and didst arise to achieve this through the power of wisdom and utterance.
Say: To assist Me is to teach My Cause. This is a theme with which whole
Tablets are laden. This is the changeless commandment of God, eternal in
the past, eternal in the future. Comprehend this, O ye men of insight.
They that have passed beyond the bounds of wisdom fail to understand the
meaning of assisting God as set forth in the Book. Say: Fear ye God and
sow not the seeds of dissension amongst men. Observe ye that which hath
been enjoined upon you by your Lord, the Almighty, the All-Knowing. He
knoweth the reality of victory and hath taught it to you with an utterance
that the vain imaginings of them that rove distraught in the wilderness of
doubt can never corrupt.
O My Name! Suffer all created things to quaff once again from this chalice
which hath caused the seas to rise. Kindle then in the hearts the blazing
fire which this crimson Tree hath ignited, that they may arise to extol
and magnify His Name amidst the adherents of all Faiths.
Numerous letters from thee have been presented before Our Throne. We have
perused them as a token of grace on Our part, and for each name thou didst
mention therein We have revealed that which will stir the minds of men and
will cause the spirits to soar. Moreover We have repeatedly enabled thee
to hearken unto the warblings of the birds of heaven and to incline thine
ear to the songs of the nightingales pouring forth their melodies upon the
branches. Thus was the Pen of God set in motion in thy remembrance that
thou mightest admonish men through the power of this utterance which is
divinely ordained to be the revealer of the signs of His glory.
Blessed is the spot wherein the anthem of His praise is raised, and
blessed the ear that hearkeneth unto that which hath been sent down from
the heaven of the loving-kindness of thy Lord, the All-Merciful.
Exhort thou the servants of God unto that whereunto We have exhorted thee
that they may abstain from whatsoever is forbidden them in the Mother
Book. Those who perpetrate deeds that would create turmoil among the
people have indeed strayed far from helping God and His Cause and are
numbered with the mischief-makers in the Tablet which God hath designated
to be the dawning-place of all Tablets.
Say: If it be Our pleasure We shall render the Cause victorious through
the power of a single word from Our presence. He is in truth the
Omnipotent, the All-Compelling. Should it be God's intention, there would
appear out of the forests of celestial might the lion of indomitable
strength whose roaring is like unto the peals of thunder reverberating in
the mountains. However, since Our loving providence surpasseth all things,
We have ordained that complete victory should be achieved through speech
and utterance, that Our servants throughout the earth may thereby become
the recipients of divine good. This is but a token of God's bounty
vouchsafed unto them. Verily thy Lord is the All-Sufficing, the Most
Exalted.
Say: Fear ye God and commit not such deeds as would cause My loved ones on
earth to lament. Thus biddeth you this Pen which hath set the Pen of Glory
in motion within the arena of wisdom and true understanding.
Convey My greetings unto those whose faces mirror forth the radiance of
Baha, then mention to them this utterance which cheereth the eyes of the
righteous. The glory of God rest upon thee and upon such as have firmly
clung to the Cord of God, the Revealer of verses....
Restrain thou the inhabitants of those regions from provocative acts, from
strife, dissension or aught else that would create trouble. That which is
praiseworthy in these days is the promotion of the Cause. For instance if
those people who pursue certain aims were to dedicate themselves to the
teaching of the Cause, all the dwellers of those regions would, ere long,
be invested with the mantle of faith.
Should anyone perceive the sweetness of the following passage in the
Tablet revealed in honour of Nabil of Qa'in,(65) he would readily
comprehend the significance of assistance: Human utterance is an essence
which aspireth to exert its influence and needeth moderation. As to its
influence, this is conditional upon refinement, which in turn is dependent
upon hearts which are detached and pure. As to its moderation, this hath
to be combined with tact and wisdom as prescribed in the Holy Scriptures
and Tablets.
O My Name! Utterance must needs possess penetrating power. For if bereft
of this quality it would fail to exert influence. And this penetrating
influence dependeth on the spirit being pure and the heart stainless.
Likewise it needeth moderation, without which the hearer would be unable
to bear it, rather he would manifest opposition from the very outset. And
moderation will be obtained by blending utterance with the tokens of
divine wisdom which are recorded in the sacred Books and Tablets. Thus
when the essence of one's utterance is endowed with these two requisites
it will prove highly effective and will be the prime factor in
transforming the souls of men. This is the station of supreme victory and
celestial dominion. Whoso attaineth thereto is invested with the power to
teach the Cause of God and to prevail over the hearts and minds of men.
O My Name! The Day-Star of utterance, shining resplendent from the
dayspring of divine Revelation, hath so illumined the Scrolls and Tablets
that the kingdom of utterance and the exalted dominion of understanding
vibrate with joy and ecstasy and shine forth with the splendour of His
light, yet the generality of mankind comprehend not.
The reason why the subject of aid and assistance hath time and again
streamed and will continue to stream from the Pen of Providence is to warn
the friends of God lest they engage in activities that would give rise to
strife and turmoil. It is incumbent upon them, one and all, to diligently
seek ways to help the Cause of God in such manner as We have explained.
