God, for if it were His wish He could cause a mere atom to be transformed
into a sun and a single drop into an ocean. He unlocketh thousands of
doors, while man is incapable of conceiving even a single one.
So heedless is this servant that with words such as these he seeketh to
vindicate the supreme power of God--exalted be His glory. I implore pardon
of God, the Most Great, for these assertions and affirm that this servant
at all times recognizeth his grievous trespasses and misdeeds. He
entreateth remission of his sins from the ocean of the forgiveness of his
Lord, the Most Exalted, and beggeth for that which will make him wholly
devoted to God and enable him to utter His praise, turn himself toward Him
and to put his whole trust in Him. Verily He is the Potent, the Forgiving,
the Merciful. Praised be God, the Almighty, the All-Knowing.
This lowly one hath read the descriptions of the dialogue with the
traveller which thou hast recounted in thy letter to my Lord, may my life
be offered up for His sake. The explanations which were set forth awaken
the people from the slumber of heedlessness. Indeed the actions of man
himself breed a profusion of satanic power. For were men to abide by and
observe the divine teachings, every trace of evil would be banished from
the face of the earth. However, the widespread differences that exist
among mankind and the prevalence of sedition, contention, conflict and the
like are the primary factors which provoke the appearance of the satanic
spirit. Yet the Holy Spirit hath ever shunned such matters. A world in
which naught can be perceived save strife, quarrels and corruption is
bound to become the seat of the throne, the very metropolis, of Satan.
How vast the number of the loved and chosen ones of God who have lamented
and moaned by day and by night that haply a sweet and fragrant breeze
might blow from the court of His good-pleasure and dispel altogether the
loathsome and foul-smelling odours from the world. However, this ultimate
goal could not be attained, and men were deprived thereof by virtue of
their evil deeds, which brought upon them the retribution of God, in
accordance with the basic principles of His divine rule. Ours is the duty
to remain patient in these circumstances until relief be forthcoming from
God, the Forgiving, the Bountiful.
Magnified be Thy Name, O Lord of all beings and Desire of all created
things! I beseech Thee, by the Word which hath caused the Burning Bush to
lift up its Voice and the Rock to cry out, whereby the well-favoured have
hastened to attain the court of Thy presence and the pure in heart the
dayspring of the light of Thy countenance, and by the sighing of Thy true
lovers in their separation from Thy chosen ones and by the lamentation of
them that long to behold Thy face before the dawning splendour of the
light of Thy Revelation, to graciously enable Thy servants to recognize
what Thou hast ordained for them by Thy bounty and Thy grace. Prescribe
for them then through Thy Pen of Glory that which will direct their steps
to the ocean of Thy generosity and will lead them unto the living waters
of Thy heavenly reunion.
O Lord! Look not at the things they have wrought, rather look unto the
loftiness of Thy celestial bounty which hath preceded all created things,
visible and invisible. O Lord! Illumine their hearts with the effulgent
light of Thy knowledge and brighten their eyes with the shining splendour
of the day-star of Thy favours.
I entreat Thee, O Lord of Names and Creator of the heavens, by the blood
spilt in Thy Path, and by the heads carried aloft on spears for the sake
of Thy love, and by the souls that have melted in their separation from
Thy loved ones, and by the hearts broken for the exaltation of Thy Word,
to grant that the dwellers of Thy realm may unite together in their
allegiance to Thine incomparable Word so that they may all acknowledge Thy
unity and Thy oneness. There is no God but Thee, the Omnipotent, the Most
Exalted, the Knowing, the Wise.
I fain would hope that He Who is the All-Sufficing, the Inaccessible, may
heed the solicitation of this lowly servant, may attire the people of the
world with the raiment of goodly deeds and purge them from evil
inclinations. He is the Mighty, the Powerful, the All-Wise, the
All-Perceiving. He heareth and seeth; He is the All-Hearing, the
All-Seeing.
SURIY-I-VAFA(60) (TABLET TO VAFA)
He is the All-Knowing
O VAFA! Render thanks unto thy Lord for having aided thee to embrace His
Cause, enabled thee to recognize the Manifestation of His Own Self and
raised thee up to magnify Him Who is the Most Great Remembrance in this
glorious Announcement.
