thou, O Thou through Whom the Luminary…

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

Glorified art Thou, O Thou through Whom the Luminary of inner meanings hath shone forth from the horizon of the heaven of utterance, and the worlds of knowledge and wisdom have been adorned with the lights of proof and evidence! I beseech Thee by the oceans of Thy mercy and the heaven of Thy favor, and by Thy Cause through which Thou hast guided the sincere ones to the ocean of Thy recognition and the believers to the sun of Thy bounty, that Thou aid Thy servants to remember and praise Thee. Then ordain for them what Thou hast ordained for those who have acknowledged Thy oneness and Thy singleness, who have not changed Thy favor nor denied Thy right, who have not disputed Thy signs nor broken Thy covenant and Thy pledge, and who have sacrificed their souls to exalt Thy Most Sublime Word and manifest Thy Cause, O Lord of all beings in the kingdom of creation!

O Lord! Send down upon them from the heaven of Thy grace the rains of Thy mercy, and ordain for them that which will bring joy to their eyes, gladden their hearts, and tranquilize their souls. Verily, Thou art powerful over whatsoever Thou willest, and within Thy grasp are all who dwell in the kingdom of command and creation. Thou doest what Thou pleasest and ordainest what Thou desirest. Thou art God, the Single, the One, the Mighty, the All-Praised.

O my Lord! Thou seest me turning toward Thee, hoping for the wonders of Thy grace and bounty. I beseech Thee, O my God, by the Sacred House and Station, by Zamzam and Safa, by the Most Remote Mosque, and by Thy House which Thou hast made the point of adoration for the Concourse on High and the goal of all mankind, and by Him through Whom Thou hast manifested Thy Cause and sovereignty, revealed Thy verses, and raised the banners of Thy victory in Thy lands, whom Thou hast adorned with the ornament of finality, and through whom the breezes of revelation were cut off—that Thou disappoint me not of what Thou hast ordained for those of Thy servants who are nigh unto Thee and those of Thy creatures who are sincere. Verily, Thou art He to Whose power all created things have testified, and to Whose grandeur all possible things have borne witness. No impediment can withhold Thee, and nothing can veil Thee. Thou art the Almighty, the Powerful.

Praise be to Thee, O my God, and thanks be to Thee, O my Desire! I testify that I was heedless—Thou didst guide me to Thy path; I was ignorant—Thou didst teach me the ways of Thy good-pleasure; I was asleep—Thou didst awaken me to Thy remembrance and praise. O my God, my Quest and my Hope! By Thy might! This servant of Thine confesseth his powerlessness, poverty, transgressions, sins, heedlessness and ignorance. I beseech Thee by Thy Name which dominateth all names, and by the waves of the ocean of Thy mercy, O Creator of the heavens, and by Thy Most Great Book whereby Thou hast guided the peoples and wherein Thou hast informed Thy servants of the Resurrection and its manifestations, of the Hour and its signs, and hast made it a herald of glad tidings to Thy friends and a warner to Thine enemies—that Thou make me in all conditions patient in Thy trials, looking toward the horizon of Thy grace, holding fast to the cord of obedience unto Thee, and acting in accordance with what Thou hast commanded me in Thy Book. Verily, Thou art the Forgiving, the Bountiful, and verily, Thou art God, the Lord of all worlds.

O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon the Lord of Yathrib and Batha, and upon His family and companions who were not prevented by anything whatsoever from helping Thy Cause, O Thou in Whose grasp is the reins of creation. There is no God but Thee, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

BH02245: O Farrukh Kh! Say: My God, my God! I…

In the Name of Him Who dominates over all who are in the unseen and visible realms!

O Farrukh Kh! Say: My God, my God! I beseech Thee by the waves of the ocean of Thy generosity, and by the trees of the paradise of Thy mercy, and by the fruits of the Divine Lote-Tree of Thy glory, and by the effulgences of the orb of Thy bounty, and by the shade of the leaves of the garden of Thy loving-kindness, and by the rivers flowing in the paradise of Thy will, to make me steadfast in Thy Cause in such wise that the laws and principles of men shall not prevent me from Thy commandments and ordinances. O Lord! Protect Thy party from Thine enemies, then open before their faces the gates of generosity and bounty through Thy power and sovereignty.

O Lord! Thou seest the weak ones of the earth turning toward the horizon of Thy might. I beseech Thee not to disappoint them in what they desire from Thy grace in Thy days. Verily Thou art He to Whose bounty and mercy and power and might the rock hath testified, and the sea to Thy greatness and glory, and the sun to Thy power which hath encompassed Thy kingdom. Thou art He, O my God, Whom armies cannot withhold nor ranks frighten. Thou doest what Thou willest and ordainest what Thou pleaseth. Verily Thou art the Mighty, the Praiseworthy.

Has the eye of the world ever witnessed such a bounty, or has the comprehension of nations ever been enabled to enumerate it? Nay, by His own Self! That which was beyond the grasp and understanding of those in the world hath appeared. Through the power of His Pen, He hath removed all causes of contention, warfare, discord and differences from the tablets and established that which leadeth to harmony, unity, love, fellowship, friendship and oneness, and commanded all to observe these. Those possessed of true vision and inner hearing should turn somewhat their attention—they will observe all besides God as non-existent.

This servant, with utmost helplessness and supplication, beseecheth from the wondrous divine grace and infinite mercy that which will cause the elevation of the stations of this party. It is hoped that this most great party, through the lights of the Ancient Beauty, will neither pay attention to nor draw near to that from which the odor of corruption emanateth, and will know and hear their own reward and station. Most people have now testified to the absence of corruption in this wronged party. This is in truth established before those possessed of insight, but due to the negligence of some who harbor enmity without cause, they have detected from some means of reformation the odor of corruption. We seek refuge in God from this. The Cause until now in all tablets hath spoken of what is known, nay of that which is well-known. Blessed are those souls who look with the divine eye. Assuredly when intention becomes pure, the effulgences of the light of reformation become manifest and evident. Verily our Lord is the Compassionate, the Generous, the All-Bountiful, the Forgiving, the Merciful.

As for the mention made of Hashim Bey, upon him be the Glory of God, after it was presented in the Most Holy and Exalted Presence, these holy and blessed verses were revealed—thus speaks He, mighty is His utterance and evident His proof…

BH11677: May my spirit be a sacrifice for Thy love!…

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

May my spirit be a sacrifice for Thy love! Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I beseech Thee by the Lamp which was kindled in the heart of creation, and which was surrounded by the winds of sorrow, and which, whenever the tempestuous winds passed over it, increased in its radiance through Thy sovereignty and might, to make him who has arisen to aid Thy Cause a fire unto the hearts of the Messengers and a light unto the hearts of those who have turned towards Thee. O Lord! Protect him through Thy protection, aid him through Thy assistance, make him a promoter of Thy verses, an expounder of Thy laws and ordinances. Furthermore, I beseech Thee, O my God, to make us as one soul, one remembrance, and one pillar standing firm, that we may unite to manifest Thy sovereignty, demonstrate Thy power, and exalt Thy Cause. Verily, Thou art the One Who hath power over whatsoever Thou willest. There is none other God but Thee, the Mighty, the Generous.

It was previously submitted that a da’ira would be sent, the details of which are as follows: The beginning of this da’ira existed before, and at the beginning of the Manifestation of the Point of the Bayan—may the spirit of all else be sacrificed for Him—permission was granted to some to keep it with them specifically for protection and countless affairs. However, its greatest pillar remained concealed and was not completed except in this most mighty, most holy, and most wondrous Revelation. It has come to the blessed attention and specifically permitted that you are authorized to give it to whomever you wish.

Previously, one mithqal of gold was set as an offering for this da’ira, but His Holiness the Exalted—may the spirit of all else be sacrificed for Him—granted a reduction. The purpose of the offering is for the person who receives the da’ira. The Manifestations of Truth have never had, nor will ever have, any attachment to this world and what it contains. Whoever received it would spend it, on behalf of the Truth, either for those they knew to be deserving or for other beneficial purposes they deemed appropriate.

However, the actual drawing of it requires some effort—they must be very careful that it is correct in every aspect. You are authorized to implement it in whatever manner you deem appropriate. It may also be written on paper—there is no harm in this. It was written specifically for you on cloth for durability.

Whoever wishes to carry it should sit in a private place, recite the Verse of Power which is in the first circle (previously the Throne Verse was written in its place), recite the Divine Names which are in the second circle, and then recite the prayer written in the figure at the center of the circle. Afterward, with complete attention, detachment, and turning to God, they should take it and fold it, and while folding it, recite nineteen times “He is the Protector, the Helper, the Succourer, the All-Assisting.” Then they should not open it again, but keep it with them wrapped in wax paper and sewn in another cloth. It may be carried on the head, chest, or arm—the main purpose is that it should be with them, and they are permitted to carry it in whatever manner they wish.

BH11724: Thou art He Who answereth the prayer…

Thou art He Who answereth the prayer of the supplicant!

O my God, do Thou manifest in this Festival Thy power and dominion over all who are in Thy heaven and on Thy earth. Glory be to Thee, O my God! Thou knowest that I acknowledged Thy oneness and was assured of Thy greatness and might before the shrill voice of Thy Most Exalted Pen was heard in the kingdom of creation. I heard Thy call before the creation of Thy heaven and earth, and I answered that verily Thou art the All-Bountiful, possessed of great favor, and verily Thou art the Almighty, possessed of terrible strength and bounty. There is no God but Thee, Who ruleth as He pleaseth.

O my God! Wouldst Thou disappoint this poor one who hath clung to the hem of Thy loving-kindness? Wouldst Thou turn away this sinful one who hath drawn near to the city of Thy forgiveness? Wouldst Thou banish this lowly one who hath hastened to the city of Thy glory? Wouldst Thou deny this thirsty one who hath hurried to the Kawthar of life? O Thou Who hath called Thyself the All-Merciful! Nay, by Thy beauty, O Sovereign of all realms! Thou wilt never deny him, never turn him away. If Thou disappointest me, O my Beloved, I will still call upon Thee, call upon Thee as the All-Bountiful, and if Thou turnest me away, O my Purpose, I will still cry unto Thee, cry unto Thee as the All-Merciful.

At this moment we beseech Thee, by the wafting of the breezes of Thy grace which blow across all regions, and by Thy sovereignty before which all necks have bowed, to send upon Thy loved ones that which will make them sincere toward Thee alone, will enrich them above all else besides Thee, and will sanctify them from all save Thee on this Day which Thou hast specially ordained for the dawning of the Sun of Thy Most Glorious Name upon all things, and which Thou hast chosen for Thy Most Exalted Self betwixt earth and heaven. Then send down upon them what Thou hast ordained for them in the kingdom of Thy decree, strengthen them through Thy might, and exalt them through Thy power over Thine enemies, that Thou mayest cleanse Thy earth of those who have denied Thy Self, rejected Thy proof, and repudiated Thy signs. For verily Thou art the Almighty. In Thy hand is the kingdom of bounty; Thou bestowest upon whom Thou willest as Thou willest, and withholdest from whom Thou willest as Thou pleasest. There is no God but Thee, the All-Conquering, the Almighty, the All-Compelling, the Powerful, the Omnipotent.

I beseech Thee on this day, by Thy Most Great Name, O Quickener of nations and Fashioner of mortal remains, to aid us in that which Thou hast commanded us in Thy Scriptures and Tablets, and in walking the paths of Thy good-pleasure. Then enable me, O my God, to assist Thy Cause, to proclaim Thine order, and to spread Thy signs among the peoples, that the standards of Thy guidance may be raised among Thy creatures and the fire of Thy love may be kindled in the hearts of Thy creation. O Quickener of spirits and O Thou in Whose grasp is the direction of the winds!

Then I ask Thee, O my Beloved, by Thy Most Glorious Beauty, to grant us tongues that are eloquent, fluent and clear; eyes that are penetrating, sharp and keen; faces that are illumined and radiant; lips that are smiling and cheerful; ears that are attentive and perceiving; hearts that are sanctified and serene; souls that are purified and well-pleasing; hands that are upraised and outstretched; and feet that are firm, steadfast and upright; and breaths that are influential and pure, that Thou mayest transform all who are on earth entirely through Thy command and will, and draw them near to the shore of Thy Most Great Sea, that all may testify that verily Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, the Beloved in the hearts of the lovers, and the One Desired in the hearts of them that long for Thee.

BH11611: O Shaykh! Upon thee be the glory and bounty…

He is the All-Loving, the All-Merciful.

O Shaykh! Upon thee be the glory and bounty of God. In the visible world, there hath appeared that which hath bewildered the possessors of wisdom, knowledge, proof and testimony. For twelve hundred years the divines, mystics and worshippers of Iran clung to matters that were not remembered in the sight of God. Glory be to God! Throughout the nights and days, all beseeched and supplicated for the days of His manifestation, yet when the Most Great Luminary shone forth from the horizon of the heaven of eternity, all turned away and denied, save whom God willed.

How strange, utterly strange, that throughout the ages not one among the divines of that land was aware of the nature of His manifestation. They clung to unseemly tales and held fast to false stories. Throughout the nights and days, they were all worshippers of self and passion, devoted to mere names, holding fast to the cord of names while remaining heedless and veiled from their Creator, Provider, and the Source of their being.

By the life of God! Such was the wrong inflicted by that group upon the Seal of the Prophets that tablet, pen, banner and standard weep and lament. For those souls who were made manifest by His Word became occupied with these people and were barred from the true Sovereign. In the latter days, their rebellion reached such heights that mention of God’s truth, power and sovereignty was erased, leaving naught but the mention of letters. The station and rank of that party on the Day of Retribution is clear and evident to those possessed of insight.

The divines issued the decree for the shedding of His most pure blood, and the preachers opened their tongues in curse and execration. And now they speak from pulpits that which causeth the hearts of the sincere ones and those near to God to burn, and the tears of the believers to flow.

Strange it is that the people of the Bayan are still not awakened by what hath come to pass. They remain occupied anew with mention of Imam, successor, mirror and the like. The knowledge and mysticism of the past culminated in the Fourth Pillar. The purpose of this mention is clear and evident to them.

Take warning, ye whose raven hair leaves wisdom far behind;

Take warning, ye whose hoary sheen now crowns the cheek inclined.

