have referred, they protested saying: "No independent Prophet, according
to our Scriptures, should arise after Moses and Jesus to abolish the Law
of divine Revelation. Nay, he that is to be made manifest must needs
fulfil the Law." Thereupon this verse, indicative of all the divine
themes, and testifying to the truth that the flow of the grace of the
All-Merciful can never cease, was revealed: "And Joseph came to you
aforetime with clear tokens, but ye ceased not to doubt of the message
with which He came to you, until, when He died, ye said, 'God will by no
means raise up a Messenger after Him.' Thus God misleadeth him who is the
transgressor the doubter."(164) Therefore, understand from this verse and
know of a certainty that the people in every age, clinging to a verse of
the Book, have uttered such vain and absurd sayings, contending that no
Prophet should again be made manifest to the world. Even as the Christian
divines who, holding fast to the verse of the Gospel to which We have
already referred, have sought to explain that the law of the Gospel shall
at no time be annulled, and that no independent Prophet shall again be
made manifest, unless He confirmeth the law of the Gospel. Most of the
people have become afflicted with the same spiritual disease.
Even as thou dost witness how the people of the Qur'an, like unto the
people of old, have allowed the words "Seal of the Prophets" to veil their
eyes. And yet, they themselves testify to this verse: "None knoweth the
interpretation thereof but God and they that are well-grounded in
knowledge."(165) And when He Who is well-grounded in all knowledge, He Who
is the Mother, the Soul, the Secret, and the Essence thereof, revealeth
that which is the least contrary to their desire, they bitterly oppose Him
and shamelessly deny Him. These thou hast already heard and witnessed.
Such deeds and words have been solely instigated by leaders of religion,
they that worship no God but their own desire, who bear allegiance to
naught but gold, who are wrapt in the densest veils of learning, and who,
enmeshed by its obscurities, are lost in the wilds of error. Even as the
Lord of being hath explicitly declared: "What thinkest thou? He who hath
made a God of his passions, and whom God causeth to err through a
knowledge, and whose ears and whose heart He hath sealed up, and over
whose sight He hath cast a veil--who, after his rejection by God, shall
guide such a one? Will ye not then be warned?"(166)
Although the outward meaning of "Whom God causeth to err through a
knowledge" is what hath been revealed, yet to Us it signifieth those
divines of the age who have turned away from the Beauty of God, and who,
clinging unto their own learning, as fashioned by their own fancies and
desires, have denounced God's divine Message and Revelation. "Say: it is a
weighty Message, from which ye turn aside!"(167) Likewise, He saith: "And
when Our clear verses are recited to them, they say, 'This is merely a man
who would fain pervert you from your father's worship.' And they say,
'This is none other than a forged falsehood.'"(168)
Give ear unto God's holy Voice, and heed thou His sweet and immortal
melody. Behold how He hath solemnly warned them that have repudiated the
verses of God, and hath disowned them that have denied His holy words.
Consider how far the people have strayed from the Kawthar of the divine
Presence, and how grievous hath been the faithlessness and arrogance of
the spiritually destitute in the face of that sanctified Beauty. Although
that Essence of lovingkindness and bounty caused those evanescent beings
to step into the realm of immortality, and guided those destitute souls to
the sacred river of wealth, yet some denounced Him as "a calumniator of
God, the Lord of all creatures," others accused Him of being "the one that
withholdeth the people from the path of faith and true belief," and still
others declared Him to be "a lunatic" and the like.
In like manner, thou observest in this day with what vile imputations they
have assailed that Gem of Immortality, and what unspeakable transgressions
they have heaped upon Him Who is the Source of purity. Although God hath
throughout His Book and in His holy and immortal Tablet warned them that
deny and repudiate the revealed verses, and hath announced His grace unto
them that accept them, yet behold the unnumbered cavils they raised
against those verses which have been sent down from the new heaven of
God's eternal holiness! This, notwithstanding the fact that no eye hath
beheld so great an outpouring of bounty, nor hath any ear heard of such a
revelation of lovingkindness. Such bounty and revelation have been made
manifest, that the revealed verses seemed as vernal showers raining from
the clouds of the mercy of the All-Bountiful. The Prophets "endowed with
constancy," whose loftiness and glory shine as the sun, were each honoured
with a Book which all have seen, and the verses of which have been duly
ascertained. Whereas the verses which have rained from this Cloud of
divine mercy have been so abundant that none hath yet been able to
estimate their number. A score of volumes are now available. How many
still remain beyond our reach! How many have been plundered and have
fallen into the hands of the enemy, the fate of which none knoweth.