This is but a token of His grace especially conferred upon His loved ones
that every one of them may attain the station characterized by the words:
'Whoso quickeneth a soul hath verily quickened all mankind.'
Temporal ascendancy hath been and will continue to be under the shadow of
this station. Its appointed hour is pre-ordained in the Book of God. He is
truly cognizant thereof and it will be manifested through the potency of
His might. Verily He is the Powerful, the All-Subduing, the Omnipotent,
the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
The sanctified souls should ponder and meditate in their hearts regarding
the methods of teaching. From the texts of the wondrous, heavenly
Scriptures they should memorize phrases and passages bearing on various
instances, so that in the course of their speech they may recite divine
verses whenever the occasion demandeth it, inasmuch as these holy verses
are the most potent elixir, the greatest and mightiest talisman. So potent
is their influence that the hearer will have no cause for vacillation. I
swear by My life! This Revelation is endowed with such a power that it
will act as the lodestone for all nations and kindreds of the earth.
Should one pause to meditate attentively he would recognize that no place
is there, nor can there be, for anyone to flee to.
In such manner hath the Kitab-i-Aqdas been revealed that it attracteth and
embraceth all the divinely appointed Dispensations. Blessed those who
peruse it. Blessed those who apprehend it. Blessed those who meditate upon
it. Blessed those who ponder its meaning. So vast is its range that it
hath encompassed all men ere their recognition of it. Ere long will its
sovereign power, its pervasive influence and the greatness of its might be
manifested on earth. Verily, thy God is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.
O My Name! Hearken thou unto My Voice coming from the direction of My
Throne. He wisheth to make mention of thy name at all times inasmuch as
thou hast proved thyself steadfast in extolling His virtues amongst men.
Indeed thy Lord loveth fidelity as found in the realm of creation, and He
hath given it precedence over most of the praiseworthy qualities. Verily,
He is Potent and Powerful.
Know thou moreover that We have heard the praise thou hast uttered in thy
communion with God, thy Lord, the Exalted, the Gracious. Great indeed is
the blessedness awaiting thee, inasmuch as thou hast curtailed thine own
affairs in favour of this inviolable, this mighty and enlightened Cause.
We entreat God to make thy call a magnet which will attract the
embodiments of names in the world of existence that all beings may
spontaneously hasten to heed it. No God is there besides Him, the Exalted,
the Pre-Eminent, the Ever-Blessed, the Sublime, the Most August, the Most
Glorious, the Most Bountiful, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.
LAWH-I-BURHAN (TABLET OF THE PROOF)
_This Tablet was revealed after the martyrdom of the King of
Martyrs and the Beloved of Martyrs (see God Passes By pages
200-201) and was addressed to Shaykh Muhammad Baqir, denounced by
Baha'u'llah as the 'Wolf'. In this Tablet Baha'u'llah refers to
Mir Muhammad Husayn, the Imam Jum'ih of Isfahan, surnamed the
'She-Serpent', who was Shaykh Muhammad Baqir's accomplice in the
persecution of the Baha'is. (See God Passes By, pages 198, 200-201
and 219). The Epistle to the Son of the Wolf was addressed to
Shaykh Muhammad Taqiy-i-Najafi, the son of Shaykh Muhammad Baqir._
HE is the Almighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise! The winds of hatred
have encompassed the Ark of Batha,(66) by reason of that which the hands
of the oppressors have wrought. O Baqir! Thou hast pronounced sentence
against them for whom the books of the world have wept, and in whose
favour the scriptures of all religions have testified. Thou, who art gone
far astray, art indeed wrapt in a thick veil. By God Himself! Thou hast
pronounced judgement against them through whom the horizon of faith hath
been illumined. Unto this bear witness They Who are the Dawning-Places of
Revelation and the Manifestations of the Cause of thy Lord, the Most
Merciful, Who have sacrificed Their souls and all that They possessed in
His straight Path. The Faith of God hath cried everywhere, by reason of
thy tyranny, and yet thou disportest thyself and art of them that exult.
There is no hatred in Mine heart for thee nor for anyone. Every man of
learning beholdeth thee, and such as are like thee, engulfed in evident
folly. Hadst thou realized that which thou hast done, thou wouldst have
cast thyself into the fire, or abandoned thine home and fled into the
mountains, or wouldst have groaned until thou hadst returned unto the
place destined for thee by Him Who is the Lord of strength and of might. O
thou who art even as nothing! Rend thou asunder the veils of idle fancies
and vain imaginings, that thou mayest behold the Day-Star of knowledge
shining from this resplendent Horizon. Thou hast torn in pieces a remnant
of the Prophet Himself, and imagined that thou hadst helped the Faith of
God. Thus hath thy soul prompted thee, and thou art truly one of the
heedless. Thine act hath consumed the hearts of the Concourse on high, and
those of such as have circled round the Cause of God, the Lord of the
worlds. The soul of the Chaste One(67) melted, by reason of thy cruelty,
and the inmates of Paradise wept sore in that blessed Spot.