In any case, the heedless party hath afflicted the servants with the delusions of the past. Seek assistance from God, that He might raise up souls who recognize the bounty and station of the Day of God, and who might protect the helpless people from the well of suspicion and fancy. Verily, He hath power over all things.

Blessed is he who pondereth what hath flowed from the tongue of Grandeur at this time, and blessed art thou, O Shaykh, for having shattered the idols in the name of thy Lord, the Possessor of all names, and rent asunder the veils through His binding and wise command.

The glory from Us be upon thee, upon those with thee, and upon all who are steadfast and upright. Praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.

BH11685: To be typed

To be typed.

BH11726: O ʿAli qabl-i-Akbar! Upon thee be My glory. Thy…

In the name of the All-Knowing Speaker.

O ʿAli qabl-i-Akbar! Upon thee be My glory. Thy letter was sent to the Most Holy Court by Ismi Mihdi, upon him be my grace and mercy. Blessed art thou for having sent that which bore the fragrance of My martyrs who cast aside all else but Me and sacrificed their spirits, bodies, frames and possessions in My path. By God’s life! The Mother Book in the Supreme Realm lamented their tribulation, and the wailing of the Most Great Name was raised among the nations. By My life! My Pen hath wept and My ink hath cried out. The world hath never witnessed the like of those assured and detached souls.

O Ali-Qabl-Akbar! In these days and nights, without cessation, their praise and glorification ascendeth from the seat of the Throne. The Concourse on High uttereth this most exalted word:

“Would that we had been with them and attained that which none among the servants hath attained!”

Blessed are they and joy be unto them, for they have truly seized the ball of supreme felicity. Through the light of their sacrifice, the horizons were illumined. Soon shall the fruits of their martyrdom appear in the earth. Verily, God is the Just, the Wise.

The station of martyrdom that was attained is most great, and this precious pearl is not always to be found. A hundred thousand blessings upon those souls who attained unto it. No deed greater than this hath ever been witnessed in the world—the patience and fortitude of those holy souls. Yet most of the servants know not the cause and reason for this patience, for they are heedless and are seen to be far removed from the ocean of knowledge and the sea of wisdom.

O Ali-Qabl-Akbar! Those mighty, conquering and powerful hands were bound by the divine chains of restraint and were firmly secured by the fetters of God’s commandments and laws. Blessed and happy are they! They have been gazing toward the purpose of the worlds. Therefore they held fast unto that which was revealed from the Most Exalted Pen. However, the authorities and the oppressors of the day were and are heedless of understanding the cause and reason. Strange it is that even His Majesty the Sultan is unaware of the cause. For were he to become aware, he would arise in praise and gratitude to the Dawning-Place of verses and the Dayspring of evidences. Thus hath My Most Exalted Pen spoken in this exalted and glorious station.

Convey greetings and glory from this Wronged One to the friends in that land. Blessed are those souls who have annihilated their will and desire in the Will and Desire of God, and who have had and have no will of their own. These are the people of Baha. Their names have been recorded in a Tablet which none hath seen save God, the Speaker, the Truthful, the Trustworthy.

The glory shining from the horizon of the heaven of My loving-kindness be upon My loved ones who have drunk the choice wine of revelation from the hand of My bounty and have said: “God is our Lord and the Lord of the Mighty Throne!”

BH02408: The splendor of God rest upon you, O Dayspring…

The splendor of God rest upon you, O Dayspring of faithfulness from God, Creator of heaven!

I testify that through you the city of servitude was adorned, its banners were raised, its gates were decorated, and its birds sang. I testify that you turned to God and voiced His praise among His servants. Blessed are you and your brother, for whom the denizens of the highest paradise lamented, and blessed is he who turned to you both, found your fragrance, walked in your footsteps, and held fast to what is good concerning your families after you both.

Then turn to Kazim, who attained the greatest martyrdom in the path of God, Lord of all beings, and say: “The splendor of God be upon you, O you who sacrificed your all in the path of God, Lord of the worlds!

The first fragrance that wafted from the garment of your Lord’s mercy, the Lord of all names, be upon you, O star shining from the horizon of faithfulness and gazing toward the highest horizon! I testify that you turned toward God on a day when every rejecter turned away, and you took hold of the Book when every idolater cast it behind, and you acknowledged what the Tongue of Grandeur uttered when every denier denied it, and you drank the choice wine of inner meanings when every hypocrite abandoned it. Blessed are you, and blessed the earth honored by your body, and the pilgrim who seeks your shrine and visits your resting place, and he who speaks your praise and utters what befell you in the days of your Lord. I testify that through you the Divine Lote Tree lamented and the hearts of those who cast away the world and turned to the highest horizon in the days of God, Lord of the Throne and earth, were melted.

Thus has the Pen spoken from the station whereon the Lord of eternity was established upon His mighty throne. Glory and peace and praise and blessings be upon you, O you through whom the tale of Husayn was renewed and the Virgin and the Messenger lamented in manifest grief. Woe to the people who denied your right and cast away what they were commanded by God, the All-Knowing, the Wise.

The glory which appeared and shone forth at the first dawn wherein God manifested Himself to those in His dominion and His kingdom and to the chosen ones among His creation be upon you, O sovereign of faithfulness and most exalted Ha’ and Ha’.

My Most Exalted Pen beareth witness that you both turned toward and approached God, Creator of heaven, on a day when the stars fell and the sun was darkened and the trumpet was blown and the mountains were moved. Joy to him who turned to you both and attained to your remembrance and held fast to the cord of love for you and dissociated himself from those who rose against you without any clear proof or book.

The first peace uttered by the Tongue of Grandeur before the creation of earth and heaven be upon you, O name of Ha’, who hath dawned from the horizon of faithfulness.

I testify that you turned to God and heard the call and answered the Lord of Names, and the attraction of the verses seized you in such wise that you spent what you possessed, your family, and your spirit in the path of God, the Protector, the Mighty, the Self-Subsisting.”

BH02450: O Salman! It is the end of night…

He is the Most Glorious

O Salman! It is the end of night and the beginning of dawn’s break that this servant has taken up the pen so that a drop from the oceans of love surging in the heart might flow through the channel of the pen, with the aid of ink, upon the tablet of righteousness. Yet the pen of contingent being lacks the power to express, and the tablets of existence cannot contain this manifest bounty.

Although in these days when the divine fragrance is wafting from the holy spiritual realm, all these degrees of love return to the heart, and the heart’s emanations and spiritual breezes are coming and going—so blessed are they who attain! In any case, by divine power, pass like a flame of fire through all regions and lands, and with the fingers of remembrance and certitude, rend asunder the veils of the heedless. For most souls are veiled, unaware of the how and why of matters, and entirely ignorant of the hidden mysteries. But you have attained the dawning-place of the lights of the Chosen Beauty and are informed of the details. If you guide a single soul it would be better for you than red-colored camels.

O Salman! Be gladdened by the favors of the All-Bountiful Beauty. Be not saddened by any matter, for all things pass away save the favors of your Everlasting Lord. In steadfastness in God’s Cause be like the pillars of existence, and in the love of God be like the sun in the heaven of being.

O Salman! Be at rest through God’s hidden favors which have ever preceded you, for you are eternally present before His face. Perfect mercy has been and will be yours. In this case you should soar like a falcon and like a candle illuminate every gathering with the mention of God.

God willing you have arrived safely and in good health in Baghdad. There was some delay in sending the post, no matter, for this was from the decree of your Lord, the Mighty, the Generous. As for the interpretation of those two verses, by Him Who holds my soul in His hand, from that time until now I have not had a moment’s opportunity, and even now it is near dawn that I have managed to write these few words. By your life, from the day you took leave of the presence until now, only that one night when I had looked at it did I retire to bed. God willing if we meet I will fulfill all these matters.

Convey greetings with utmost love to Abdul-Karim and Muhammad-Hasan and [Ali Aqa], and give greetings to all the loved ones of God, young and old. For the rest, remain ever immersed in the oceans of God’s love.

BH02503: Misc. unmatched passages translated by Shoghi Effendi

Ponder God in your heart, reflect on His Manifestations, and be not of them that are devoid of understanding….

I came not to proclaim that which ye already possess. Verily, verily, this day is a new day; He that hath come is the Wondrous, and His bidding the wonder of all that is in heaven and on earth…. [BH11675]

We have desired naught for ourselves, but desired for you that which will profit you in the Kingdom of God, the Gracious, the All-Bountiful….

Glory is not his that proclaimeth his faith, but glory is his that doeth that which the All-Merciful hath revealed in His wondrous Book….

O people of the world! Hearken to the call of the Lord, the King of eternity. He biddeth you to follow righteousness, to do that which giveth you peace and exalteth your station. He verily is the faithful Counsellor…. [A13061]

Regard not the world and its fleeting shadows, but fix your gaze upon God and His signs that have encompassed all creation….

Let not the world and its vileness grieve you. Happy is he whom riches fill not with vainglory, nor poverty with sorrow….

O concourse of rulers! Turn unto the poor; verily God hath created them and you from the selfsame substance. Let a portion of your wealth be shared by them. This is that which will profit you throughout all times and ages. Bestow a part of that which God in His grace bath given you; for thereby will your wealth be increased….

Unfaithful is the world… Were it worthy of regard or acceptable in the sight of God, they that were the Manifestations of Justice would not have fallen victims to the talons of tyranny. What greater proof of the baseness of the world and its degradation in the eyes of the Almighty?…

Exalted is the station of man, if he be adorned with the true attributes of humanity; otherwise he is counted as the basest of all creatures….

O My loved ones! Ye are the world’s spiritual physicians. It is incumbent upon you, through the power and might of God, to heal by the sovereign remedy of the Most Great Name the soul-sickness of the kindreds of the earth and clarify the vision of all mankind….

Give ear to the voice of the Ancient Beauty calling you aloud from this most great Prison; Forsake oppression and cruelty, cling to the fear of God. Purge yourselves from satanic deeds, be adorned with the virtues of God. Verily, strife and sedition beseem not the people of God. Eschew wicked works, and walk in the ways of holiness, of resignation and contentment….

Be calm and self-dependent in your relations with your fellowmen, and deal with them in fairness and justice. Turn treachery to trust, slander to brotherly counsel, oppression to justice, heedlessness to the remembrance of God.

BH11731: O spiritual youth! Thy petition and purpose were…

In the Name of Him Who is the Sovereign Protector over all names

O spiritual youth! Thy petition and purpose were, in the most holy and inviolate Court, graced with the honor of being heard. As to that which thou didst set forth concerning those steadfast, constant, and firmly grounded souls who have turned their faces toward the Most Exalted Horizon, We have heard their call, and blessed are they, and blissful the excellence of their end.

Praise be to God that they arose in days when most of the peoples of the earth were seen to have turned aside, whereas they sought the Most Great Goal, the loftiest summit, and the Most Exalted Horizon, that they might drink from the cup of reunion and partake of the ocean of divine bounty. All created things were brought into being for nearness and reunion, and the kindreds of the nations have ever awaited, and still await, the Day of Manifestation. The purpose of temples, churches, and mosques is naught but the good-pleasure of God; yet men are seen to be heedless of, and veiled from, the true Path and the spiritual Way, which today shineth and is manifest even as the sun.

The worth and station of those souls whom the veils of the world, the mists of the nations, the might of tyrants, and the pomp of Pharaohs have not withheld from the Horizon of Oneness, have been revealed and inscribed by the Most Exalted Pen upon the Crimson Tablet. Every one of these aforementioned souls, upon them be the glory of God and His mercy, We have made mention of, and all have attained unto the outpourings of the All-Bountiful and the traces of the Most Exalted Pen.

The most great glad-tidings and the supreme bestowal are these: that the luminous permission hath shone forth from the horizon of the heaven of the Cause, that men may, in wisdom, set their faces toward the Most Exalted Paradise. Though the condition of that land is hidden within the knowledge of God, and none is informed thereof, thus hath the Most Exalted Pen spoken at this manifest hour.

In every circumstance We proclaim glad tidings unto the aforementioned souls, for the blessed word of permission hath gone forth and streamed from the Most Exalted Pen: “The righteous shall drink of a cup tempered with camphor.” Great is the mention of this cup, and mighty its station. Blessed are they that attain thereunto. Blessed are they that know.

We beseech God to aid these souls, that they may guard the servants of God from the vain imaginings of former times, so that all may be illumined with the lights of the Day-Star of certitude, may empty themselves of the world and all that pertaineth unto it, and may behold none other than Him.

And at the close of the Book We enjoin upon all wisdom. Should movement be in conformity with wisdom, let them direct themselves thereto. And concerning the letter ʿAyn, upon him be My glory, We have, with Our tongue, spoken unto thee that which bespeaketh the loving-kindness and wisdom of God, exalted be His glory.

From this Most Exalted Station We magnify them and those whose faces are turned toward God, and likewise those whom doubts and allusions have withheld from God, the Lord of all the worlds.

Praise be unto God, the Lord of the Day of Judgement.

BH02515: O First Letter! Blessed art thou in having attained…

In the Name of thy Most Exalted Lord! In the Name of thy Most Glorious Lord!

O First Letter! Blessed art thou in having attained the presence of God once again in a wondrous and sublime Temple. Then blessed art thou if thou remainest steadfast in His Cause and art not dismayed by the words of the ungodly. By God! If thou remainest steadfast on this Most Great Path and conveyest the Cause of thy Lord, this Most Ancient, Most Sublime Beauty, with all that thou possessest, thou shalt be among those who have the power. The Point shall be generated from thee, then all the letters and words, then the realities of the sanctified ones. By the True God! If thine eyes were to be opened and thine ears unstopped, and the face of thy heart were to turn toward this Gentle, Luminous Beauty, thou wouldst witness that at this moment there hath been generated from thee a temple facing the Throne, in the form of a fresh, verdant, delicate leaf, which calleth out concerning its Lord at every moment even as the Voice called out from the Tree on Sinai upon a wondrous and lofty Mount, and which speaketh at every moment with its Lord and receiveth from the mysteries of God, the Help in Peril, the Mighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

Beware, beware, O Letter of God, lest thou burn it with the fire of turning away, for in these days all the layers of hell have appeared and the fires of misbelief and the blaze of envy and hatred have been kindled, by which every yellowed leaf and withered tree shall be consumed. And if thou seest that the embers of this fire reach thee, take hold of the Ark of Baha, then sail upon the crimson sea in the heaven of the cloud, then soar by the name of thy Lord, the Powerful, the Manifest, the Most Glorious, and be among those who are made manifest by the sovereignty of the Command. Then know that those who were created by a name from thy Lord have indeed laid claim to sovereignty over the Essence and the King of Names and Attributes, Who hath returned once again in His white robe which the ungodly have made red with the blood of hatred, whereat the hearts of those near unto God have grieved.