O brother, we should open our eyes, meditate upon His Word, and seek the
sheltering shadow of the Manifestations of God, that perchance we may be
warned by the unmistakable counsels of the Book, and give heed to the
admonitions recorded in the holy Tablets; that we may not cavil at the
Revealer of the verses, that we may resign ourselves wholly to His Cause,
and embrace wholeheartedly His law, that haply we may enter the court of
His mercy, and dwell upon the shore of His grace. He, verily, is merciful,
and forgiving towards His servants.
And likewise, He saith: "Say, O people of the Book! do ye not disavow us
only because we believe in God and in what He hath sent down to us, and in
what He hath sent down aforetime, and because most of you are doers of
ill?"(169) How explicitly doth this verse reveal Our purpose, and how
clearly doth it demonstrate the truth of the testimony of the verses of
God! This verse was revealed at a time when Islam was assailed by the
infidels, and its followers were accused of misbelief, when the Companions
of Muhammad were denounced as repudiators of God and as followers of a
lying sorcerer. In its early days, when Islam was still to outward seeming
devoid of authority and power, the friends of the Prophet, who had turned
their face toward God, wherever they went, were harassed, persecuted,
stoned and vilified. At such a time this blessed verse was sent down from
the heaven of divine Revelation. It revealed an irrefutable evidence, and
brought the light of an unfailing guidance. It instructed the companions
of Muhammad to declare the following unto the infidels and idolators: "Ye
oppress and persecute us, and yet, what else have we done except that we
have believed in God and in the verses sent down unto us through the
tongue of Muhammad, and in those which descended upon the Prophets of
old?" By this is meant that their only guilt was to have recognized that
the new and wondrous verses of God, which had descended upon Muhammad, as
well as those which had been revealed unto the Prophets of old, were all
of God, and to have acknowledged and embraced their truth. This is the
testimony which the divine King hath taught His servants.
In view of this, is it fair for this people to repudiate these
newly-revealed verses which have encompassed both the East and the West,
and to regard themselves as the upholders of true belief? Should they not
rather believe in Him Who hath revealed these verses? Considering the
testimony which He Himself hath established, how could He fail to account
as true believers them that have testified to its truth? Far be it from
Him that He should turn away from the gates of His mercy them that have
turned unto and embraced the truth of the divine verses, or that He should
threaten those that have clung to His sure testimony! He verily
establisheth the truth through His verses, and confirmeth His Revelation
by His words. He verily is the Powerful, the Help in peril, the Almighty.
And likewise, He saith: "And had We sent down unto Thee a Book written on
parchment, and they had touched it with their hands, the infidels would
surely have said 'This is naught but palpable sorcery.'"(170) Most of the
verses of the Qur'an are indicative of this theme. We have, for the sake
of brevity, mentioned only these verses. Consider, hath anything else
besides the verses been established in the whole Book, as a standard for
the recognition of the Manifestations of His Beauty, that the people might
cling to, and reject the Manifestations of God? On the contrary, in every
instance, He hath threatened with fire those that repudiate and scoff at
the verses, as already shown.
Therefore, should a person arise and bring forth a myriad verses,
discourses, epistles, and prayers, none of which have been acquired
through learning, what conceivable excuse could justify those that reject
them, and deprive themselves of the potency of their grace? What answer
could they give when once their soul hath ascended and departed from its
gloomy temple? Could they seek to justify themselves by saying: "We have
clung to a certain tradition, and not having beheld the literal fulfilment
thereof, we have therefore raised such cavils against the Embodiments of
divine Revelation, and kept remote from the law of God?" Hast thou not
heard that among the reasons why certain Prophets have been designated as
Prophets "endowed with constancy" was the revelation of a Book unto them?
And yet, how could this people be justified in rejecting the Revealer and
Author of so many volumes of verses, and follow the sayings of him who
hath foolishly sown the seeds of doubt in the hearts of men, and who,
Satan-like, hath risen to lead the people into the paths of perdition and
error? How could they allow such things to deprive them of the light of
the Sun of divine bounty? Aside from these things, if these people shun
and reject such a divine Soul, such holy Breath, to whom, We wonder, could
they cling, to whose face besides His Face could they turn? Yea--"All have
a quarter of the Heavens to which they turn."(171) We have shown thee
these two ways; walk thou the way thou choosest. This verily is the truth,
and after truth there remaineth naught but error.
