incomparable Friend. The Word of God may be likened unto a sapling, whose
roots have been implanted in the hearts of men. It is incumbent upon you
to foster its growth through the living waters of wisdom, of sanctified
and holy words, so that its root may become firmly fixed and its branches
may spread out as high as the heavens and beyond.
O ye that dwell on earth! The distinguishing feature that marketh the
pre-eminent character of this Supreme Revelation consisteth in that We
have, on the one hand, blotted out from the pages of God's holy Book
whatsoever hath been the cause of strife, of malice and mischief amongst
the children of men, and have, on the other, laid down the essential
prerequisites of concord, of understanding, of complete and enduring
unity. Well is it with them that keep My statutes.
Time and again have We admonished Our beloved ones to avoid, nay to flee
from, anything whatsoever from which the odour of mischief can be
detected. The world is in great turmoil, and the minds of its people are
in a state of utter confusion. We entreat the Almighty that He may
graciously illuminate them with the glory of His Justice, and enable them
to discover that which will be profitable unto them at all times and under
all conditions. He, verily is the All-Possessing, the Most High.
We have ere this uttered these sublime words: Let them that bear
allegiance to this Wronged One be even as a raining cloud in moments of
charity and benevolence and as a blazing fire in restraining their base
and appetitive natures.
Gracious God! A thing hath recently happened which caused great
astonishment. It is reported that a certain person(24) went to the seat of
the imperial throne in Persia and succeeded in winning the good graces of
some of the nobility by his ingratiating behaviour. How pitiful indeed,
how deplorable! One wondereth why those who have been the symbols of
highest glory should now stoop to boundless shame. What is become of their
high resolve? Whither is gone the sense of dignity and honour? The sun of
glory and wisdom hath unceasingly been shining above the horizon of
Persia, but nowadays it hath sunk to such a low level that certain
dignitaries have allowed themselves to be treated as playthings in the
hands of the foolish. The aforesaid person hath written such things
concerning this people in the Egyptian press and in the Beirut
Encyclopedia that the well-informed and the learned were astonished. He
proceeded then to Paris where he published a newspaper entitled
Urvatu'l-Vuthqa [The Sure Handle] and sent copies thereof to all parts of
the world. He also sent a copy to the Prison of Akka, and by so doing he
meant to show affection and to make amends for his past actions. In short,
this Wronged One hath observed silence in regard to him. We entreat God,
the True One, to protect him and to shed upon him the light of justice and
fairness. It behoveth him to say:
O God my God! Thou seest me standing before the door of Thy forgiveness
and benevolence, turning my gaze toward the horizon of Thy bountiful
favours and manifold blessings. I beg of Thee by Thy sweet accents and by
the shrill voice of Thy Pen, O Lord of all mankind, to graciously aid Thy
servants as it befitteth Thy days and beseemeth the glory of Thy
manifestation and Thy majesty. Verily potent art Thou to do whatsoever
Thou willest. All they that dwell in the heavens and on the earth bear
witness to Thy power and Thy might, to Thy glory and Thy bounteousness.
Praise be to Thee, O Lord of the worlds and the Well-Beloved of the heart
of every man of understanding!
Thou beholdest, O my God, the essence of poverty seeking the ocean of Thy
wealth and the substance of iniquity yearning for the waters of Thy
forgiveness and Thy tender mercy. Grant Thou, O my God, that which
beseemeth Thy great glory and befitteth the loftiness of Thy boundless
grace. Thou art in truth the All-Bountiful, the Lord of grace abounding,
the Ordainer, the All-Wise. No God is there but Thee, the Most Powerful,
the All-Compelling, the Omnipotent.
O people of God! In this day everyone should fix his eyes upon the horizon
of these blessed words: 'Alone and unaided He doeth whatsoever He
pleaseth.' Whoso attaineth this station hath verily attained the light of
the essential unity of God and is enlightened thereby, while all others
are reckoned in the Book of God among the followers of idle fancy and vain
imagination. Incline your ears to the Voice of this Wronged One and
safeguard the integrity of your stations. It is highly necessary and
imperative that everyone should observe this matter.