And if thou desirest to know some of the mysteries of the Cause, read the Tablet which hath appeared from the Beauty of the Throne and was named the Tablet of Baha, then the Surih which was named of Blood, then the Surih in which the Most Great Pilgrimage was mentioned, for in all of these are signs for those who ask and clear proofs for those who know. And the Spirit from the glory of God be upon thee and upon all who take hold of this Mighty, this Wondrous Ark in the garment of His Sublime Name.

A Tablet was previously issued from God, thy Most Glorious, Most Exalted Lord, with honor and glory and was sent forth. And a Tablet received the honor of holy revelation some days ago and is now being sent. God willing, may that Letter of the Lord cause the two true pupils of the eye to be illumined by the vision of these two lights of the heart, and may they render all contingent beings and all the worlds pure, delicate and perfumed through the sweet-scented winds and holy, sublime fragrances. And may they strive and make earnest endeavor with the utmost diligence and effort to teach the Cause of their Lord, that perchance through the wafting of spiritual breezes from the dawning-place of the heart of that wondrous living Letter, all darkened hearts and decayed bones may attain unto a new life of being. Verily He is the One Who quickeneth whatsoever He willeth by His name, the Resurrector, the Maker, the Creator, the Provider, the Life-Giver, the Sublime.

The servant of thy Lord and the bondsman of thy glory, Aqa Jan

BH11614: We have revealed the verses and manifested the clear…

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

We have revealed the verses and manifested the clear tokens, and have summoned all to the supreme horizon—the station wherein the tongue of God, Lord of Names and Creator of the heavens, doth speak: “Verily, there is none other God besides Me, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.” We created all things for this Most Great Day, yet when the Promise was fulfilled and the Promised One appeared, they denied God and His proof, rejected His signs, and rose up against Him with such tyranny as caused the dwellers of the highest Paradise and those who circle round the Throne at morn and eventide to lament. The world is adorned with the lights of His manifestation, and He Who conversed on Sinai calleth aloud with the most exalted call, yet none are confirmed in the blessed word “yea” save whom God willeth.

This is the Day whose mention hath been recorded and inscribed in the divine Books. Say: O people of the earth! By the pearls of the ocean of the All-Merciful’s utterance, this Day hath no peer or likeness. Deprive not yourselves of the ocean of divine knowledge, nor forbid yourselves the splendors of the Sun of grace. Today hath the seal of the choice sealed wine been broken by the finger of the Self-Subsisting One. Strive ye that ye may drink thereof in the name of the One True Friend, and be occupied with His remembrance and praise in the world’s assemblies.

That Word from which the nobles of the earth flee hath become manifest and evident, yet the divines and mystics all shun it and remain unaware, save for that divine who rent asunder the greatest veil and shattered the idols of vain imaginings and desire through the power of the Most Great Name. He is the true divine and the spiritual mystic, and is as a crown upon the head of the world.

Say: O servants! These few days of mortal life and its ornaments shall soon end and pass away. Strive ye that ye may attain unto God’s enduring favors. Whosoever today attaineth unto the recognition of Truth and the service of His Cause—his mention shall endure throughout the kingdom of God and His realms, and shall be recorded by the Most Exalted Pen in the Crimson Tablet.

Say: Glory be unto Thee, O King of Kings and the Merciful unto all who are possessed of kingship! I beseech Thee by the Word through which Thou didst subdue the world and summon the nations, to confirm me in steadfastness in Thy Cause and in holding fast unto the cord of Thy love. I am that poor one who hath turned unto Thee, O my God. I beseech Thee not to disappoint me from the ocean of Thy riches, nor to withhold from me that which Thou hast ordained for Thy loved ones—they whom the hosts of the earth and their ranks could not frighten, and whom its ornaments and veils could not prevent from turning unto Thee and from setting their faces toward the horizon of Thy grace. Verily Thou art the Powerful over whatsoever Thou willest, and in Thy grasp are the reins of all things. There is none other God besides Thee, the Strong, the Almighty, the Powerful.

BH11624: Lawh-i-Jazb

He is the the All-Glorious!

O thou who art yearning! Raise thy cry from the depths of thy soul that it may pierce the heart of the Beloved, and weep with thy spirit’s eyes that they may be illumined by the meeting with thy Love. Lament with thy burning heart that thou mayest behold the beauty of thy Friend, and be consumed with the fire of love that thou mayest, like unto a candle, be kindled by the comeliness of thy Beloved. Cast away the world of existence that thou mayest embrace the neck of thy Friend, and draw thy heart from heart that thou mayest grasp the tresses of thy Beloved. Set foot upon the circle of existence that thou mayest emerge from the point of thy purpose, and place thy head in the wilderness of nothingness that thou mayest enter the Egypt of reunion.

Open thine ear that thou mayest hear the celestial call of the unseen realm, and purify thy spirit’s essence that thou mayest become aware of the mysteries in the privacy of thy Friend. Spread thy spiritual wings that thou mayest soar in the heaven of eternity, and ascend on holy spirit that thou mayest arrive at the spiritual court. Take a step with all thy soul that thou mayest find thy way to the presence of the Ancient Beauty. Draw a line around the world of the seen and unseen that thou mayest circle round thy goal.

I swear by the Spirit of eternity that if thou shouldst hear with the ear of understanding the melodies of the Dove from the ant of love, thou wouldst at once arise above the world of creation, and from the attraction of love thou wouldst sacrifice a hundred thousand thousand spiritual worlds of pure radiant light for the sake of thy Friend, and shed tears of blood from a hundred thousand eyes in thy longing for the beauty of thy Friend. Thou wouldst traverse limitless worlds through wilderness of destruction and thirst with the eye of thy being, that perchance thou mightest reach the valley of thy purpose, and spend countless ages waiting with thy soul, if haply thou mightest enter the intimate gathering of thy Beloved. Should thou become the spirit of eternity, thou wouldst hope to become but the dust at the blessed feet of thy Friend, and wert thou to become the sovereign of heaven, thou wouldst seek but a moment to serve thy Friend….

BH02647: O My Name! Upon thee be My glory! Thou…

He is the All-Seeing, the All-Informed

O My Name! Upon thee be My glory! Thou hast made mention of his honor Mirza Habibu’llah, upon him be My glory, and hast sought mention of him from the Ocean of utterance of the Object of all worlds. We have indeed brought forth from the treasuries of My Most Exalted Pen, in his name, pearls of wisdom and utterance the like of which the eye of creation hath never beheld, and tongues are powerless to define and describe.

We had previously made mention of him who ascended unto God with such remembrance as caused the fragrance of the loving-kindness of the All-Merciful to be diffused throughout all creation, and We mention him yet again as a token of Our grace. Blessed art thou, O Sign, for having established for thyself an exalted station in the vicinity of God. The glory proceeding from Us be upon thee and upon him who hath remembered thee and whom We remember through that which hath been sent down from My Most Exalted Pen, as a favor from God, the Lord of Lords.

The ocean of forgiveness surged when the Tongue spoke, and the pavilion of pardon was raised in the most exalted station. Previously there came a letter from him who was named with the letters Ta and Qaf. We made mention of him with such remembrance as illumined the horizons. O My Name! The loved ones have ever been and continue to be remembered. We have made mention of Habibu’llah, upon him be My glory, and continue to mention him at all times.

Even as the rain of verses hath been sent down and clear proofs made manifest, yet still have the deniers sullied with the clay of idle fancies that station which is sanctified above the hearts and minds, and attributed weakness unto it. Say: Behold, behold the waves of My ocean of utterance before the faces of the world. Hearken, hearken unto My most sweet call amidst the nations. Among them is he who hath said that He hath stolen the verses of the Point and sent them down in His own name. Say: Woe unto thee, O thou idolatrous doubter! By the life of God! Were the Point present He would arise before the Face and set down that which hath been sent down from the heaven of the Will of God, the Lord of Lords.

O My Name! We have ever loved and continue to love the mention of the loved ones. That station which is the object of circumambulation of the books of the world—this they have attributed to weakness. Would that they were present to witness with their own eyes the effulgent rays of the Day-Star of divine utterance. They have clung to names and turned away from Him through Whose word the kingdom of names was created. In any case, they were and are unworthy of mention. We make mention of the loved ones.

O Taqi! Upon thee be My glory! God willing, mayest thou be assisted to remember and praise and serve the Cause of God. O Habib! Upon thee be My glory! Mention of thee hath flowed from the Most Exalted Pen before and after. The glory be upon thee and upon thy daughter who hath attained unto the remembrance of God, the Lord of the worlds.

BH02638: In My Name, the One Who dominateth all names!

In My Name, the One Who dominateth all names!

This is a Day wherein the Mother Book calleth out and summoneth all on earth unto God, the Lord of the worlds. And the Mother of the Bayan crieth out, saying: “O people of the Bayan! Ye have broken God’s covenant and His testament, and have denied Him for Whose love the Primal Point sacrificed His life. To this testify the Books of God, the Almighty, the Powerful.” And the Mother of the Tablets exclaimeth, saying: “O peoples of the earth! Read ye the Tablets of God—they will guide you to the Announcement that hath gladdened the sincere ones and caused every heedless and remote one to quake.” And the Most Great Book proclaimeth among the nations: “The All-Bountiful hath come! He calleth aloud with the most exalted call. Blessed is he who hath heard, and woe betide every doubtful denier.”

In the Persian tongue: Hearken unto the Call of the True One, exalted be His glory! He is the Source of all Books, their Revealer, and their Manifestation. No partner hath He, nor any likeness. We beseech God that He may make all aware and deprive none from the ocean of His verses.

O Siyyid, formerly called Musa! Reflect upon the ocean of the true and most bountiful Grace. He hath removed the veils of glory and speaketh openly and clearly. He hath unlocked the gate of union and meeting with the most great key of grace. Blessed is he who hath entered therein, and joyous is he for whom the reward of this exalted and glorious station hath been ordained. From the Kingdom of utterance hath been sent down that which hath attracted the hearts of all contingent beings, and day after day shall be revealed that which is now concealed.

Thy letter hath arrived and was presented by the servant who standeth before the Face. We have answered thee with this manifest Book. We have heard thy call and known what thou didst ask from the ocean of thy Lord’s bountiful grace. Rejoice that thy mention and thy letter have attained unto His presence, and that there hath been sent down for thee that whereby thy name shall endure throughout the duration of My glorious and wondrous Kingdom. Then give thanks to thy Lord for having sent down that which caused the ocean of forgiveness to surge, by His command, in this manifest time. God hath forgiven thee, thy father, and thy brother. His mercy hath preceded and encompassed those who are in the heavens and on earth.

Say: My God, my God! Praise be to Thee for having heard my call and sent down for me that which cannot be equaled by whatsoever hath been created on earth. I beseech Thee by the standards of Thy guidance and the banners of Thy might to ordain for me that which shall make me steadfast, firm and upright in Thy love and Thy Cause, such that the words of the heedless and the utterances of the infidels shall not hold me back. Verily, Thou art the Almighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

BH02645: O Name of God! The servant in attendance mentioned…

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

O Name of God! The servant in attendance mentioned the requests of that honored one, and likewise the correspondence, and all were accepted. Specifically for Jinab-i-Mirza Ibrahim a Most Holy, Most Exalted Tablet was revealed, and likewise specifically for Jinab-i-Muhammad-Sadiq Milani, and likewise specifically for Jinab-i-Siyyid Nasru’llah of the Sadat-i-Khamsi, even though some time ago one was revealed specifically for him and Mirza Abdu’l-Majid which called out through divine grace. Nevertheless, two Most Holy, Most Exalted Tablets are now revealed—send them. And regarding Aqa Ali who is in the great city and has sought permission to attain the presence—permission was granted. Inform him and give him the glad tidings that he may turn towards the Most Holy Court. Regarding the matter of Ismu’llah Jamal, his letter should be shown to Jinab-i-Nazir for consideration, and whatever answer he gives should be sent to Ismu’llah. We beseech God to bring about reconciliation so that not a word causing sadness may arise.

O my God! Unite the hearts of Thy loved ones and Thy servants and Thy parties and Thy chosen ones and Thy faithful ones. Thou art He Who united hearts when Muhammad Thy Messenger came, and through them Thou didst conquer Thy cities and Thy realms and Thy lands with spears and swords. I beseech Thee, O my God, to unite the hearts of these that they may capture the hearts of Thy servants through Thy remembrance and Thy praise and Thy words from which the fragrance of life wafts throughout creation.

O Lord! Renew them through Thy Most Exalted Word and illumine their hearts, O Thou Possessor of Names and Creator of heaven! Thou art He before Whose majesty’s manifestation every mighty one was powerless and before Whose power every great one bowed down.

O Lord! Thou seest Thy party among the heedless ones of Thy servants. Aid them through Thy bounty and Thy might and Thy power, then adorn them with the ornament of the Most Great Steadfastness. Verily Thou art the Lord of all beings. There is no God but Thee, the Lord of the Throne and earth.

O God, my God! Send Thy blessings upon the Hands of Thy Cause in these days, who have remembered Thee and aided Thee and arose to serve Thy Cause among the servants. There is no God but Thee, the Mighty, the All-Bestowing.

O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon the son of Nabil who was named Muhammad-Qabli-ʿAli and aid him to remember Thee and serve Thee, then accept from him what he desired of visiting Thy countenance. O Lord! Enable him and Thy loved ones to do what Thou lovest and approvest, then write down for them from Thy Most Exalted Pen that which will benefit them in every world of Thy worlds and draw them nigh unto Thee at all times. There is no God but Thee, the Mighty, the All-Bountiful.

BH02616: Glorified art Thou, O Lord! O Thou Who causest…

He is God, exalted be His glory!

Glorified art Thou, O Lord! O Thou Who causest the dawn to break and the winds to blow! I know not with what tongue to praise Thee, nor with what pen to write that which is incumbent upon me of the wondrous expressions of my gratitude to Thee. For Thou hast created me and sustained me, and established me before the gate of Thy mighty oneness, and admitted me into the paradise of Thy love, and fed me from the delicate fruits of Thy bounty and favor.