Amongst the proofs demonstrating the truth of this Revelation is this,
that in every age and Dispensation, whenever the invisible Essence was
revealed in the person of His Manifestation, certain souls, obscure and
detached from all worldly entanglements, would seek illumination from the
Sun of Prophethood and Moon of divine guidance, and would attain unto the
divine Presence. For this reason, the divines of the age and those
possessed of wealth, would scorn and scoff at these people. Even as He
hath revealed concerning them that erred: "Then said the chiefs of His
people who believed not, 'We see in Thee but a man like ourselves; and we
see not any who have followed Thee except our meanest ones of hasty
judgment, nor see we any excellence in you above ourselves: nay, we deem
you liars.'"(172) They caviled at those holy Manifestations, and protested
saying: "None hath followed you except the abject amongst us, those who
are worthy of no attention." Their aim was to show that no one amongst the
learned, the wealthy, and the renowned believed in them. By this and
similar proofs they sought to demonstrate the falsity of Him that speaketh
naught but the truth.
In this most resplendent Dispensation, however, this most mighty
Sovereignty, a number of illumined divines, of men of consummate learning,
of doctors of mature wisdom, have attained unto His Court, drunk the cup
of His divine Presence, and been invested with the honour of His most
excellent favour. They have renounced, for the sake of the Beloved, the
world and all that is therein. We will mention the names of some of them,
that perchance it may strengthen the faint-hearted, and encourage the
timorous.
Among them was Mulla Husayn, who became the recipient of the effulgent
glory of the Sun of divine Revelation. But for him, God would not have
been established upon the seat of His mercy, nor ascended the throne of
eternal glory. Among them also was Siyyid Yahya, that unique and peerless
figure of his age,
Mulla Muhammad 'Aliy-i-Zanjani
Mulla 'Aliy-i-Bastami
Mulla Sa'id-i-Barfuru_Sh_i
Mulla Ni'matu'llah-i-Mazindarani
Mulla Yusuf-i-Ardibili
Mulla Mihdiy-i-_Kh_u'i
Siyyid Husayn-i-Tur_Sh_izi
Mulla Mihdiy-i-Kandi
Mulla Baqir
Mulla 'Abdu'l-_Kh_aliq-i-Yazdi
Mulla 'Aliy-i-Baraqani
and others, well nigh four hundred in number, whose names are all
inscribed upon the "Guarded Tablet" of God.
All these were guided by the light of that Sun of divine Revelation,
confessed and acknowledged His truth. Such was their faith, that most of
them renounced their substance and kindred, and cleaved to the
good-pleasure of the All-Glorious. They laid down their lives for their
Well-Beloved, and surrendered their all in His path. Their breasts were
made targets for the darts of the enemy, and their heads adorned the
spears of the infidel. No land remained which did not drink the blood of
these embodiments of detachment, and no sword that did not bruise their
necks. Their deeds, alone, testify to the truth of their words. Doth not
the testimony of these holy souls, who have so gloriously risen to offer
up their lives for their Beloved that the whole world marvelled at the
manner of their sacrifice, suffice the people of this day? Is it not
sufficient witness against the faithlessness of those who for a trifle
betrayed their faith, who bartered away immortality for that which
perisheth, who gave up the Kawthar of the divine Presence for salty
springs, and whose one aim in life is to usurp the property of others?
Even as thou dost witness how all of them have busied themselves with the
vanities of the world, and have strayed far from Him Who is the Lord, the
Most High.
Be fair: Is the testimony of those acceptable and worthy of attention
whose deeds agree with their words, whose outward behaviour conforms with
their inner life? The mind is bewildered at their deeds, and the soul
marvelleth at their fortitude and bodily endurance. Or is the testimony of
these faithless souls who breathe naught but the breath of selfish desire,
and who lie imprisoned in the cage of their idle fancies, acceptable? Like
the bats of darkness, they lift not their heads from their couch except to
pursue the transient things of the world, and find no rest by night except
as they labour to advance the aims of their sordid life. Immersed in their
selfish schemes, they are oblivious of the divine Decree. In the day-time
they strive with all their soul after worldly benefits, and in the
night-season their sole occupation is to gratify their carnal desires. By
what law or standard could men be justified in cleaving to the denials of
such petty-minded souls, and in ignoring the faith of them that have
renounced, for the sake of the good-pleasure of God, their life, and
substance, their fame and renown, their reputation and honour?