Blessed art thou O Vafa, inasmuch as thou hast been faithful to the
Covenant of God and His Testament at a time when all men have violated it
and have repudiated the One in Whom they had believed, and this
notwithstanding that He hath appeared invested with every testimony, and
hath dawned from the horizon of Revelation clothed with undoubted
sovereignty.
It behoveth thee, however, to exert thine utmost to attain the very
essence of fidelity. This implieth to be well assured in thy heart and to
testify with thy tongue to that whereunto God hath testified for His Own
exalted Self, proclaiming: 'Verily, self-subsisting am I within the Realm
of Glory.' Whoso is enabled in these days to solemnly affirm this truth,
hath attained unto all good, and the heavenly Spirit shall descend upon
him in the daytime and in the night season, shall graciously assist him to
glorify the Name of his Lord and suffer him to unloose his tongue and
uphold with his words the Cause of his Lord, the Merciful, the
Compassionate. And none can ever achieve this except he who hath purged
his heart from whatsoever is created between heaven and earth, and hath
entirely detached himself from all but God, the sovereign Lord, the
Almighty, the Gracious.
Arise thou to serve the Cause and say: I swear by the righteousness of
God! Verily this is the Primal Point, arrayed in His new attire and
manifested in His glorious Name. He at present beholdeth everything from
this Horizon. Indeed He is supreme over all things. Amongst the Concourse
on High He is known as the Most Great Announcement and in the Realms of
Eternity as the Ancient Beauty, and before the Throne by this Name(61)
which hath caused the footsteps of them that are endued with understanding
to slip.
Say, I swear by God! In this Revelation even before a single verse was
sent down from the realm of holiness and sublimity, the supreme testimony
of God had been fulfilled for all the inmates of heaven and the dwellers
on earth; moreover, We have revealed the equivalent of whatsoever was sent
down in the Dispensation of the Bayan. Fear ye God and suffer not your
deeds to be rendered vain and be not of them that are sunk in
heedlessness. Open your eyes that ye may behold the Ancient Beauty from
this shining and luminous station.
Say, God is my witness! The Promised One Himself hath come down from
heaven, seated upon the crimson cloud with the hosts of revelation on His
right, and the angels of inspiration on His left, and the Decree hath been
fulfilled at the behest of God, the Omnipotent, the Almighty. Thereupon
the footsteps of everyone have slipped except such as God hath protected
through His tender mercy and numbered with those who have recognized Him
through His Own Self and detached themselves from all that pertaineth to
the world.
Hearken thou unto the Words of thy Lord and purify thy heart from every
illusion so that the effulgent light of the remembrance of thy Lord may
shed its radiance upon it, and it may attain the station of certitude.
Know thou moreover that thy letter reached Our presence and We perceived
and perused its contents. We noted the questions thou hast asked and will
readily answer thee. It behoveth everyone in this Day to ask God that
which he desireth, and thy Lord will heed his petition with wondrous and
undeniable verses.
Thou hast asked regarding the subject of the return. Know thou that the
end is like unto the beginning. Even as thou dost consider the beginning,
similarly shouldst thou consider the end, and be of them that truly
perceive. Nay, rather consider the beginning as the end itself, and so
conversely, that thou mayest acquire a clear perception. Know thou
moreover that every created thing is continually brought forth and
returned at the bidding of thy Lord, the God of power and might.
As to the Return, as God hath purposed in His sacred and exalted Tablets
wherein He hath made this theme known unto His servants; by this is meant
the return of all created things in the Day of Resurrection, and this is
indeed the essence of the Return as thou hast witnessed in God's own days
and thou art of them that testify to this truth.