O my God! All existence is bewildered in counting Thy bestowals, and the entire world wandereth in the wilderness of powerlessness and abasement in enumerating Thy gifts and blessings. Whensoever I turn to the right, I hear the confession of those who are bewildered, and whensoever I turn to the left, I witness powerlessness and poverty, perplexity and abasement.

I beseech Thee, O my God, in this land which Thou hast sanctified in Thy Books, wherein Thou hast manifested Thy Prophets and Thy chosen ones, wherein the cry of the ardent lovers hath been raised, and the lamentation of the yearning ones, and the call of the mystics, and the wailing of the seekers—the land wherein Thou hast summoned the servants unto Thy direction and taught them that which would deliver them in all the worlds of Thy creation—to ordain for him who hath sought Thee and aimed at the Kaaba of Thy knowledge and entered the gardens of certitude and drunk from the Salsabil of recognition and been refreshed by the pure Tasnim of faith, that which is best for him in this world and the next, namely Thy good-pleasure with him and Thy care for him and the manifestation of Thy tender mercies in his behalf, O Lord of the Throne on high and of the earth below, and Master of the reins of all humanity!

Then I beseech Thee by Thy Most Great Name, and Thy most perfect Remembrance, and Thy most straight Path, to make Thy loved ones steadfast in Thy Cause and enable them to walk in the paths of Thy good-pleasure. For Thou hast made steadfastness the greatest of deeds in Thy Book, and the servant, were his Lord not to assist him, would be weaker than a gnat before tempestuous winds. O my Lord and my Hope! I implore Thee with my inner and outer tongue to grant us success in that which Thou hast willed for us and commanded us in Thy Tablets. The essence of poverty hath clung to the hem of Thy power, O Thou Who rulest the kingdom of might and force and authority—wouldst Thou deny him a draft from the ocean of Thy generosity, O my Lord, the Mighty, the All-Forgiving?

Nay, by Thy presence! How could this befit Thee? Rather, it is the servants who, through their heedlessness, wander in the wilderness of deprivation and prevent themselves from entering the City of Certitude and arriving at the springs of knowledge. O my God, the Generous, the Bestower! Hope lieth in none save Thee, and expectation is cut off from all except Thee. All bounty is in Thy hands, the kingdom of giving is at Thy right hand, and the empire of bestowal at Thy left. Thou givest to whom Thou willest what Thou willest. There is no God but Thee, the Gracious, the Bountiful, the Giving, the Generous….

BH02629: The breezes of pardon and forgiveness have ever wafted…

He is the Mighty, the Forgiving

The breezes of pardon and forgiveness have ever wafted from the holy paradise of the All-Glorious, and shall forever continue to blow and flow from the dawning-places of mighty grace. What seeker has ever raised the hand of supplication and been left disappointed from the hem of His generosity? What true lover has ever kindled the fire of love and been denied access to the Tree of Union? The doves upon the branches of the divine Tree and the birds of celestial holiness have ever called out:

“O beloved ones! The Traceless Beloved is manifest and visible as the radiant morn—open the eyes of both head and heart! O ye who are ill, the spiritual Physician has risen like the true Sun—turn not to yourselves!”

Indeed, the robe of forgiveness befits those who repent, and the garment of bounty and favor becomes the sinners. Yet there has been and shall ever be a distinction between the sincere and others. The friends must demonstrate steadfastness and sanctification from all else, else all distinction would vanish.

In brief, all existence, to the extent it possesses any fairness, bears witness that this servant has never had any purpose save the attainment of these loved ones to the holy retreats of the Lord of Lords. In all aspects, from the highest station of the Cause to the lowest rank of creation, there was agreement and fellowship. Through all these stages the purpose was that a few might be cleansed of limitations and veils of human nature and enter, pure, into the realms of detachment and abstraction, fixing their hearts on another nest and hastening to the eternal shore—that perchance a few might attain to holy spiritual delights.

And it has been clear that whatever people are commanded to do is for their own benefit, as is evident in that whoever failed to comply has descended even in outward rank, let alone in the stations of holy detachment. God the One is witness that this servant feels utmost shame before the companions [of the Bab], for your association was renowned among the people, who all longed and yearned [for such station], yet matters ended as you know.

I call God, His angels and His Messengers to witness that I have forgiven you for what your hands have wrought, and I beseech God to make firm your steps and open before your face that which will make you independent of all else and bring you to a station where you turn only to Him and are occupied with naught but Him. Verily He is the Generous, the Kind.

BH02651: O Sitarih! This day is the day of supreme…

O Sitarih! This day is the day of supreme joy. The ocean of reunion is surging and the heaven of manifestation is exalted. The heart was created for His knowledge, the eye for beholding His signs, the ear for hearkening to His call, the tongue for His mention and praise, the hand for grasping His Book, and the soul for turning toward His direction. In such case, no part or limb or member of yours should turn to other directions or become sorrowful for any worldly matters.

O My leaf! With your outward ear today thou canst not compare the call of “O My leaf! O My handmaiden!” with any joy in the world. I swear by the Tongue of Grandeur that speaks in this moment, all that exists of the means of delight, gladness, joy and exultation in the Most Exalted Paradise, the Supreme Heaven, and other paradises, is as nothing compared to a single letter that hath in this moment been sent down from the heaven of Divine Will and the horizon of merciful grace in thy name. Verily thy Lord is the All-Patient, and He commandeth all to beautiful patience.

Say: My God, my God! My sight seeketh Thy vision, my hearing the listening to Thy call, my heart turning toward Thee, and my soul sacrifice in Thy path. Make this handmaiden detached from all else save Thee, and occupy her with Thy mention, praise, love and nearness. Wert thou to become aware of what hath been ordained for thee from the Divine Word, thou wouldst attain unto such joy as would not be altered by the duration of the kingdoms of earth and heaven, nor prevented by the vexations of this dusty world.

O My handmaiden! O My handmaiden! Rise above the ranks of grief and sadness and turn to the horizon of sanctification, detachment and transcendence. This is the station of the leaf who hath attained unto the blessed word “O My handmaiden.” Sorrow is not permitted save in the tribulations that have befallen the Sun of Truth. Take hold of the hem of My grace, detached from all save God, the Lord of the Mighty Throne and this exalted station.

We make mention at this time of My handmaiden who hath ascended and arrived in the vicinity of the mercy of her Noble Lord. We have remembered her with that which hath attracted the hearts of every discerning mystic. Upon her be My glory and the glory of My handmaidens and the countenance of the denizens of Paradise who circle round the Throne by night and day. And We make mention at this time of My other handmaiden who was named Khadijih in the presence of God, the Lord of the two noble sanctuaries.

BH11616: O Ibrahim, Friend of the All-Merciful! One sacrificial victim…

He is God, exalted be His station in wisdom and utterance!

O Ibrahim, Friend of the All-Merciful! One sacrificial victim was brought to the altar, was offered up, and returned alive. But the Glorious One, through His Most Exalted Word, attracted the people of Baha and sent them to the altar of the Peerless Friend, whereupon all freely offered up the crown of life at the feet of the Beloved of all worlds. The Shi’ih faction has mentioned the sacrificial victim in numerous books with the utmost honor and glory, yet these sacrificial victims—some of whom offered themselves up by their own hands, while others attained the most great martyrdom at the hands of the oppressors—despite the appearance of these clear proofs and the manifestation of signs, this shameless faction paid no heed and committed that which caused all things to lament and the Supreme Pen to cry out. Such is the condition of the servants.

Say: O worthless ones of the earth! The winds of passion have established you in hell, yet you perceive it not. They counted the martyrdom of Husayn ibn ʿAli as a mighty proof of the manifestation of the Seal of the Prophets, yet they remain heedless and veiled from that which has come to pass in these days. Say: This is Husayn Who hath appeared after the Qa’im. Ponder upon that which was mentioned aforetime, that perchance ye may find the fragrance of utterance and choose for yourselves a path unto the All-Merciful.

The matter of Return, which according to the words of Shaykh Ahmad-i-Ahsa’i—upon him be the Glory of God—is established and proven, was the Return of Husayn. All the Messengers and the Qa’im stand and dwell beneath His blessed standard, yet eyes and ears are prevented from seeing and hearing, and hearts from contemplation and attention. We beseech God that He may aid thee in service, that is, in teaching the Cause, in such wise that thou mayest be as an enkindled fire, igniting others, and as a brilliant light, illuminating others.

Convey greetings from this Wronged One to the friends in that land, and give them the glad-tidings of the effulgences of the lights of inner meanings that have shone forth from the horizon of the Supreme Pen, that all may arise, detached from all else, occupied with His mention and praise, and may act in accordance with that which will exalt the Cause. The world and all that is therein shall soon perish, and that which shall endure is what hath been sent down unto them from the heaven of the will of their Lord, the Mighty, the Powerful.

Glory be upon thee and upon them, and upon every steadfast one who hath arisen and said:

“Praise be unto Thee, O Thou the Goal of the worlds, and glory be unto Thee, O Thou the Object of worship of all in the heavens and the earth!”

BH11734: Shams

Shams

In the name of Our Lord, the Most Exalted, the Most High

Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! This is a handmaiden from among Thy maidservants, and a soul from among Thy chosen ones, who hath drawn nigh unto Thee and put her whole trust in Thee, until she hath beheld the fire of Thy divine unity in the Lote-Tree of Thy eternity, and gazed upon the lights of the holiness of Thy lordship shining forth from the Tree of Thy being. The Ancient Sun hath shed its splendor upon her through that which the decree of old hath revealed unto her from out the mysteries of eternity. Thereby hath she desired to enter the meads of Thy nearness and the paradise of reunion with Thee, that Thou mayest efface from the tablet of her heart every trace of all save Thee, kindle within her breast the fire of Thy oneness, and cause the light of Thy self-subsistence to shine resplendent from the inmost essence of her being.

And when she drew near unto the Lote-Tree of Thy lordship, sought refuge beneath its leaves, clung fast unto its branches, sheltered herself in its shadow, and tasted of its fruits, she journeyed toward it and hastened unto it, until at length she attained unto its proximity. At that hour I beseech Thee, O my God, to consummate her journeys, to strengthen her foundations, to cheer her eyes, and to cause her spirit to ascend, that she may journey forth from herself unto Thyself, sever herself from her own desire unto Thy desire, from remoteness unto nearness, and from separation unto reunion with Thee. May she return unto Thee and attain through Thee.

Then, O my Best-Beloved, kindle within her soul the glowing embers of Thy love, and within her heart the burning flashes of Thy attraction. Cause her to descend from the heat of longing unto the river of Thy nearness, and to return from the blazing of Thy fire unto the treasury of Thy light. Yet none can attain unto this, O my God, save those women who were created from Thy very Self, manifested from Thy beauty, returned unto Thee, entered the chambers of Thy might, and came into the palaces of Thy glory. Verily, Thou art He Who giveth unto all things their due according to the measure appointed unto them.

According to the compass of my understanding thereof, I beseech Thee to make her wholly detached from aught save Thee. Then make known unto her Thine own Self, that she may be emptied of all besides Thee. For should the servant truly know Thee, he will not be busied with aught apart from Thee, nor occupy himself with any other than Thee, nor turn unto any beside Thee, though all that are in the heavens and on the earth be offered unto him. Thou, verily, art of all this well aware, and art Witness, the Wise.

And thou, O handmaiden of God! Take this Tablet with thy spirit, and cast this trust within thy heart, that haply thou mayest inhale the fragrance of musk from the robe of majesty, bow down before the folds of divine reality beneath the vesture of faithfulness, serve God, thy Lord, with thine eyes, prostrate thyself before Him with thy brow, and humble thyself in His presence with thy cheeks. He, verily, is the Truth. There is none other God but Him. We are all His servants, and all before Him do bow in adoration.

And the peace of Baha’u’llah, and yet again His peace, be upon thee.

BH02670: This is a Book from the Tree of Justice…

He is God, the King, the Exalted, the Holy, the All-Glorious

This is a Book from the Tree of Justice to her whom God hath chosen and associated with His Own Self. Bear thou witness that there is none other God but Him, the Lord of all worlds, and that He hath no partner in the kingdom of the heavens and earth, and there is no God but Him, and He is the Mighty, the All-Wise. The Messengers have appeared from His presence and summoned all creation unto Him, and followed what their Lord revealed unto them, and glorified God in every condition, and were among the righteous.

The Primal Point is verily the Truth from thy Lord; let not the deeds of men veil thee. Give thanks unto God for having attained unto the Truth, and praise God in every condition, for this hath been ordained by God in a preserved Tablet. God is the Truth and all else is falsehood. Fear God at all times, worship Him with true worship, set right thy affairs, and guard thyself in every condition lest anything harm thee, and be thou of those who are protected.

Thus do We impart unto thee from the verses of the Book, and unto those women who have believed and trusted in God and followed the Light and were among the devout. Let nothing veil thee from thy Lord’s command, nor let those who have disbelieved weaken thee—they are the companions of the fire and shall find no escape. God, the Lord of all, hath manifested His light through guidance and truth, and made clear His Cause to all.

Among the people are those who have believed and turned toward Him, and those who have turned away and retreated. God hath assigned to each a measure in the Cause. He is the Strong, the Mighty.

The knowledge of all that is in the heavens and earth escapeth Him not, and with Him is the Kingdom of the seen and unseen. And thy Lord is verily the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate. His light encompasseth the heavens and earth, and there is nothing but is illumined by it. This is from the mention of God’s mercy. None believe in God’s signs save the God-fearing. Those who have patiently endured in God’s Cause what they were made to suffer—these are they who have been guided to goodly speech, and those women who have endured patiently—these are they who have attained a noble victory and are among the joyous ones. Thy reward resteth with God, and God will grant thee relief when He willeth.

Be thou patient in the Cause and ask God of His grace. He is the All-Informed, the All-Seeing.

BH02698: Say: Glorified art Thou, O my God! Have mercy…

He is the Mighty, the Ever-Abiding, hidden within the mantle of the All-Glorious.