Were not the happenings of the life of the "Prince of Martyrs"(173)
regarded as the greatest of all events, as the supreme evidence of his
truth? Did not the people of old declare those happenings to be
unprecedented? Did they not maintain that no manifestation of truth hath
ever evinced such constancy, such conspicuous glory? And yet, that episode
of his life, commencing as it did in the morning, was brought to a close
by the middle of the same day, whereas, these holy lights have, for
eighteen years, heroically endured the showers of afflictions which, from
every side, have rained upon them. With what love, what devotion, what
exultation and holy rapture, they sacrificed their lives in the path of
the All-Glorious! To the truth of this all witness. And yet, how can they
belittle this Revelation? Hath any age witnessed such momentous
happenings? If these companions be not the true strivers after God, who
else could be called by this name? Have these companions been seekers
after power or glory? Have they ever yearned for riches? Have they
cherished any desire except the good-pleasure of God? If these companions,
with all their marvellous testimonies and wondrous works, be false, who
then is worthy to claim for himself the truth? I swear by God! Their very
deeds are a sufficient testimony, and an irrefutable proof unto all the
peoples of the earth, were men to ponder in their hearts the mysteries of
divine Revelation. "And they who act unjustly shall soon know what lot
awaiteth them!"(174)
Furthermore, the sign of truth and falsehood is designated and appointed
in the Book. By this divinely-appointed touchstone, the claims and
pretensions of all men must needs be assayed, so that the truthful may be
known and distinguished from the imposter. This touchstone is no other
than this verse: "Wish for death, if ye are men of truth."(175) Consider
these martyrs of unquestionable sincerity, to whose truthfulness
testifieth the explicit text of the Book, and all of whom, as thou hast
witnessed, have sacrificed their life, their substance, their wives, their
children, their all, and ascended unto the loftiest chambers of Paradise.
Is it fair to reject the testimony of these detached and exalted beings to
the truth of this pre-eminent and glorious Revelation and to regard as
acceptable the denunciations which have been uttered against this
resplendent Light by this faithless people, who for gold have forsaken
their faith, and who for the sake of leadership have repudiated Him Who is
the First Leader of all mankind? This, although their character is now
revealed unto all people who have recognized them as those who will in no
wise relinquish one jot or one tittle of their temporal authority for the
sake of God's holy Faith, how much less their life, their substance, and
the like.
Behold how the divine Touchstone hath, according to the explicit text of
the Book, separated and distinguished the true from the false.
Notwithstanding, they are still oblivious of this truth, and in the sleep
of heedlessness, are pursuing the vanities of the world, and are occupied
with thoughts of vain and earthly leadership.
"O Son of Man! Many a day hath passed over thee whilst thou hast busied
thyself with thy fancies and idle imaginings. How long art thou to slumber
on thy bed? Lift up thine head from slumber, for the Sun hath risen to the
zenith; haply it may shine upon thee with the light of beauty."
Let it be known, however, that none of these doctors and divines to whom
we have referred was invested with the rank and dignity of leadership. For
well-known and influential leaders of religion, who occupy the seats of
authority and exercise the functions of leadership, can in no wise bear
allegiance to the Revealer of truth, except whomsoever thy Lord willeth.
But for a few, such things have never come to pass. "And few of My
servants are the thankful."(176) Even as in this Dispensation, not one
amongst the renowned divines, in the grasp of whose authority were held
the reins of the people, hath embraced the Faith. Nay, they have striven
against it with such animosity and determination that no ear hath heard
and no eye hath seen the like.
The Bab, the Lord, the most exalted--may the life of all be a sacrifice
unto Him,--hath specifically revealed an Epistle unto the divines of every
city, wherein He hath fully set forth the character of the denial and
repudiation of each of them. "Wherefore, take ye good heed ye who are men
of insight!"(177) By His references to their opposition He intended to
invalidate the objections which the people of the Bayan might raise in the
day of the manifestation of "Mustaghath,"(178) the day of the Latter
Resurrection, claiming that, whereas in the Dispensation of the Bayan a
number of divines have embraced the Faith, in this latter Revelation none
of these hath recognized His claim. His purpose was to warn the people
lest, God forbid, they cling to such foolish thoughts and deprive
themselves of the divine Beauty. Yea, these divines to whom We have
referred, were mostly unrenowned, and, by the grace of God they were all
purged of earthly vanities and free from the trappings of leadership.