Verily God is fully capable of causing all names to appear in one name,
and all souls in one soul. Surely powerful and mighty is He. And this
Return is realized at His behest in whatever form He willeth. Indeed He is
the One Who doeth and ordaineth all things. Moreover, thou shouldst not
perceive the fulfilment of the Return and the Resurrection save in the
Word of thy Lord, the Almighty, the All-Knowing. For instance, were He to
take a handful of earth and declare it to be the One Whom ye have been
following in the past, it would undoubtedly be just and true, even as His
real Person, and to none is given the right to question His authority. He
doeth what He willeth and ordaineth whatsoever He pleaseth. Moreover, in
this station take thou heed not to turn thy gaze unto limitations and
allusions, but rather unto that whereby the Revelation itself hath been
fulfilled and be of them that are discerning. Thus do We explain for thee
in a lucid and explicit language that thou mayest comprehend that which
thou didst seek from thine ancient Lord.
Consider thou the Day of Resurrection. Were God to pronounce the lowliest
of creatures among the faithful to be the First One to believe in the
Bayan, thou shouldst have no misgivings about it and must be of them that
truly believe. In this station look not upon human limitations and names
but rather upon that whereby the rank of the First One to believe is
vindicated, which is faith in God, and recognition of His Being and
assurance in the fulfilment of His irresistible and binding command.
Consider thou the Revelation of the Point of the Bayan--exalted is His
glory. He pronounced the First One(62) to believe in Him to be Muhammad,
the Messenger of God. Doth it beseem a man to dispute with Him by saying
that this man is from Persia, the Other from Arabia, or this one was
called Husayn while the Other bore the name of Muhammad? Nay, I swear by
God's holy Being, the Exalted, the Most Great. Surely no man of
intelligence and insight would ever pay attention unto limitations or
names, but rather unto that with which Muhammad was invested, which was
none other than the Cause of God. Such a man of insight would likewise
consider Husayn and the position he occupied in the Cause of God, the
Omnipotent, the Exalted, the Knowing, the Wise. And since the First One to
believe in God in the Dispensation of the Bayan was invested with command
similar to that with which Muhammad, the Messenger of God, was invested,
therefore the Bab pronounced him to be the latter, namely His return and
resurrection. This station is sanctified from every limitation or name,
and naught can be seen therein but God, the One, the Peerless, the
All-Knowing.
Know thou moreover that in the Day of Revelation were He to pronounce one
of the leaves to be the manifestation of all His excellent titles, unto no
one is given the right to utter why or wherefore, and should one do so he
would be regarded as a disbeliever in God and be numbered with such as
have repudiated His Truth.
Beware, beware lest thou behave like unto the people of the Bayan. For
indeed they erred grievously, misguided the people, ignored the Covenant
of God and His Testament and joined partners with Him, the One, the
Incomparable, the All-Knowing. Verily they failed to recognize the Point
of the Bayan, for had they recognized Him they would not have rejected His
manifestation in this luminous and resplendent Being. And since they fixed
their eyes on names, therefore when He replaced His Name 'the Most
Exalted' by 'the Most Glorious' their eyes were dimmed. They have failed
to recognize Him in these days and are reckoned with those that perish.
Indeed, had they known Him through His own Self or by virtue of that which
He hath revealed, they would not have repudiated Him when He appeared in
this glorious and incomparable Name, which God hath ordained to be the
Sword of His Revelation between heaven and earth, and through which truth
is separated from error, even from now until the Day when mankind shall
stand before the Lord of the worlds.
Know thou moreover that in the Day of His Manifestation all things besides
God shall be brought forth and placed equally, irrespective of their rank
being high or low. The Day of Return is inscrutable unto all men until
after the divine Revelation hath been fulfilled. He is in truth the One
Who ordaineth whatsoever He willeth. When the Word of God is revealed unto
all created things whoso then giveth ear and heedeth the Call is, indeed,
reckoned among the most distinguished souls, though he be a carrier of
ashes. And he who turneth away is accounted as the lowliest of His
servants, though he be a ruler amongst men and the possessor of all the
books that are in the heavens and on earth.
It behoveth thee to look with divine insight upon the things We have
revealed and sent unto thee and not towards the people and that which is
current amongst them. They are in this day like unto a blind man who,
while moving in the sunshine, demandeth: Where is the sun? Is it shining?
He would deny and dispute the truth, and would not be of them that
perceive. Never shall he be able to discern the sun or to understand that
which hath intervened between him and it. He would object within himself,
voice protests, and would be among the rebellious. Such is the state of
this people. Leave them unto themselves, saying: Unto you be that which ye
desire and unto us that which we desire. Wretched indeed is the plight of
the ungodly.