Unveiled and unconcealed, this Wronged One hath, at all times, proclaimed
before the face of all the peoples of the world that which will serve as
the key for unlocking the doors of sciences, of arts, of knowledge, of
well-being, of prosperity and wealth. Neither have the wrongs inflicted by
the oppressors succeeded in silencing the shrill voice of the Most Exalted
Pen, nor have the doubts of the perverse or of the seditious been able to
hinder Him from revealing the Most Sublime Word. I earnestly beseech God
that He may protect and purge the people of Baha from the idle fancies and
corrupt imaginings of the followers of the former Faith.
O people of God! Righteous men of learning who dedicate themselves to the
guidance of others and are freed and well guarded from the promptings of a
base and covetous nature are, in the sight of Him Who is the Desire of the
world, stars of the heaven of true knowledge. It is essential to treat
them with deference. They are indeed fountains of soft-flowing water,
stars that shine resplendent, fruits of the blessed Tree, exponents of
celestial power, and oceans of heavenly wisdom. Happy is he that followeth
them. Verily such a soul is numbered in the Book of God, the Lord of the
mighty Throne, among those with whom it shall be well.
The glory which proceedeth from God, the Lord of the Throne on High and of
the earth below, rest upon you, O people of Baha, O ye the companions of
the Crimson Ark, and upon such as have inclined their ears to your sweet
voices and have observed that whereunto they are bidden in this mighty and
wondrous Tablet.
ISHRAQAT (SPLENDOURS)
This is the Epistle of God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting
He is God, exalted is He, the Lord of wisdom and utterance.
PRAISE be unto God, incomparable in majesty, power and beauty, peerless in
glory, might and grandeur; too high is He for human imaginations to
comprehend Him or for any peer or equal to be ascribed unto Him. He hath
clearly set forth His straight Path in words and utterances of highest
eloquence. Verily He is the All-Possessing, the Most Exalted. When He
purposed to call the new creation into being, He sent forth the Manifest
and Luminous Point from the horizon of His Will; it passed through every
sign and manifested itself in every form until it reached the zenith, as
bidden by God, the Lord of all men.
This Point is the focal centre of the circle of Names and marketh the
culmination of the manifestations of Letters in the world of creation.
Through it have appeared indications of the impenetrable Mystery, the
adorned Symbol, He Who standeth revealed in the Most Great Name--a Name
which is recorded in the luminous Tablet and is inscribed in the holy, the
blessed, the snow-white Scroll. And when the Point was joined to the
second Letter(25) which appeareth in the beginning of the Mathani,(26) it
traversed the heavens of exposition and utterance. Then the eternal Light
of God shed its radiance, flared up in the midmost heart of the firmament
of testimony and produced two Luminaries. Glorified be the Merciful One,
unto Whom no allusion can be made, Whom no expression can define, nor any
assertion reveal, nor any evidence describe. He is in truth the Ordainer,
the All-Bountiful, both in the beginning and in the end. And He provided
for them protectors and defenders from among the hosts of power and might.
Verily, He is the Help in Peril, the Mighty, the Unconstrained.
The preamble of this Epistle is being revealed twice, even as was the
Mathani(27)
Praise be unto God Who hath manifested the Point, hath unfolded therefrom
the knowledge of all things, whether of the past or of the future--a Point
He hath chosen to be the Herald of His Name and the Harbinger of His Great
Revelation which hath caused the limbs of all mankind to quake and the
splendour of His light to shine forth above the horizon of the world.
Verily, this is the Point which God hath ordained to be an ocean of light
for the sincere among His servants and a flame of fire to the froward
amidst His creatures and the impious among His people--they who bartered
away the gift of God for unbelief, and the celestial food for hypocrisy,
and led their associates to a wretched abode. These are the people who
have manifested sedition throughout the world and have violated His
Covenant on the Day when the immortal Being mounted His throne and the
Crier raised His Voice from the haven of security and peace in the holy
Vale.
O followers of the Bayan! Fear ye the All-Merciful. This is the One Who
hath been glorified by Muhammad, the Apostle of God, and before Him by the
Spirit(28) and yet before Him by the One Who discoursed with God.(29) This
is the Point of the Bayan calling aloud before the Throne, saying: 'By the
righteousness of God, ye have been created to glorify this Most Great
Announcement, this Perfect Way which lay hid within the souls of the
Prophets, which was treasured in the hearts of the chosen ones of God and
was written down by the glorious Pen of your Lord, the Possessor of
Names.'