Say: Glorified art Thou, O my God! Have mercy upon the poor one who hath cut himself off from every direction until he hath attained unto the river of Thy riches; and upon the lowly one who hath fled from all beside Thee and entered the garden of Thy might. This despondent soul hath clung to the hem of the splendour of Thy sovereignty; this far-removed one hath alighted upon the shore of Thy nearness; this deprived one longeth for the cup of Thy loving care; this severed one hath laid fast hold on the mountains of Thy union and Thy presence.

Hast Thou not promised the detached the refuge of Thy safety and Thy protection? Hast Thou not covenanted to aid them with the wonders of Thy victory and Thy triumph, even as is written in the pages of Thy glory and the tablets of Thy invention? Then aid, O my God, this servant who hath soared on the two wings of detachment unto the heaven of the sanctity of Thy oneness, and hath ascended in the air of longing for Thee until he entered the pavilion of the nearness of Thy self-subsisting being.

Wilt Thou, O my God, withhold Thy servants from the cloud of Thy grace and Thy bounty? Wilt Thou, O my Beloved, deprive Thy loved ones of the gardens of Thy nearness and Thy generosity? Nay, by Thy might! Rather do I testify, with my heart and my tongue, in secret and in open, that the wonders of Thy bounty have ever appeared upon the horizon of Thy munificence, and that the suns of Thy favours have ever shone forth from the dawning-place of Thy beneficence.

Who is he that hath called upon Thee with his heart and Thou hast not answered him? Who is he that hath asked of Thee and Thou hast not bestowed upon him? Who hath entered the pools of Thy bounty and Thou hast not given him to drink? Who hath striven in Thy path and Thou hast not caused him to attain? Who hath purified himself for Thy sake and Thou hast not guided him? Who hath shown poverty at Thy threshold and Thou hast not enriched him?

Glorified art Thou, glorified art Thou, O my God! None hath any claim upon Thee; nay, the proof is from Thee unto all the worlds. I confess, O my God, my poverty in mine own self, and Thy power over Thy creation; my helplessness within mine own being, and Thy compelling authority over Thy creatures.

I beseech Thy Most Great Beauty in the pavilion of the All-Glorious, and Thy most exalted majesty at the Lote-Tree beyond which there is no passing, to grant unto us the fruits of the Tree of Thy guardianship, and to give us to drink of the wine of Thy loving-kindness. Then make us of those who walk in the paths of Thy good-pleasure; who lift not up their heads save that it be raised upon the spear in Thy way; and who desire not their breasts save that the arrows of Thy decree may pierce them for love of Thee.

In Thy hand is the dominion of all things, and Thou art powerful over all things.

BH02721: O Haydar-ʿAli! Upon thee be My glory! Thou art…

He is the One Who has dominion over all names!

O Haydar-ʿAli! Upon thee be My glory! Thou art mentioned in such wise that in every leaf a mention of thee is found therein, having transcended seeking favor from that notorious seeker. All this is from the grace of God—blessed art thou and happy art thou! Thou hast drunk from the cup of humility and partaken from the chalice of submissiveness. Verily, He Who aids thee, praises thee, teaches thee and makes thee known is the All-Bountiful, the Generous.

His honor, My namesake, upon him be My glory, dwells beneath the canopies of grandeur, is sustained by the Kawthar of reunion, is confirmed in circumambulating the House and successful in hearkening to the Call. He sent thy letter to the Wronged One. Regarding what thou didst mention—that if He observes from thee any negligence in service, or forgetfulness in remembrance, or error in deeds, He should turn to thee as thy representative and cling to the hem of generosity and cord of bounty—this Wronged One, as God’s representative, makes mention and bears witness that thou hast attained to that which hath been revealed in the divine Books, Psalms and Scriptures concerning the mention of these days, which are the Lord of days of manifestation, from the Supreme Pen. Give thanks to the Goal of the world that thou art successful in this most great favor, and the Pen of God hath testified concerning thee and the Supreme Pen hath borne witness.

We beseech God that in thy mentions He place the effective elixir of life and in thy soul the effect of the breezes of the dawn of manifestation, that the slumbering may become aware, the dead may come alive, and those who are remote and deprived may attain to the Kawthar of divine nearness. By God’s life! Were My Word to be cast upon the earth, there would appear from it throng after throng and party after party who would testify to that which God hath testified before the faces of all else. Thus hath My Supreme Pen spoken on this night which hath been illumined by the lights of the countenance of thy Lord, the Compassionate, the Generous.

Thou didst mention His honor ʿA, upon him be My glory. We have mentioned him in various Tablets and have ordained for him that which shall appear in truth. Convey My greetings unto him from this Station, and We counsel him to joy and gladness through My Most Glorious Name, and We bid him to beautiful patience and mighty concealment. Verily his Lord is the All-Patient, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. The glory shining from the horizon of the heaven of My mercy be upon you and upon those whom the might of the tyrants of the earth and its pomp did not frighten, who turned and said:

“Praise be to Thee, O Lord of the worlds, and glory be to Thee, O Glory of those in the heavens and earth!”

BH11920: O My Name! Upon thee be My glory…

O My Name! Upon thee be My glory and My loving-kindness!

The letter of his honor Yusuf-ʿAli which thou didst send hath attained unto the Most Holy and Exalted Presence, and at this moment one of My Branches who is named Badi’u’llah is present and is, according to His command, engaged in writing this reply before the face of the Lord of all beings. Glory be to God! Every day new events appear. I know, and thou knowest, and God knoweth, and the Branch knoweth and testifieth that the Wronged One hath desired for the people of God naught save that which will exalt them and draw them nigh unto Him. In most of the Tablets We have commanded all to manifest love, fellowship, affection and unity, and We beseech God not to deprive His people of goodly deeds and praiseworthy character.

O My Name! The divine counsels of the All-Merciful and the heavenly exhortations of the Lord are recorded and inscribed in every leaf, and the primary purpose hath been and is to extinguish the fire of hatred and animosity, and likewise to elevate and exalt their stations. Ask of God, and We beseech Him, to purify the hearts of His loved ones with the water of detachment and to illumine them with the light of trust and resignation. Verily He is the Strong, the Mighty, the Powerful.

The fame of the loved ones in ʿIshqabad hath spread abroad and every discerning soul hath perceived therefrom the fragrance of the spirit and of divine favors. And should anyone spread reports contrary to what hath been spread abroad, this would surely cause abasement and humiliation. It is incumbent upon all to be united in the Cause of God and to drink the water of unity from the hands of divine bounty of the Lord of creation, and to concentrate their efforts on the exaltation of the Word of God. The world and its conditions are not worthy of mention. By the life of God! Whosoever holdeth fast unto that which hath been revealed from the Supreme Pen shall attain unto the most exalted station and the most sublime rank. The call “Depart! Depart!” hath ever been raised. We hope that through this counsel all in the world may be freed from the bondage of self and passion.

O Yusuf-ʿAli, upon thee be My glory! God willing, mayest thou be assisted in that which [is befitting for] these days, and do thou strive thy utmost to unite hearts. [He will assist those who arise to serve Him and unite the hearts of His servants….

O My people in ʿIshq[abad] and upon those who have today cast aside what is with the people, holding fast to the mighty and impregnable cord of God.

BH02814: O Sulayman!

In the Name of God, the Most Holy, the Most Great, the Most Glorious!

O Sulayman!

The days are approaching their end, and yet the peoples of the earth are sunk in grievous heedlessness, and lost in manifest error.

The tongue of the Morn proclaims “The Truth hath come!”, and the Day declares “I am the Day of God!”, and all things proclaim “The Mother Book hath been sent down!” And yet how few are the ears that are privileged to hear the call, and how rare the hearts that are adorned with the love of God, the Lord of all names.

Morning and evening, the peoples of the earth, of diverse faiths, turn toward mosques and temples and churches and shrines for the remembrance of God, yet remain heedless of Him Who is remembered. At the very moment of remembrance, He Who is remembered standeth before their eyes, yet they see Him not and recognize Him not; they hear, yet comprehend not.

All this heedlessness and error and ignorance that hath encompassed the world—its primary cause and reason have been and continue to be the divines of the earth, for they have devised vain imaginings and, through a hundred thousand strategems and deceits, have caused these imaginings to enter into the minds of the ignorant of the earth. So long as these vain imaginings persist, they remain deprived of the splendors of the sun of certitude. Thus have they themselves and their hapless followers been deprived of the outpourings of divine grace and of that which would profit them.

Were the rulers of the earth in truth obedient to these heedless souls, no trace of God and His tokens would be found in the world, save with those souls who are sanctified from the doubts and veils and vain imaginings of men. They are honored through the name of Truth, while clinging to diverse means in their abasement of Truth. Would that they had contented themselves with this! Nay, by My life! Every possessor of insight witnesseth the traces of the tyranny of these heedless souls. Blessed is the learned one who recognizeth Him Who is the Object of all knowledge.

Strange it is that, despite such deeds, the divines of these regions and territories do not accept one another, each counting himself to be the most accomplished and most pious. Destruction be upon them and upon those who follow them without clear proof, or evidence, or testimony, or reason!

O Sulayman, render thanks unto the Beloved of all creation, that He hath aided thee to recognize this bounty, the like of which heaven hath not witnessed, nor earth borne. Rejoice thou and be of those who are thankful. Praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds!

BH02760: Praise be befitting the Lord of Creation, the Beloved…

He is God, exalted be His station in wisdom and utterance!

Praise be befitting the Lord of Creation, the Beloved, and the Desired One, Whose blessed gaze is fixed upon His loved ones. It is hoped that through the Kawthar of utterance flowing from the Pen of Power, hearts and minds may be cleansed of obstructing veils and become receptive to the effulgent lights of the Day-Star of divine knowledge.

O Rida, upon thee be the Glory of God, the Lord of all beings! Hearken thou unto the voice of the Wronged One with such attention as shall never end nor be erased from the tablet of thine hearing. O Rida! Verily grace hath preceded, mercy hath preceded, and loving-kindness hath encompassed all. Would that My people knew! Would that My people understood! Would that My people were fair-minded!

O Rida! We beseech God to aid thee and grant thee success, that thou mayest attain unto that which no vicissitudes or conditions of all who dwell on earth can alter or change. This is the station of the Most Great Steadfastness which hath been sent down by the Pen of the Lord of all beings in this luminous dawn and divine dayspring. Hold thou fast unto it, detached from all the worlds.

As to what thou didst write regarding turning towards this direction, it hath been heard. If thou canst find some occupation in that city to engage in, this would be preferable and more fitting. But if thou dost intend to come, thou must turn with complete detachment and pure reliance, aiming for the most exalted station and supreme heights, and approaching the Dayspring of grace and Source of bounty in a befitting manner. In any case, We beseech God, exalted be His glory, to grant thee success and confirmation. The friends in that land should also strive to the extent possible to perhaps find a buyer for the house who might purchase it, that thou mayest be free to act according to thy desire. We beseech God, blessed and exalted be He, to aid them and aid thee in that which He loveth and is pleased with.

Convey greetings to each of thy relatives and give them the glad tidings of the effulgent lights of the Day-Star of grace. It is hoped that under the shade of the Blessed Tree they may attain true maturity and spiritual coming of age. Verily He is the One Who hath power over whatsoever He willeth through His word “Be” and it is. Glory be upon you and upon those who have quaffed the sealed wine from the hands of His bounty, the Self-Subsisting, the Self-Sustaining.

BH02731: In My Name, the One Who standeth and speaketh…

In My Name, the One Who standeth and speaketh at the heart of the world!

Praise be to God Who hath manifested the Most Great Name, to the despair of the peoples who denied the Proof of God and His evidence, who disputed His verses, who disbelieved in His favor, who pronounced sentence of death against Him, and who cast aside His Book which He made an enduring testimony from Him to all who are in the heavens and on earth.

O My Name! I bear witness to that which the Tongue of My grandeur hath testified in the kingdom of My utterance, that there is none other God but Him, the Single, the One, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. O My Name! We love to behold thee possessed of the disposition of thy Lord, that thou mayest not be saddened by the deeds of the oppressors who have cast behind them the Covenant of God and His testament and who have disbelieved in the Day of Judgment. O My Name! By the life of God, wolves have surrounded Me from every direction. They have wrought that which hath caused the Most Exalted Pen to lament, and the Tablet of God wherein were inscribed the mysteries of the first and the last.

O thou who circlest round My throne and art present before My face! Dost thou weep for the Self of God Who standeth firm in the Cause, or shall I weep with Mine own eyes for It? By the life of God, all things have wept by reason of what hath befallen the Wronged One at the hands of those who denied after We created them for pure truth and made known unto them the straight and manifest path of God.

Should anyone ask thee concerning the Glory, say: Verily, He is under the claws of hatred. Alas, alas, for that which hath befallen Me from every oppressor, from every sinner, from every liar, from every heedless one, from every denouncer, from every vain imaginer, and from every deceitful traitor. Should anyone ask thee concerning the Divine Lote-Tree, say: Verily, It is beneath the swords of the people. Alas, alas, for that which hath befallen the Wronged One from the hosts of the wicked ones.

Some among the people have been seized by the smoke of idle fancies. Because of this hath the eye of My inner being wept and the sighing of My heart been raised. We beseech God, blessed and exalted be He, to purify His servants from the defilement of idle fancies and the dust of vain imaginings. Verily, He hath power over all things.

Illumine My loved ones with the lights of My utterance, remind them of My verses, and give them the glad-tidings of that which hath been sent down from the heaven of My wondrous utterance and the clouds of My mercy which have preceded all who are in the heavens and on earth.

The resplendent light from the horizon of the heaven of My grace and the glory shining forth from the kingdom of My utterance be upon thee and upon those who love thee and hearken unto thy word concerning this momentous News. Praise be unto Him, for He is the Beloved of the hearts of them that know and the Purpose of them that have recognized His oneness.

BH02767: This is a wondrous remembrance from the servant unto…

He is the Most Exalted, the Most High

This is a wondrous remembrance from the servant unto all who are in the heavens and the earth, that all may enter the pavilions of mighty glory. Those who have entered the sanctuary of the Spirit and believed in what was sent down from God—these are the companions of guidance. Upon them be the blessings and mercy of God. God will assist them with the hosts of the unseen and raise them to a lofty, holy station. He will send down upon them the angels of the Spirit who will give them glad tidings of the meeting with God and provide them with fruits of Paradise upon sublime and exalted cushions.