Know thou moreover that the former Manifestation affirmed that the return
and rising of the spirits would occur on the Day of Resurrection, while in
truth there is a return and resurrection for every created thing. However
We do not wish to mention aught that is not set forth in the Bayan, lest
perchance the people of malice raise a great outcry. O would that that
which interveneth between the children of men and their Creator were
dispelled that they might be enabled to behold God's invincible
sovereignty and dominion, quaff from the wellspring of His heavenly
streams, be sprinkled with the outpourings of the ocean of true
understanding and be purged from the defilements of the ungodly and the
suspicious.
As to thy question concerning the worlds of God. Know thou of a truth that
the worlds of God are countless in their number, and infinite in their
range. None can reckon or comprehend them except God, the All-Knowing, the
All-Wise. Consider thy state when asleep. Verily, I say, this phenomenon
is the most mysterious of the signs of God amongst men, were they to
ponder it in their hearts. Behold how the thing which thou hast seen in
thy dream is, after a considerable lapse of time, fully realized. Had the
world in which thou didst find thyself in thy dream been identical with
the world in which thou livest, it would have been necessary for the event
occurring in that dream to have transpired in this world at the very
moment of its occurrence. Were it so, you yourself would have borne
witness unto it. This being not the case, however, it must necessarily
follow that the world in which thou livest is different and apart from
that which thou hast experienced in thy dream. This latter world hath
neither beginning nor end. It would be true if thou wert to contend that
this same world is, as decreed by the All-Glorious and Almighty God,
within thy proper self and is wrapped up within thee. It would equally be
true to maintain that thy spirit, having transcended the limitations of
sleep and having stripped itself of all earthly attachment, hath, by the
act of God, been made to traverse a realm which lieth hidden in the
innermost reality of this world. Verily I say, the creation of God
embraceth worlds besides this world, and creatures apart from these
creatures. In each of these worlds He hath ordained things which none can
search except Himself, the All-Searching, the All-Wise. Do thou meditate
on that which We have revealed unto thee, that thou mayest discover the
purpose of God, thy Lord, and the Lord of all worlds. In these words the
mysteries of Divine Wisdom have been treasured. We have refrained from
dwelling upon this theme owing to the sorrow that hath encompassed Us from
the actions of them that have been created through Our words, if ye be of
them that will hearken unto Our Voice.
Where is the one who can help Me and shield Me from the swords of these
faithless souls? Where is the man of insight who will behold the Words of
God with his own eyes and rid himself of the opinions and notions of the
peoples of the earth?
O servant! Warn thou the servants of God not to reject that which they do
not comprehend. Say, implore God to open to your hearts the portals of
true understanding that ye may be apprised of that of which no one is
apprised. Verily, He is the Giver, the Forgiving, the Compassionate.
Thou hast moreover asked Me concerning the ordinances of God. Know thou of
a truth that whatsoever hath been prescribed in the Book is indeed the
truth, no doubt is there about it, and it is incumbent upon everyone to
observe that which hath been sent down by Him Who is the Revealer, the
All-Knowing. Were a man to put them away despite his being aware thereof,
God would truly be clear of such a one and We too would be clear of him,
inasmuch as His ordinances constitute the fruits of the divine Tree and
none other than the heedless and the wayward will deviate therefrom.
As to Paradise: It is a reality and there can be no doubt about it, and
now in this world it is realized through love of Me and My good-pleasure.
Whosoever attaineth unto it God will aid him in this world below, and
after death He will enable him to gain admittance into Paradise whose
vastness is as that of heaven and earth. Therein the Maids of glory and
holiness will wait upon him in the daytime and in the night season, while
the day-star of the unfading beauty of his Lord will at all times shed its
radiance upon him and he will shine so brightly that no one shall bear to
gaze at him. Such is the dispensation of Providence, yet the people are
shut out by a grievous veil. Likewise apprehend thou the nature of
hell-fire and be of them that truly believe. For every act performed there
shall be a recompense according to the estimate of God, and unto this the
very ordinances and prohibitions prescribed by the Almighty amply bear
witness. For surely if deeds were not rewarded and yielded no fruit, then
the Cause of God--exalted is He--would prove futile. Immeasurably high is He
exalted above such blasphemies! However, unto them that are rid of all
attachments a deed is, verily, its own reward. Were We to enlarge upon
this theme numerous Tablets would need to be written.