Say: Die in your wrath, O malicious ones! Verily He Whose knowledge
nothing escapeth hath appeared. He Who hath caused the countenance of
divine knowledge to be wreathed in smiles is come. Through Him the kingdom
of utterance is embellished, every receptive soul hath set his face
towards the Lord of Revelations, everyone resting on his knees hath stood
up, and every indolent one hath rushed forth to attain the Sinai of
assurance. This is the Day that God hath ordained to be a blessing unto
the righteous, a retribution for the wicked, a bounty for the faithful and
a fury of His wrath for the faithless and the froward. Verily He hath been
made manifest, invested by God with invincible sovereignty. He hath
revealed that wherewith naught on the earth or in the heavens can compare.
Fear ye the All-Merciful, O people of the Bayan, and commit not that which
the followers of the Qur'an have committed--they who in the daytime and in
the night season professed belief in the Faith of God, yet when the Lord
of all men did appear, turned aside from Him and pronounced so cruel a
sentence against Him that, on the Day of Return, the Mother Book sorely
bewailed His plight. Call ye to mind and ponder upon their deeds and
words, their stations and merits and the things they brought to pass when
He Who conversed on Sinai unloosed His tongue, when there was a blast on
the Trumpet, whereupon all that are in heaven and on earth swooned away
except such as are reckoned among the letters of affirmation.
O people of the Bayan! Abandon your idle fancies and vain imaginings, then
with the eye of fairness look at the Dayspring of His Revelation and
consider the things He hath manifested, the words He hath divinely
revealed and the sufferings that have befallen Him at the hands of His
enemies. He is the One Who hath willingly accepted every manner of
tribulation for the proclamation of His Cause and the exaltation of His
Word. At one time He suffered imprisonment in the land of Ta (Tihran), at
another in the land of Mim (Mazindaran), then once again in the former
land, for the sake of the Cause of God, the Maker of the heavens. In His
love for the Cause of God, the Almighty, the All-Bountiful, He was
subjected there to chains and fetters.
O people of the Bayan! Have ye forgotten My exhortations, which My Pen
hath revealed and My tongue hath uttered? Have ye bartered away My
certitude in exchange for your idle fancies and My Way for your selfish
desires? Have ye cast away the precepts of God and His remembrance and
have ye forsaken His laws and ordinances? Fear ye God and abandon vain
imaginings to the begetters thereof and leave superstitions to the
devisers thereof and misgivings to the breeders thereof. Advance ye then
with radiant faces and stainless hearts towards the horizon above which
the Day-Star of certitude shineth resplendent at the bidding of God, the
Lord of Revelations.
Praise be unto God Who hath made the Most Great Infallibility the shield
for the temple of His Cause in the realm of creation, and hath assigned
unto no one a share of this lofty and sublime station--a station which is a
vesture which the fingers of transcendent power have woven for His august
Self. It befitteth no one except Him Who is seated upon the mighty throne
of 'He doeth what He pleaseth'. Whoso accepteth and recognizeth that which
is written down at this moment by the Pen of Glory is indeed reckoned in
the Book of God, the Lord of the beginning and the end, among the
exponents of divine unity, they that uphold the concept of the oneness of
God.
When the stream of words reached this stage, the sweet savours of true
knowledge were shed abroad and the day-star of divine unity shone forth
above the horizon of His holy utterance. Blessed is he whom His Call hath
attracted to the summit of glory, who hath drawn nigh to the ultimate
Purpose, and who hath recognized through the shrill voice of My Pen of
Glory that which the Lord of this world and of the next hath willed. Whoso
faileth to quaff the choice wine which We have unsealed through the
potency of Our Name, the All-Compelling, shall be unable to discern the
splendours of the light of divine unity or to grasp the essential purpose
underlying the Scriptures of God, the Lord of heaven and earth, the
sovereign Ruler of this world and of the world to come. Such a man shall
be accounted among the faithless in the Book of God, the All-Knowing, the
All-Informed.