"Such is the bounty of God; to whom He will He giveth it."
Another proof and evidence of the truth of this Revelation, which amongst
all other proofs shineth as the sun, is the constancy of the eternal
Beauty in proclaiming the Faith of God. Though young and tender of age,
and though the Cause He revealed was contrary to the desire of all the
peoples of earth, both high and low, rich and poor, exalted and abased,
king and subject, yet He arose and steadfastly proclaimed it. All have
known and heard this. He was afraid of no one; He was regardless of
consequences. Could such a thing be made manifest except through the power
of a divine Revelation, and the potency of God's invincible Will? By the
righteousness of God! Were any one to entertain so great a Revelation in
his heart, the thought of such a declaration would alone confound him!
Were the hearts of all men to be crowded into his heart, he would still
hesitate to venture upon so awful an enterprise. He could achieve it only
by the permission of God, only if the channel of his heart were to be
linked with the Source of divine grace, and his soul be assured of the
unfailing sustenance of the Almighty. To what, We wonder, do they ascribe
so great a daring? Do they accuse Him of folly as they accused the
Prophets of old? Or do they maintain that His motive was none other than
leadership and the acquisition of earthly riches?
Gracious God! In His Book, which He hath entitled "Qayyumu'l-Asma,"--the
first, the greatest and mightiest of all books--He prophesied His own
martyrdom. In it is this passage: "O thou Remnant of God! I have
sacrificed myself wholly for Thee; I have accepted curses for Thy sake;
and have yearned for naught but martyrdom in the path of Thy love.
Sufficient Witness unto me is God, the Exalted, the Protector, the Ancient
of Days!"
Likewise, in His interpretation of the letter "Ha," He craved martyrdom,
saying: "Methinks I heard a Voice calling in my inmost being: 'Do thou
sacrifice the thing which Thou lovest most in the path of God, even as
Husayn, peace be upon him, hath offered up his life for My sake.' And were
I not regardful of this inevitable mystery, by Him, Who hath my being
between His hands even if all the kings of the earth were to be leagued
together they would be powerless to take from me a single letter, how much
less can these servants who are worthy of no attention, and who verily are
of the outcast... That all may know the degree of My patience, My
resignation, and self-sacrifice in the path of God."
Could the Revealer of such utterance be regarded as walking any way but
the way of God, and as having yearned for aught else except His
good-pleasure? In this very verse there lieth concealed a breath of
detachment, which if it were to be breathed full upon the world, all
beings would renounce their lives, and sacrifice their souls. Reflect upon
the villainous behaviour of this generation, and witness their astounding
ingratitude. Observe how they have closed their eyes to all this glory,
and are abjectly pursuing those foul carcasses from whose bellies
ascendeth the cry of the swallowed substance of the faithful. And yet,
what unseemly calumnies they have hurled against those Daysprings of
Holiness? Thus do We recount unto thee that which the hands of the
infidels have wrought, they who, in the Day of Resurrection, have turned
their face away from the divine Presence, whom God hath tormented with the
fire of their own misbelief, and for whom He hath prepared in the world to
come a chastisement which shall devour both their bodies and souls. For
these have said: "God is powerless, and His hand of mercy is fettered."
Steadfastness in the Faith is a sure testimony, and a glorious evidence of
the truth. Even as the "Seal of the Prophets" hath said: "Two verses have
made Me old." Both these verses are indicative of constancy in the Cause
of God. Even as He saith: "Be thou steadfast as thou hast been
bidden."(179)
And now consider how this Sadrih of the Ridvan of God hath, in the prime
of youth, risen to proclaim the Cause of God. Behold what steadfastness
that Beauty of God hath revealed. The whole world rose to hinder Him, yet
it utterly failed. The more severe the persecution they inflicted on that
Sadrih of Blessedness, the more His fervour increased, and the brighter
burned the flame of His love. All this is evident, and none disputeth its
truth. Finally, He surrendered His soul, and winged His flight unto the
realms above.