Say: These are verses of the Spirit which We cast upon you that through them may be quickened the hearts of those who have detached themselves unto God, and that they may be made pure and luminous by the lights of this Dawn. All shall arise from the graves of heedlessness and hasten with their hearts to the shore of the Spirit, and soar with the wings of knowledge in the atmosphere of subtle light, reaching a station where no blame of any blamer nor hindrance of any hinderer shall touch them. They shall hasten to good deeds and arise to the Cause though all who are on earth should oppose them.

Say: Those who have ascended unto God with their wealth and their souls—these are they whom God has made lights of the earth. From their light He created the denizens of the worlds and raised them to heights that were magnificent in the Mother Book. God shall soon manifest them upon clouds of light, and the angels of the Cause shall meet them, in their hands swords of power with which they shall slay the ungodly with swords of conquest—this is decreed as inevitable with God.

O Letter Sad! Hear the call of Him Who calls thee from the throne of eternity and remembers thee on this night in a noble and glorious station, that thou mayest remind the servants of the paradise of oneness and give them glad tidings of the days of God, and provide them with fruits which God has ordained for them in a preserved Book of nearness, lest hardships turn them away from the paths of their Lord and distance them from the path which God created behind the holy worlds and made as a bearer of glad tidings and warning to all beings.

Then mention from Us Our names who were in thy land, and glorify their faces from Us, and likewise those who remember God in their hearts and are today among the radiant lights of the Sun in the Dawning-place of eternity. And thou, preserve these words, then recite them with the tongue of pure nature that the sincere ones may be turned to the beauty of a beautiful countenance.

BH02756: These are the verses of holiness, sent down…

These are the verses of holiness, sent down from a heaven of exalted might. They inspire the contingent worlds with that which will suffice them above all things—this, by the grace of Him Whose bounty hath encompassed all the worlds.

O Faraj! Seek thou relief through the relief of thy Lord. Verily, He shall suffice thee against all who are in the heavens and on the earth, and shall bring thee unto the shore of My impregnable Name. Be thou the “Faraj” of thy Lord among the servants, and a sign of His remembrance within the kingdoms of the Cause and of creation, that thou mayest become the standard of guidance upon the Sinai of holiness, and the banners of glory upon the hilltops of My wondrous Name.

Lay hold on the Book of God with firmness; then emerge from the veils of vain imaginings; then shatter the idols of these days by the sovereignty of thy Lord, the Mighty, the All-Bountiful—haply thereby the hearts of those who have ascended unto the loftiest heights of shining sanctity may find rest. Ascend thou unto a station where neither heaven nor earth shall divert thee from the remembrance of thy Lord, and be thou steadfast in love.

And when thou desirest to move from that land, move through the attraction wherewith all atoms are stirred, and turn toward God, thy Lord, in this station wherein the suns of radiant glory have shone forth.

Say: In this Day none can enter this Ridvan, beheld at the right hand of the Throne, save he who purifieth his heart through the remembrance of his Lord and washeth himself with the waters of holiness, that he may cleanse it from the mention of all who are in the heavens and on the earth, and attain unto the Egypt of detachment—the praiseworthy station of nearness.

Then let him arise and say—when he standeth facing the quarter of the Spirit, in a beloved seat of sanctity:

O Lord! I have fled from mine own self and from all that hindereth me from entering into Thy good-pleasure, and have entered the pavilion of Thy loving-kindness. Preserve me then, O my God, from Satan and his guile, from the Evil One and his delusions; and purify my face for Thy Face, toward which the faces of the near ones have been turned upon uplifted seats of holiness.

Thus hath thy Lord commanded thee, that thou mayest convey it unto the servants, that souls may be severed from the vain fancies they possess, and may abide in the neighbourhood of their Lord, the All-Merciful, in this dwelling which God hath sanctified from the touch of the idolaters.

Arise in the Cause of God, thy Lord, and call aloud among the servants, and fear none. Put thy trust in Him, for He shall guard thee against every rejected and rebellious idolater.

BH02757: These are the verses of the Manifest Book, sent…

In the Name of God, the Most High, the Most Exalted!

These are the verses of the Manifest Book, sent down in truth from the heaven of God, the Most High, the Great. Verily this is a revelation whereof every person of innate knowledge beareth witness that it hath been sent down from One Who is mighty and wise. They that have disbelieved—these shall not find therein the fragrances of the All-Merciful. Nay, they are in manifest error, even as those before them found not, on the day when the Manifestation of Mine own Self, the Most High, the All-Wise, appeared among them. They said: “This hath not been sent down from innate knowledge,” after that innate knowledge was itself created therefrom. Thus do We recount unto you that which hath been ordained, and thy Lord best knoweth the idolaters.

Say: O people! Fear ye God, and utter not that which causeth the dwellers of the realms of eternity to lament and the pillars of the mighty Throne to tremble. Every person of innate knowledge hath been created by His command, if ye be of them that know. And every person of insight recognized the truth before its manifestation—how much more after its manifestation through a perspicuous Book! And no one possessed of a heart would exchange a single letter of God’s words for all the treasures of the heavens and earth.

Say: O people! Fear ye God and take not any partner unto Him. Verily He was ever One in His Essence. He hath created all contingent things through the Word whereon He shed the light of His name, the Creator. Blessed be God, the best of creators! Say: All are His servants and make mention of Him by night and by day, yet most of them are behind a mighty veil.

God hath accepted the deeds of them that have turned unto Him, for He is the Forgiving, the Bountiful. As to them that have turned away—their deeds shall not be accepted, even should they worship Him throughout the duration of the kingdom of earth and heaven. This is a certain truth. Had God accepted the deeds of those who in times past were among the people of the Torah and the Gospel, He would surely accept the deeds of these people. Thus hath the matter been decreed by One Who is knowing and wise.

Leave the people to their vain imaginings, then take thou for thyself a path unto God. They that have turned away from this Countenance—these are deprived of God’s grace and mercy, and are recorded as being among the people of error by the Pen of Glory in the Tablet. Shun them, and turn with thy whole being unto Him at Whose bidding the Sun of Justice hath shone forth from the horizon of this heaven which hath been raised up in God’s name. Thus have We cast upon thee the word of truth and ordained for thee the way of guidance, that thou mayest give thanks unto thy Lord, Who is indeed aware of His servants.

And glory be upon the people of glory and upon those who have taken God as their Guardian.

BH02918: Lawh-i-Mazindaran

O My Name! O thou who gazest upon the Sun of My Manifestation! We made no mention in the Tablet of the people of M and A, therefore We make mention of them at this time, that it may be a treasure and honor for them with God, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. Verily We have found from that land the fragrance of the All-Merciful. Blessed is he who hath rent asunder the veils and turned unto God, the Lord of the worlds. We have made mention of him who was named ʿAli in that place, and after him certain numbered souls, and after them servants who turned and said “We believe in God, the Lord of the worlds.”

If thou turnest and seest those who have attained unto the mention of God, give them glad tidings from Me and proclaim unto them greetings from the Wronged One, the Stranger. Verily We have mentioned My loved ones in the Crimson Tablet from My Pen—these from whom We found the fragrance of steadfastness in this Cause whereby the heaven was cleft asunder and the earth was rent and the stars fell and the foundations of every firm building were shaken. Soon shall wondrous fruits be witnessed from the trees of those lands. This is the decree of God, before and after. Well is it with them that understand.

O people of the land of M! This Wronged One, at this hour when the blessed sixth hour hath arrived—God willing may all be enabled to do that which befitteth the days of God. O loved ones of the All-Merciful! While time remaineth, strive to make up for what hath passed. Verily He is with you and will aid you in that which befitteth this blessed and wondrous Day. God willing may all the friends of God drink from the immortal chalice and act according to what hath been revealed in the Book.

Say: O my God! I beseech Thee by the blood that was shed in Thy path and by the hearts that were melted in Thy love, to assist Thy loved ones to be steadfast in Thy Cause and to arise to serve Thee. Thou art verily powerful over whatsoever Thou willest and in Thy grasp are the reins of all worlds. O Lord! Thou seest them among Thy heedless servants who have cast behind their backs Thy covenant and broken Thy pledge and disputed Thy mighty signs. I beseech Thee to send down upon them from the heaven of Thy bounty and the clouds of Thy mercy that which will draw them nigh unto Thee in all conditions. O Lord! Draw them by Thy most sweet call in such wise that they may see the world behind them and the deniers beneath their feet. How wonderful is this attraction whereby the light shone forth and there appeared that whereof the Book spoke:

“All things are perishing save the face of thy Lord, the Mighty, the Bestower.”

BH02922: O Sadiq! Hearken unto the Call. Verily it guideth…

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

O Sadiq! Hearken unto the Call. Verily it guideth thee and draweth thee nigh and causeth thee to hear that which hath been raised from this Most Exalted Station which hath been named by all names. Thy Lord is verily the Compassionate, the All-Bountiful.

We have mentioned thee before with that which caused the ocean of thy Lord’s loving-kindness to surge, and We mention thee at this time that He may cause thee to soar on the wings of certitude in the atmosphere of the love of thy Lord, the All-Merciful, through Whom the Balance hath been established and all things have proclaimed: “The Kingdom belongeth unto God, the Lord of the worlds!”

Blessed art thou and blessed is he who hath been named Muhammad in the Book of God, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy. Verily he hath taken for himself a station beneath the canopies of the grandeur of his Lord, as attesteth the Perspicuous Book which is with Him. He hath mentioned thee time and again, and We have sent down for thee that which hath caused the breezes of utterance to waft over all creation. Blessed be they that attain, and woe unto the heedless!

We make mention of thy brother who hath been named Abu’l-Hasan, and We remind him of My verses and give him the glad-tidings of My grace which hath encompassed all who are in the heavens and on earth. When thou hast partaken of the choice wine of My utterance and that which hath flowed from My Pen, say:

“My God, my God! Praise be unto Thee for having illumined me with the light of Thy knowledge and adorned me with the ornament of certitude in Thy Cause. I beseech Thee, O Lord of the worlds, by Thy Prophets and Thy Chosen Ones and the Dawning-Places of Thy Revelation and the Daysprings of Thine inspiration, to ordain for me that which will draw me unto Thee in all conditions. Thou art verily the Self-Sufficing, the Most Exalted. O my Lord! I am Thy servant and the son of Thy servant. I beseech Thee to assist me in that which Thou hast commanded me in Thy Books and Thy Tablets. Thou art verily the All-Powerful, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.”

And We make mention of him who hath been named Haydar from the direction of My Most Luminous Horizon, that he may draw nigh unto God, the One, the Single, the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing. Give thanks unto thy Lord for having mentioned thee with verses from which the near ones perceive the fragrance of loving-kindness and bounty throughout the enduring Kingdom of God, the Mighty, the Great. When the wine of My utterance hath taken hold of thee, say:

“My God, my God! Assist me in that which Thou lovest and art pleased with, then make me detached from my will, clinging unto Thy Will. I testify that Thou didst create me for Thy knowledge in Thy days and didst assist me therein through Thy bounty and generosity. I beseech Thee to open before my face the doors of Thy grace, Thy mercy and Thy giving. Thou art verily the Powerful over what Thou willest. There is none other God but Thee, the Ever-Forgiving, the All-Merciful.”

BH02915: In My Name, the Compassionate, the Generous!

In My Name, the Compassionate, the Generous!

O Land of Ta! By God, thou hast attained to that which most of the world’s lands have not attained. God hath made thee the dawning-place of His signs and the manifestation of His names. He is the Powerful, the Mighty.

O My handmaiden! Upon thee be My glory! Thy mention hath come before the Wronged One. We make mention of thee in this perspicuous Book. The Truth hath ever gazed and continueth to gaze upon His friends and the leaves of the divine Lote-Tree. Grieve not over the world and its afflictions. There hath been ordained for thee and for My loved ones that which He hath ordained for His assured servants, both men and women. Verily thy Lord is the Forgiving, the Merciful.

We have previously made mention of him who attained to faith and recognition, who was named Habibullah in My perspicuous Book. Praise be to God, all are mentioned and continue to be mentioned. Concerning him who ascended unto God there hath been revealed that which hath caused its fragrance to encompass the world. We beseech God once again to send down upon him at all times mercy from His presence. He is verily the Generous, the Lord of great bounty.

We make mention of thy daughter and beseech God to protect her and ordain for her that which He hath ordained for His handmaidens who circle round the Throne and have attained His presence. He is the Hearer, the Answerer. That which she sent hath come before Us and hath been accepted through the grace of God, the Mighty, the Wise.

We make mention of thy other daughter and give her the glad-tidings of My favors which have preceded both the unseen and the visible.

O My handmaiden! This Wronged One beareth witness to the turning, the devotion, the humility and the submissiveness of that deceased one in the days of God. No bounty can equal this testimony. It behooveth you to thank God for this supreme gift and this favor which hath encompassed all existence.

We seal this Tablet with mention of him who was named Abdu’r-Rahim in the Book of God, the All-Knowing, the Wise. O Abdu’r-Rahim! Arise to serve and guide the servants, as far as possible, to the shore of the Most Great Ocean. This is a blessed and mighty day, to whose greatness the divine Books have testified. Blessed are they who possess understanding.

The people of God and all other peoples must turn to the horizon of Revelation and beseech from the Truth that which will cause the exaltation of His Word and the advancement of existence. Verily He is the Strong, the Triumphant, the Mighty.

BH11741: I testify, O Beloved One, that the Light hath…

In the Name of the Manifest One, the Manifester, the Manifested, the All-Revealing, the Revealer!

I testify, O Beloved One, that the Light hath shone forth and become manifest, the Hidden hath appeared and been revealed, the heavens have been cleft asunder and rent, the earth hath been split and torn, the mountains have been scattered and dispersed, minds have been demolished and shattered, the Countenance hath radiated and gleamed, the waters have flowed and streamed, the verses have descended and been sent down, the beasts have been gathered and assembled, souls have been annihilated and obliterated, witnesses have been crushed and demolished, […] have served and rendered service, the Bird of Oneness hath warbled and sung, the Cock of Eternity hath trilled and caroled, the Peacock of Glory hath cried out and proclaimed, Beauty hath shone and radiated, the Cloud of the Unseen hath witnessed and testified, Perfection hath risen and appeared, the Countenance hath sung and clapped, the Maiden hath chanted and danced, declaring that all in all through all have been eclipsed and nullified and demolished and frozen and thunderstruck.