O thou honoured enquirer!(30) We bear witness that thou didst firmly
adhere unto seemly patience during the days when the Pen was held back
from movement and the Tongue hesitated to set forth an explanation
regarding the wondrous sign, the Most Great Infallibility. Thou hast asked
this Wronged One to remove for thee its veils and coverings, to elucidate
its mystery and character, its state and position, its excellence,
sublimity and exaltation. By the life of God! Were We to unveil the pearls
of testimony which lie hid within the shells of the ocean of knowledge and
assurance or to let the beauties of divine mystery which are hidden within
the chambers of utterance in the Paradise of true understanding, step out
of their habitation, then from every direction violent commotion would
arise among the leaders of religion and thou wouldst witness the people of
God held fast in the teeth of such wolves as have denied God both in the
beginning and in the end. Therefore We restrained the Pen for a
considerable lapse of time in accordance with divine wisdom and for the
sake of protecting the faithful from those who have bartered away heavenly
blessings for disbelief and have chosen for their people the abode of
perdition.(31)
O thou seeker who art gifted with keen insight. I swear by Him Who
attracted the Concourse on High through the potency of His most sublime
Word! Verily, the birds abiding within the domains of My Kingdom and the
doves dwelling in the rose-garden of My wisdom utter such melodies and
warblings as are inscrutable to all but God, the Lord of the kingdoms of
earth and heaven; and were these melodies to be revealed even to an extent
smaller than a needle's eye, the people of tyranny would utter such
calumnies as none among former generations hath ever uttered, and would
commit such deeds as no one in past ages and centuries hath ever
committed. They have rejected the bounty of God and His proofs and have
repudiated the testimony of God and His signs. They have gone astray and
have caused the people to go astray, yet perceive it not. They worship
vain imaginings but know it not. They have taken idle fancies for their
lords and have neglected God, yet understand not. They have abandoned the
most great Ocean and are hastening towards the pool, but comprehend not.
They follow their own idle fancies while turning aside from God, the Help
in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
Say, by the righteousness of God! The All-Merciful is come invested with
power and sovereignty. Through His power the foundations of religions have
quaked and the Nightingale of Utterance hath warbled its melody upon the
highest branch of true understanding. Verily, He Who was hidden in the
knowledge of God and is mentioned in the Holy Scriptures hath appeared.
Say, this is the Day when the Speaker on Sinai hath mounted the throne of
Revelation and the people have stood before the Lord of the worlds. This
is the Day wherein the earth hath told out her tidings and hath laid bare
her treasures; when the oceans have brought forth their pearls and the
divine Lote-Tree its fruit; when the Sun hath shed its radiance and the
Moons have diffused their lights, and the Heavens have revealed their
stars, and the Hour its signs, and the Resurrection its dreadful majesty;
when the pens have unloosed their outpourings and the spirits have laid
bare their mysteries. Blessed is the man who recognizeth Him and attaineth
His presence, and woe betide such as deny Him and turn aside from Him. I
beseech God to aid His servants to return unto Him. Verily He is the
Pardoner, the Forgiving, the Merciful.
O thou who hast set thy face towards the Realm on High and hast quaffed My
sealed wine from the hand of bounteousness! Know thou that the term
'Infallibility' hath numerous meanings and divers stations. In one sense
it is applicable to the One Whom God hath made immune from error.
Similarly it is applied to every soul whom God hath guarded against sin,
transgression, rebellion, impiety, disbelief and the like. However, the
Most Great Infallibility is confined to the One Whose station is
immeasurably exalted beyond ordinances or prohibitions and is sanctified
from errors and omissions. Indeed He is a Light which is not followed by
darkness and a Truth not overtaken by error. Were He to pronounce water to
be wine or heaven to be earth or light to be fire, He speaketh the truth
and no doubt would there be about it; and unto no one is given the right
to question His authority or to say why or wherefore. Whosoever raiseth
objections will be numbered with the froward in the Book of God, the Lord
of the worlds. 'Verily He shall not be asked of His doings but all others
shall be asked of their doings.'(32) He is come from the invisible heaven,
bearing the banner 'He doeth whatsoever He willeth' and is accompanied by
hosts of power and authority while it is the duty of all besides Him to
strictly observe whatever laws and ordinances have been enjoined upon
them, and should anyone deviate therefrom, even to the extent of a hair's
breadth, his work would be brought to naught.