I swear by the righteousness of the One true God! The Pen is unable to
move by reason of that which hath befallen its Lord, and it weepeth sore,
and so do I weep, and likewise weepeth the eye of Him Who is the Essence
of Grandeur behind the Tabernacle of Names while seated on the Throne of
His glorious Name.
Purge thou thy heart that We may cause fountains of wisdom and utterance
to gush out therefrom, thus enabling thee to raise thy voice among all
mankind. Unloose thy tongue and proclaim the truth for the sake of the
remembrance of thy merciful Lord. Be not afraid of anyone, place thy whole
trust in God, the Almighty, the All-Knowing. Say, O people, fulfil
whatever ye understand of the Persian Bayan and whatever ye understand not
ask this unerring Remembrance that He may set forth clearly that which God
hath intended in His Book, for in truth He knoweth that which is enshrined
in the Bayan by virtue of the Will of Him Who is the Omnipotent, the
Powerful.
Thou hast enquired about the warning We gave to the people at the time of
Our departure from 'Iraq to the effect that when the Sun disappeareth from
sight, birds of darkness will be in motion and the standards of Samiri(63)
will be reared high. I swear by God! Those birds have stirred in these
days and Samiri hath raised his clamour. Well is it with him who
recognizeth and is numbered with men of understanding. We have also warned
them against the appearance of the calf. God is My witness! All Our
warnings have come to pass, as indeed, they are bound to, inasmuch as they
have issued from the fingers of glory and might. Beseech thou God to
protect thee from the mischief of these men and to purify thee from the
insinuations of the froward. Strengthen thy loins then for the promotion
of the Cause and pay no attention unto the words uttered by the people of
the Bayan, for they are truly incapable of understanding and have failed
to comprehend the essence of the Cause as is revealed in this august, this
Most Great Announcement. Thus have We inspired thee, and infused into thy
heart that which will make thee independent of the allusions of mankind.
The glory of God be upon thee and upon them that give ear unto the words
thou dost utter for the love of God, thy Lord, and remain steadfast in His
Cause. All praise be unto God, the Lord of the worlds.
LAWH-I-SIYYID-I-MIHDIY-I-DAHAJI (TABLET TO SIYYID MIHDIY-I-DAHAJI)
He is the Most Holy, the Most Great, the Most Exalted, the Most High
O MY Name!(64) Yield thou praise unto God for having graciously chosen
thee to be a shower of bounty for that which We have sown in the pure and
blessed soil and enabled thee to serve as a springtime of tender mercy for
the wondrous and sublime trees We have planted. Indeed so great is this
favour that of all created things in the world of existence, none can ever
hope to rival it. We have moreover given thee to drink the choice wine of
utterance from the chalice of the heavenly bestowals of thy merciful Lord,
which is none other than this Tongue of holiness--a Tongue that, as soon as
it was unloosed, quickened the entire creation, set in motion all beings
and caused the Nightingale to pour forth its melodies. This is the
Fountain of living water for all that dwell in the realm of being.
Oftentimes have We wafted upon thee the sweet savours of the All-Merciful
from this Branch which moveth over the Tablet of thy Lord, the Mighty, the
Unconstrained. By the righteousness of the One true God! Were all created
things, visible and invisible, to direct themselves towards Him, thou
wouldst find them winging their flight unto the Supreme Goal, the Spot
wherein the divine Lote-Tree exclaimeth: Verily, no God is there but Me,
the Almighty, the All-Bountiful.
Great is thy blessedness, inasmuch as thou hast been journeying throughout
the lands of God, and been the embodiment of joy and assurance for the
people of Baha who have renounced all else but Him, and set their hearts
towards this Court which hath shed its radiance upon all realms, and
sprinkled them with the surging waters of this Ocean wherewith thou
thyself hast been sprinkled--an Ocean which hath encompassed all created
things.