Say: He is the One Who hath rolled up the heavens of your idle fancies while ye perceive it not. Glorified be He Who hath concealed from all His consummate wisdom, and all comprehend it not. Thus hath God, your Lord, testified, while ye, being less than what God hath testified, neither witness nor are capable of witnessing.

O Countenance of Glory and Mystery of the Most Glorious! Say: He is the One Who sendeth down verses unto whomsoever He willeth among His servants, yet all turn away from His verses. Among His signs is that light appeareth from the mist of camphor, yet people know it not. And among His signs is that the Tree warbleth on Mount Sinai, yet servants reflect not thereon.

O Beloved! Say to all who are on earth: Can anyone find a beloved apart from the Countenance of my Lord? Glorified be He above what the idolaters assert! Can anyone find beauty apart from the beauty of my Lord? Glorified be He above what the transgressors have wrought! Can anyone find victory apart from the unfurling of the banners of my Lord’s triumph? Glorified be He above what the deniers witness! Can anyone find sovereignty in the kingdom apart from the dominion of my Lord? Glorified be He above what they imagine! […] He is the One with Whom are the treasuries of verses and the treasures of all things, yet all are dead in their veils. Glorified be He Who is sanctified above verses and above what the believers describe.

BH03047: O ʿInayatu’llah, upon thee be My glory! Praise be…

In the Name of the All-Powerful, the Almighty!

O ʿInayatu’llah, upon thee be My glory! Praise be to the Goal of the world Who brought thee from the realm of the unseen to the realm of the visible in His days. This Day is the Lord of days, nay rather, the Lord of centuries and ages. That which is limited cannot be compared with this Day. Glorified be He Who hath manifested it and exalted be He Who hath raised it up. Were the people of the world to comprehend even for a moment the station of this Day and become aware of it, all would engage in that which is befitting it today and would turn from what they possess to what is with God.

O ʿInayat! While We were seated upon Our throne, there entered into the presence of God, the Lord of all beings, the son of My name, upon both of them be My glory and My loving-kindness, who was named Husayn. We took up thy letter and found from it the fragrance of thy love and the love of thy father and mother. We have answered thee with a Tablet from whose horizon there shineth forth from every word the luminary of loving-kindness and bounty from God, the Lord of the Kingdom of Names.

Praise be to God that thou hast ever been and art successful in mentioning the True One, exalted be His glory. At this hour the luminary of permission hath dawned from the Dayspring of divine Will, and We have commanded that Jinab-i-Husayn, thy helper, appear by proxy before the Face and perform that which hath been the hope of the sincere ones and those near unto God. Rejoice thou in these glad-tidings through which the luminary of joy hath appeared and shone forth from the horizon of God’s Will, the Mighty, the Powerful.

The people of that household, all of them, have been and are before Our sight, and each one hath partaken of the sealed wine, that is, the wine of utterance which hath flowed from the tongue of the Goal of all the worlds. Blessed are they that drink thereof, and blessed are they that attain thereunto.

Thou, O ʿAttar, on the world hast strewn A hundred thousand musk-pods, hour by hour, in boon.

God forbid! This musk cannot be described or limited. It hath appeared from a station which is the point of circumambulation for the temples of utterance and meaning. Thus have We mentioned thee and sent unto thee that whereby thy remembrance and those who are with thee shall endure. Verily thy Lord is the Forgiving, the Merciful. The glory from Us be upon thee and upon those who have turned to the Countenance and upon those women who have believed in God, the Lord of all the worlds.

BH02966: To be typed

To be typed.

BH02980: Praise and glory are reserved unto those servants who…

He is the Gracious, He of wondrous bounty.

Praise and glory are reserved unto those servants who, with utmost resolve, have arisen to unite the hearts of men through wisdom and utterance, and who, for the sake of love and fellowship, have borne hardship that the servants of God might find repose. Exalted be their knowledge, exalted their deeds, exalted their thoughts and their steadfastness! They have sacrificed the ease of their own existence in the path of the advancement of humankind; whatsoever they possessed have they expended in the way of the true Possessor; and they have lifted up the hands of hope toward the heaven of bounty for the exaltation of the station of men, that the hearts of the peoples of the world might be adorned with the seal of “Verily, we are God’s,” and be sanctified from the dust of selfish desire and passion, and might set their course toward the loftiest summit and the ultimate goal. Blessed are they that have attained.

The letter of that spiritual beloved, like unto the Salsabil of inner meanings, refreshed and revived the sapling of existence. Each word thereof opened a door and breathed forth a remembrance: every remembrance recalled the days of presence, and every word cried out, “Verily we are God’s, and unto Him shall we return.” In very truth I say: the flame of separation is not stilled save by the Kawthar of reunion, nor is the darkness of absence dispelled save by the light of meeting and union. Reunion with the friends and attainment unto their presence is the highest fruit of the Tree of the Most Exalted Paradise. Our hope is that none may be deprived of this everlasting fruit and this eternal yield.

And after the reading and perusal thereof, mention was made in the presence of Him before Whose face all stand. He declared:

“Inwardly thou art near, though outwardly it be otherwise. I was not pleased to speak of distance.”

Praise be to God that the foundation of nearness and reunion, through the bonds of love and affection, is established, firm, and unshakable.

From God, exalted be His glory, do We beseech that through you He may extinguish, with the water of wisdom and utterance, the fire of discord that burneth within the hearts of the peoples of the world, that all may gather upon the shore of the ocean of oneness and draw a breath in peace and freedom. We beseech God that through thee He may raise aloft the banner of unity throughout the lands. Verily, He is the Lord of creation and the Sovereign in the beginning and in the end.

BH03023: To be typed

To be typed.

BH03037: To be typed

To be typed.

BH11620: Thou seest, O God of Names and Sovereign…

He is God, blessed and exalted be His glory!

Thou seest, O God of Names and Sovereign of eternity, how the hearts of them that yearn are consumed by the kindling of the fires of destiny, and how the frames of the lovers are disturbed by the succession of grievous trials, such that sighs follow upon sighs and tears stream forth continuously, and cheeks are moistened, and the fire of sorrows is ignited throughout creation. How can I recount, O my Creator, that which hath encompassed Thy loved ones through Thy conclusive decree and mighty tribulation? And by what utterance can I enumerate what hath befallen the lovers through the effects of separation? Their hearts have melted and their souls are perplexed, finding no solace in their grief, no tranquility in their anguish, and no remedy for the ailment of their remoteness and deprivation.

O Lord! I beseech Thee by the power of Thy Most Exalted Pen and the potency of Thy most mighty and most glorious utterance to send down from the heaven of Thy grace that which may quiet their agitation and burning, and adorn them, O my God, with the ornament of supreme steadfastness amidst all created things. Make known through them to Thy servants what Thou hast revealed in Thy Tablets, guide through them Thy creation to the horizon of Thy recognition, and illumine through them the hearts of the seekers with the lights of the luminary of Thy knowledge and utterance, that the peoples may come unto the Law of the recognition of Thy Most Great Name and arise to that which Thou hast commanded them in Thy manifest Day through Thy mighty Command, O God of the worlds and Goal of them that have known Thee!

O thou who hast quaffed the Kawthar of reunion on the Day of Return through the grace of thy Lord, the Self-Sufficient, the Most Exalted! How can I describe to thee what hath come upon us in this most mighty calamity from the heaven of the decree of thy Most Glorious Lord? And with what tongue can I console thee and the loved ones of thy Lord, the Lord of all creation? By God! I see no tongue capable of mentioning this all-encompassing tribulation, nor any ear able to hearken unto the utterance of this momentous catastrophe. Were it not for the commands issued in His Most Holy, Most Exalted Book, and His decree of patience and contentment, the very existence of the lovers would have been obliterated by the manifestation of the decree of separation, and their spirits would have departed their bodies from the overwhelming force of longing.

But He, exalted be He, through His consummate wisdom, sustained His yearning ones, and through His abundant favor strengthened His sincere ones, and cast upon them the spirit of patience and submission in this mighty tribulation. I beseech Him, exalted be He, not to cut us off from the breezes of His grace, nor withhold from the gardens of our hearts the rain of His mercy, and to aid us in His service and in exalting His mention among His creation. Verily, He is the Generous, the Bountiful. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Merciful. The Spirit and Glory be upon thee and upon the steadfast loved ones of God.

BH11621: In My Name which is sanctified above the mention…

In My Name which is sanctified above the mention of all names

This is a Book sent down by the Wronged One from the heaven of His Name, the Self-Subsisting, that He might give glad tidings unto all peoples of this Day wherein the atoms have cried out: “The Kingdom belongeth unto God, the Revealer of verses!” Say: O peoples of the earth! Fear God and follow not your idle fancies. Follow Him Who hath come unto you with a sovereignty before which all names have bowed down, and with a Cause against which no parties can prevail. Aid ye your Lord, the All-Merciful. Soon shall all that ye possess perish; then shall ye find yourselves in abasement and loss. The gate of heaven hath been opened and He Who was promised by the tongue of the Prophets hath descended, He Who was inscribed by the Most Exalted Pen in the Scriptures and Tablets.

We verily informed all when the croaking was raised in the land of Kaf and Ra. This is what the All-Merciful hath revealed in the Book. He hath appeared and hath spoken that whereat the denizens of the most exalted Paradise and the dwellers of the highest Heaven have lamented. And he who was named Abbas-ʿAli hath joined with the people of hypocrisy. He is indeed among those who follow the people of error. Ask thou God to aid him to return. Verily He is the One with power over whatsoever He willeth, and in His grasp is the dominion of the beginning and the return.

Glory be to God! A group of unbelievers have gathered and are striving mightily to lead the servants astray. Strange it is that souls who claimed to love God and counted themselves among the steadfast have turned away from truth at a mere croaking. Such is the condition of the servants.

Convey to the friends of God the greetings of the Wronged One and remind them of what hath been revealed in the Book. The people of the Crimson Ark are souls whom all on earth cannot prevent from the divine path, much less can such heedless, wrongdoing persons. Though having no knowledge of the beginning of the Cause and its foundation, they have denied the Sun and followed the bat. They are indeed in manifest loss. Those souls who are with thee are each remembered in the Most Holy Court and have attained His grace. We beseech God to aid them all and keep them steadfast. The glory shining from the horizon of the heaven of My mercy be upon thee and upon those with thee and upon all who are steadfast and firm.

BH03170: To be typed

To be typed.

BH03054: I bear witness, O my God, to Thy oneness…

He is the Single, the One, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise!

I bear witness, O my God, to Thy oneness and confess Thy singleness. Thou art God; there is none other God but Thee. From time immemorial Thou hast been sanctified above the mention of all created things and exalted above the loftiest descriptions of all existing things. Through Thy Name, O my God, the ocean of knowledge surgeth and the fragrance of utterance is wafted. Thou art He Whom errors have not prevented from bestowing gifts, and Whom the might of the powerful and the dominion of princes have not weakened.

I testify, O my God, to Thy bounty and generosity, Thy favors and Thy glory, Thy power and Thy gifts. Thou art He, O my God, Who hath not closed the door of Thy grace nor withheld the rain of Thy bounty and loving-kindness. Thou art He Whom nothing occupieth from anything else and no condition preventeth from another condition.

O Lord! By Thy Most Exalted Word all things were drawn forth, and through it the sincere ones hastened to the place of sacrifice, yearning to attain Thy presence, O Lord of Names, and those near unto Thee hastened to the Dayspring of Thy Most Exalted Name. Who hath turned to Thee, O my God, and hath not gained the lights of the Sun of Thy favors, and who hath faced Thy horizon and hath not beheld the waves of the ocean of Thy bounty and loving-kindness?

I beseech Thee, O King of Kings and Sovereign of the Kingdom, to assist the ministers of the earth to execute that which Thou hast sent down from the Supreme Pen in Thy Books and Thy Scriptures and Thy Tablets. O Lord! They are the Daysprings of Thy power and the Dawning-Places of Thy might. I beseech Thee to aid them in that which Thou lovest and art pleased with. Verily Thou art the Lord of all beings and the Lord of the hereafter and the former times.

Praise be unto Thee, O my God, for that through Thy grace and will the sun of justice hath shone forth from the horizon of bounty, and the light of equity through Thy bounty and favor. O Lord! Aid him in that which Thou lovest and art pleased with, and ordain for him from Thy Most Exalted Pen in the Crimson Tablet that which will make him mighty through Thy might and great through Thy greatness.

Thou seest, O my God and my Lord and my Support and my Hope, that he desireth to repair what was broken in numbered years. O Lord! Illumine the horizons of Thy kingdom through his justice, then preserve him through Thy power and Thy might. Verily Thou art the Omnipotent over whatsoever Thou willest, and in Thy grasp are the reins of all things. There is none other God but Thee, the Omnipotent, the Mighty, and worthy to answer prayer.

BH11623: This is a Book which We have sent down…

In His Name, Who speaks in the Kingdom of Utterance!

This is a Book which We have sent down in truth and made it the choice wine of utterance for all who dwell within the realm of possibility, and the Kawthar of generosity for all who are in the world, and the Salsabil of life for those who are seized with the thirst of separation when the horizon of reunion shone forth with the Luminary of My Name, the All-Subduing over all the worlds.

We make mention of him who has turned to God, and We cause him to hear My most sweet call and give him to drink of this luminous wine. As for those who have remained heedless of the Truth and His sovereignty—their names shall not be mentioned before the Throne, and they shall ere long return to their abode in the fire. He, verily, is the Just, the All-Knowing, the Wise.

O peoples of the earth! The Object of your desire hath appeared, and He, verily, is the One promised in the Scriptures of God, your Lord and the Lord of all worlds. Beware lest the ornaments of the world debar you from God, the Lord of all names. Cast them behind you, turning your faces toward the court of your Lord, the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.

Remember when Muhammad, the Apostle of God, came with clear signs, He was opposed by those possessed of learning, and before Him, when the Spirit came, the doctors of the Torah turned away from Him and the people followed them until God raised Him to an exalted station. Thus was the matter decreed aforetime. He, verily, is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.

Hearken thou unto that which the Spirit hath imparted to the heart of the world: There is none other God but He, the Forgiving, the Bountiful. Blessed art thou for having attained unto the verses of God time and again, and for having drunk the wine of knowledge from the hand of the favors of thy Lord while every froward oppressor turned away. Strive thou in the service of thy Master that there may appear from thee that which shall endure as long as the Kingdom and the dominion shall endure. This behooveth him who hath turned unto God, the Lord of all worlds.