Consider thou and call to mind the time when Muhammad appeared. He said,
and His word is the truth: 'Pilgrimage to the House(33) is a service due
to God.'(34) And likewise are the daily prayer, fasting, and the laws
which shone forth above the horizon of the Book of God, the Lord of the
World and the true Educator of the peoples and kindreds of the earth. It
is incumbent upon everyone to obey Him in whatsoever God hath ordained;
and whosoever denieth Him hath disbelieved in God, in His verses, in His
Messengers and in His Books. Were He to pronounce right to be wrong or
denial to be belief, He speaketh the truth as bidden by God. This is a
station wherein sins or trespasses neither exist nor are mentioned.
Consider thou the blessed, the divinely-revealed verse in which pilgrimage
to the House is enjoined upon everyone. It devolved upon those invested
with authority after Him(35) to observe whatever had been prescribed unto
them in the Book. Unto no one is given the right to deviate from the laws
and ordinances of God. Whoso deviateth therefrom is reckoned with the
trespassers in the Book of God, the Lord of the Mighty Throne.
O thou who hast fixed thy gaze upon the Dawning-Place of the Cause of God!
Know thou for a certainty that the Will of God is not limited by the
standards of the people, and God doth not tread in their ways. Rather is
it incumbent upon everyone to firmly adhere to God's straight Path. Were
He to pronounce the right to be the left or the south to be the north, He
speaketh the truth and there is no doubt of it. Verily He is to be praised
in His acts and to be obeyed in His behests. He hath no associate in His
judgement nor any helper in His sovereignty. He doeth whatsoever He
willeth and ordaineth whatsoever He pleaseth. Know thou moreover that all
else besides Him have been created through the potency of a word from His
presence, while of themselves they have no motion nor stillness, except at
His bidding and by His leave.
O thou who soarest in the atmosphere of love and fellowship and hast fixed
thy gaze upon the light of the countenance of thy Lord, the King of
creation! Render thanks unto God, inasmuch as He hath unravelled for thee
that which was hidden and enshrined in His knowledge so that everyone may
become aware that within His realm of supreme infallibility He hath not
taken a partner nor a counsellor unto Himself. He is in truth the
Dayspring of divine precepts and commandments and the Fountainhead of
knowledge and wisdom, while all else besides Him are but His subjects and
under His rule, and He is the supreme Ruler, the Ordainer, the
All-Knowing, the All-Informed.
As to thyself, whenever thou art enraptured by the vitalizing breaths of
the revealed verses and art carried away by the pure, life-giving water
proffered by the hand of the bounty of thy Lord, the sovereign Ruler of
the Day of Resurrection, lift up thy voice and say:
O my God! O my God! I yield Thee thanks that Thou hast directed me towards
Thyself, hast guided me unto Thy horizon, hast clearly set forth for me
Thy Path, hast revealed to me Thy testimony and enabled me to set my face
towards Thee, while most of the doctors and divines among Thy servants
together with such as follow them have, without the least proof or
evidence from Thee, turned away from Thee. Blessing be unto Thee, O Lord
of Names, and glory be unto Thee, O Creator of the heavens, inasmuch as
Thou hast, through the power of Thy Name, the Self-Subsisting, given me to
drink of Thy sealed wine, hast caused me to draw nigh unto Thee and hast
enabled me to recognize the Dayspring of Thine utterance, the
Manifestation of Thy signs, the Fountainhead of Thy laws and commandments
and the Source of Thy wisdom and bestowals. Blessed is the land that hath
been ennobled by Thy footsteps, wherein the throne of Thy sovereignty is
established and the fragrance of Thy raiment is diffused. By Thy glory and
majesty, by Thy might and power, I desire not my sight save to behold Thy
beauty, nor my hearing save to hearken to Thy call and Thy verses.
O my God! O my God! Debar not the eyes from that for which Thou hast
created them, nor the faces from turning to Thy horizon, or from paying
homage at the portals of Thy majesty, or from appearing in the presence of
Thy throne, or from bowing down before the splendours of the Day-Star of
Thy bounty.