Make mention of My loved ones in that land and give them the joyful tidings of My gracious remembrance. We make mention of everyone who hath turned to the Countenance with a remembrance whereby their names shall be recorded in a preserved Tablet. By My life! Were they to know this bounty, they would soar on the wings of joy and turn with their hearts to the horizon of the Manifestation, saying:

“Praise be unto Thee, O Thou Who hast enabled us to recognize the Dawning-Place of Thy Revelation while He was imprisoned among the heedless ones.”

Verily, upon thee and upon them be the glory from One Who is Mighty, Praiseworthy.

BH11746: This is a Book sent down through grace…

In the Name of Him Who speaks the Truth!

This is a Book sent down through grace to one who has turned towards God on a day wherein the people have turned away from God, the Lord of all worlds. When the appointed time came and the Dawning-Place of verses appeared, the divines of Iran turned away from Him and unjustly pronounced their verdict against Him—a verdict at which the Concourse on High lamented, as did those who circle round His mighty Throne. Blessed is the ignorant one whom the veils of glory have not withheld, and woe unto the learned one who has disbelieved in God, the Almighty, the All-Praised.

O people of God! Hearken unto the call of Him Who has been wronged. He summons you to His straight path. We make mention in the Persian tongue and counsel the friends of God to safeguard the trust of God, for thieves have been and are lying in wait. Mention has been made in the Tablets of the cawers. They must be so steadfast that no one will find occasion to speak. The cause of the waywardness of the helpless people has been and continues to be the divines. As you have seen and heard, through the opposition of such souls, the people of Iran remained veiled from the recognition of the Purpose of all worlds and occupied themselves with cursing and denouncing. The curse of God be upon the wrongdoing people.

Beseech God to protect you from vain imaginings and to make you steadfast in His Cause. O Muhammad! Each of these mentioned souls has been blessed by God’s favors. Blessed are they who in these days are remembered before His presence and whose mention flows from the Most Exalted Pen. Convey greetings to all. Say: Today all must stand firm and steadfast in the Cause of the Luminary of the horizons in perfect unity. The favors of the Revealer of verses have encompassed and will continue to encompass those who have turned towards Him and remained steadfast.

The waves of the ocean of the utterance of the All-Merciful are manifest before the faces of the world, and the lights of the Sun of His Revelation are evident and visible. Nevertheless, the unfair people are striving with the swords of hatred and enmity to extinguish the light. We beseech God, exalted be His glory, to protect the friends of that land from the cawers and the godless ones. Verily, He has power over all things.

We make mention of thy mother and thy brother. Give them the glad-tidings of My loving-kindness and My mercy which have preceded all created things. The Glory be upon thee and upon My friends there, and upon all who are firm, steadfast and upright.

BH03261: Praise be unto Thee, O my God, inasmuch…

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

Praise be unto Thee, O my God, inasmuch as Thou beholdest that the Sun of independence hath ever been dawning from the horizon of the temples of glory—they who have rent asunder the veils of grandeur, who have quaffed the choice wine of reunion, and who have attained unto the lights of beauty in the days when Thou didst come with the heaven of Thy Cause upon the clouds of grandeur and power, when trembling seized all the tribes of the earth. And among them, O my God, is this Name who was named with the two Most Exalted Names, who turned wholly unto Thee, detached from all the worlds, who took no beloved save Thee and no object of desire except Thee.

Therefore dost Thou behold him, O my Beloved, consumed by the fire of separation from Thee and enkindled by the flame of longing for Thee. Ordain for him, O Fire of the hearts of lovers, that which shall make him, in separation, attain unto the lights of Thy reunion and presence, and in remoteness, drink from the cup of Thy nearness and glory. For verily Thou didst desire him and ordained for him a station upon the Most Exalted Throne which none can reach save they who have beheld Thee with Thine eye and known Thee through Thy Self, the Mighty, the Inaccessible.

The letter of that spiritual friend and heavenly beloved arrived with the fragrances of the divine paradise of inner meanings and became the cause of joy to this evanescent one. Praise and glory be unto Him that the glances of His favor have ever gazed from the horizon of grace upon those turned toward the Most Great Scene, and the cloud of His boundless generosity is raised up and the immeasurable rains of grace descend, and the sun of the Most Glorious favor shines forth and the sea of ancient bounty surges. Praise be to the Beloved that your honor has been and continues to be the recipient of all divine favors, both outward and inward, and not for a moment have the breezes of God’s favor from the right hand of the Most Great Mercy been cut off, nor for an instant have you been concealed from the vision of the Most Great Scene. Blessed art thou, then blessed art thou! We beseech God to make me and you among those who are steadfast in the path of His Most Great, Most Mighty Cause. And praise be unto Him, for He is the Most Merciful of the merciful.

And furthermore, your honor’s letter was presented before the Countenance and mighty verses were revealed from the heaven of oneness and sent. Upon thee be the lights that have shone forth from the horizon of His all-encompassing, transcendent words above the worlds.

BH03209: Since your honoured self made mention of Jinab-i-Malkum Khan…

He is God, exalted be His glory.

Since your honoured self made mention of Jinab-i-Malkum Khan, it became necessary to set forth what pertaineth to friendship, association, and those events which transpired and came to pass.

At that time this prisoner was yet unborn and had no knowledge of this world. Yet what was heard from one who served in those days is as follows. We were in Zarkandih, and that village had been set apart as the summer resort of the ministers of the illustrious Russian government. The late and forgiven Mirza Ya’qub Khan, the father of Jinab-i-Mirza Malkum Khan—may God preserve him—was employed in the embassy circle as an interpreter.

One day he came to the house of His Holiness. He said:

“I am the interpreter of Amir-Nizam, Mirza Taqi Khan. I desire to disperse the people of Iran from turning toward foreign governments. Now it is observed that Baha’u’llah hath taken up residence in Zarkandih.”

In reply it was said:

“He holdeth in no wise intercourse with the ministers, but since His sister is in the house of the son of Haji Mirza Yusuf, interpreter of the Persian chancery of the illustrious government, He came only for visitation and inquiry after her state.”

In those days this matter was outwardly one thing and inwardly another, for Amir-Nizam had manifested such oppression and tyranny as had neither peer nor likeness. Hence the truth of this affair was concealed from all, as a protection from One Who is the protecting, the knowing Guardian.

Then, on a later day, it was heard that the sons of the late Mirza Ya’qub Khan had returned from Paris, and that His Holiness intended to go to his house for a meeting. Thereafter the light of friendship shone forth and blazed brightly between them, until at length the severity of winter and the pomp of summer passed away, and all entered the city.

Afterward, with the permission of the King of Iran, His Holiness departed with us for the holy places of Karbila and the holy city of Najaf.

BH03275: This is a Tablet from whose horizon hath shone…

He is the Most Holy, the Most Great.

This is a Tablet from whose horizon hath shone forth the Sun of the favour of God, the Lord of all worlds. We felicitate you in your rejoicing and give you glad tidings of the grace of God, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. And though the number be not yet complete, God perfecteth whatsoever He willeth; verily, He is the sovereign Ordainer, the One Who chooseth.

News concerning her arriveth continually and in succession: at one time tidings of health, and at another of illness. In all conditions do we render thanks unto Him. Yet, in view of these differing reports, the united manifestations [?] have remained, for the present, deferred. God willing, may ye at all times be joined with joy and gladness.

Ma’sumih Khanum, God willing, may she be content and preserved beneath the shadow of His favour. And if repose, tranquillity, and settled abode accord not with her desire—indeed, she is one who would ascend and descend each day fifty times, nay, even more, and would walk now in length and again in breadth—yet, notwithstanding all these movements, there must now needs be some rest. What can be done? God willing, the Beloved of the world will vouchsafe patience.

In what condition are Hadrat-i-Shu’a’u’llah—or Shu’a’u’d-Din, or Shu’a’u’l-Mulk wa’l-Malakut? God willing, may all of you in every state be blessed and favoured. May the mother attain the joy of beholding her offspring, and the daughter of Jinab-i-Haji be enabled to remember God. Unto each is allotted a portion in the Book.

We convey greeting unto all the residents. God willing, may they forever quaff the choice wine of the love of God and remain occupied in His service. Sweetness is not attained from Sayyid Ism without generosity and bestowal. ʿAryan Effendi, with coverings without end [?] —God willing, may he be gladdened.

What God hath willed! Two steeds have galloped forth from the unseen into the plain of visible being; they grant neither respite nor delay. Why all this haste? The wisdom of God is indeed manifold. Verily, He is the All-Wise, the All-Knowing. Glory be upon you.

BH03278: This is the Day wherein all seas have been…

He is the One Who gazeth from His most exalted horizon.

This is the Day wherein all seas have been merged into the Most Great Ocean which hath surged before the faces of all peoples, and every drop thereof hath proclaimed in its loudest voice: “The dominion belongeth unto God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting!” The Sinai hath smiled in this Revelation whereby the standards of idolatry were lowered and the banners of divine unity were raised by the command of God, the Lord of all existence.

Say: O people! The fragrance of the Merciful’s utterance hath wafted throughout all contingent being. Beware lest the veils of the world prevent you or the might of those who have denied the Witness and the Witnessed strike fear in your hearts. Say: Fear ye God, O people! By God, the Day which God’s Messengers and chosen ones foretold hath come. Cast away what ye possess and take hold of that which hath appeared in truth from God, the Lord of what was and what shall be.

Say: Be fair, O concourse of the earth, concerning that which hath appeared in truth, and follow not every ignorant rejected one. The gate of bounty hath been opened upon all existence and the ocean of generosity hath surged in the world. Draw nigh with illumined hearts and be not of those who are unaware. Vain imaginings have held them back from the Sovereign of knowledge, and idle fancies from God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. Behold with your eyes and ponder that which hath shone forth and appeared from the horizon of God’s will, the Lord of this exalted House.

The servant who was present hath presented thy letter before the Wronged One. We have answered thee with this beloved Tablet which calleth in the kingdom of creation and summoneth all unto God, the Lord of the Throne on high and of the dust below. Blessed is he who heareth and respondeth, and woe unto every heedless and veiled one.

Say: Glory be unto Thee, O my God! Thou seest me detached from all save Thee, attracted by Thy verses, speaking Thy praise and arising to serve Thy Cause. I beseech Thee by the mysteries hidden in Thy knowledge and the signs treasured in Thy Pen to confirm me and my son in turning unto the lights of Thy countenance and clinging to the hem of the robe of Thy mercy. Then ordain for us, O Thou Who art the Goal of the world and the Lord of all nations, that which will draw us nigh unto Thee and the good of the Hereafter and of this world. Verily Thou art the Lord of all mankind. There is none other God but Thee, the Mighty, the Powerful, the All-Knowing.

BH03280: This is a Day wherein the Herald calls out…

This is a Day wherein the Herald calls out from every direction: O concourse of humanity! By God, the Lord of Destiny has come and every hidden matter has been revealed. Blessed is he who has recognized and attained, and woe to the heedless. Joy be to the one whose strength was weakened neither by the might of Pharaohs nor the power of tyrants. He has testified to that which God has testified—that there is no God but Him, the Single, the One, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.

We have mentioned you before with verses that cannot be equaled by the treasures of the world, whose fragrance will not cease to persist through the endurance of My Most Great Name, by which the limbs of nations have trembled, save whom God has willed, the Lord of the Mighty Throne. My Afnan, upon him be My glory and My loving-kindness and My mercy, has mentioned your name, and We remember you in this perspicuous Tablet.

O Mim! Upon you be My glory! Today is the day for helping the Cause. All must hold fast to it. Make mention of the loved ones of that land and its surroundings on behalf of the Wronged One. Say: Today is the day of greatest joy. All must be illumined by the light of the Cause and enkindled by the fire of the Blessed Tree. The various peoples of the world would sacrifice life and property for the slightest favor or request, that their desire might be fulfilled by kings and rulers. Now this Most Great Cause and Manifest Light has dawned and appeared in Iran, yet its people remain heedless and veiled. All must, with wisdom and utterance, aim for the cities of men’s hearts, that they may benefit from the Most Great Name.

We beseech God that He may assist all and not leave your efforts without effect and fruit. Preserve your station and your reward and recompense […] through this Blessed, Mighty, Wondrous Name. The glory shining from the horizon of the heaven of My grace be upon you and upon those with you who love you and hearken to your call in this firm, mighty and wise Cause. Praise be to God, the Forgiving, the Merciful.

BH11626: O Rajab-ʿAli! Upon thee be my abundant greetings. Most…

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

O Rajab-ʿAli! Upon thee be my abundant greetings. Most of mankind have strayed far from truth, and the mortal world hath so deluded them that they have deemed the Reformer of the world to be a corrupter. They have turned away from light and cleaved unto darkness. They have accepted not a single word from the mine and dawning-place of truth. We have forbidden all the friends of God from contention and conflict, and commanded patience and forbearance. They accepted not the word of truth and move with utmost tyranny in the arena of oppression, heedless that the true Judge and the just Almighty observeth and will surely requite them.

O Rajab! Fix thy gaze upon this blessed word, which is as a spirit for the temple of detachment: His exalted Word: “Be thou for Me and I shall be for thee.” The world hath never been, nor will ever be, faithful. Cast away that which perisheth and take hold of that which endureth. Most of the people of Iran denied God’s great bounty and raised the swords of tyranny against the essence of justice. They wrought that which caused every seeing eye to weep and every living soul to lament.

Consider the patience and forbearance of God, exalted be His glory, and reflect upon His name, the All-Patient. Soon shall weakness seize that strength and poverty encompass that wealth. Between man and the grave there is but a brief journey. They shall enter it alone, abased, fearful, trembling and disturbed. Thus hath the All-Informed informed us, and we are among the witnesses.

We make mention of all the friends of God and counsel them with that which beseemeth them, and we beseech God to adorn the temples of all with the ornament of pure deeds and to crown their heads with the diadem of justice. He is the Powerful, the Mighty. The Wronged One sendeth greetings upon thee, thy son and thy wife. Remember them both on my behalf. We beseech God to assist them to do what is praiseworthy and to ordain for them the good of this world and the world to come. He is the Forgiving, the Kind. There is no God but Him, the Powerful, the Mighty, the Beloved.