Judge thou fairly, I adjure thee by God. What proof did the Jewish doctors
adduce wherewith to condemn Him Who was the Spirit of God,(68) when He
came unto them with truth? What could have been the evidence produced by
the Pharisees and the idolatrous priests to justify their denial of
Muhammad, the Apostle of God when He came unto them with a Book that
judged between truth and falsehood with a justice which turned into light
the darkness of the earth, and enraptured the hearts of such as had known
Him? Indeed thou hast produced, in this day, the same proofs which the
foolish divines advanced in that age. Unto this testifieth He Who is the
King of the realm of grace in this great Prison. Thou hast, truly, walked
in their ways, nay, hast surpassed them in their cruelty, and hast deemed
thyself to be helping the Faith and defending the Law of God, the
All-Knowing, the All-Wise. By Him Who is the Truth! Thine iniquity hath
made Gabriel to groan, and hath drawn tears from the Law of God, through
which the breezes of justice have been wafted over all who are in heaven
and on earth. Hast thou fondly imagined that the judgement thou didst
pronounce hath profited thee? Nay, by Him Who is the King of all Names!
Unto thy loss testifieth He with Whom is the knowledge of all things as
recorded in the preserved Tablet. When thou didst pen thy judgement, thou
wast accused by thy very pen. Unto this doth bear witness the Pen of God,
the Most High, in His inaccessible station.
O thou who hast gone astray! Thou hast neither seen Me, nor associated
with Me, nor been My companion for the fraction of a moment. How is it,
then, that thou hast bidden men to curse Me? Didst thou, in this, follow
the promptings of thine own desires, or didst thou obey thy Lord? Produce
thou a sign, if thou art one of the truthful. We testify that thou hast
cast behind thy back the Law of God, and laid hold on the dictates of thy
passions. Nothing, in truth, escapeth His knowledge; He, verily, is the
Incomparable, the All-Informed. O heedless one! Hearken unto that which
the Merciful hath revealed in the Qur'an: 'Say not to every one who
meeteth you with a greeting, "Thou art not a believer."'(69) Thus hath He
decreed in Whose grasp are the kingdoms of Revelation and of creation, if
thou be of them that hearken. Thou hast set aside the commandment of God,
and clung unto the promptings of thine own desire. Woe, then, unto thee, O
careless one that doubtest! If thou deniest Me, by what proof canst thou
vindicate the truth of that which thou dost possess? Produce it, then, O
thou who hast joined partners with God, and turned aside from His
sovereignty that hath encompassed the worlds!
O foolish one! Know thou that he is truly learned who hath acknowledged My
Revelation, and drunk from the Ocean of My knowledge, and soared in the
atmosphere of My love, and cast away all else besides Me, and taken firm
hold on that which hath been sent down from the Kingdom of My wondrous
utterance. He, verily, is even as an eye unto mankind, and as the spirit
of life unto the body of all creation. Glorified be the All-Merciful Who
hath enlightened him, and caused him to arise and serve His great and
mighty Cause. Verily, such a man is blessed by the Concourse on high, and
by them who dwell within the Tabernacle of Grandeur, who have quaffed My
sealed Wine in My Name, the Omnipotent, the All-Powerful. O Baqir! If thou
be of them that occupy such a sublime station, produce then a sign from
God, the Creator of the heavens. And shouldst thou recognize thy
powerlessness, do thou rein in thy passions, and return unto thy Lord,
that perchance He may forgive thee thy sins which have caused the leaves
of the Divine Lote-Tree to be burnt up, and the Rock to cry out, and the
eyes of men of understanding to weep. Because of thee the Veil of Divinity
was rent asunder, and the Ark foundered, and the She-Camel was hamstrung,
and the Spirit(70) groaned in His sublime retreat. Disputest thou with Him
Who hath come unto thee with the testimonies of God and His signs which
thou possessest and which are in the possession of them that dwell on
earth? Open thine eyes that thou mayest behold this Wronged One shining
forth above the horizon of the will of God, the Sovereign, the Truth, the
Resplendent. Unstop, then, the ear of thine heart that thou mayest hearken
unto the speech of the Divine Lote-Tree that hath been raised up in truth
by God, the Almighty, the Beneficent. Verily, this Tree, notwithstanding
the things that befell it by reason of thy cruelty and of the
transgressions of such as are like thee, calleth aloud and summoneth all
men unto the Sadratu'l-Muntaha(71) and the Supreme Horizon. Blessed is the
soul that hath gazed on the Most Mighty Sign, and the ear that hath heard
His most sweet Voice, and woe to whosoever hath turned aside and done
wickedly.
O thou who hast turned away from God! Wert thou to look with the eye of
fairness upon the Divine Lote-Tree, thou wouldst perceive the marks of thy
sword on its boughs, and its branches, and its leaves, notwithstanding
that God created thee for the purpose of recognizing and of serving it.
Reflect, that haply thou mayest recognize thine iniquity and be numbered
with such as have repented. Thinkest thou that We fear thy cruelty? Know
thou and be well assured that from the first day whereon the voice of the
Most Sublime Pen was raised betwixt earth and heaven We offered up Our
souls, and Our bodies, and Our sons, and Our possessions in the path of
God, the Exalted, the Great, and We glory therein amongst all created
things and the Concourse on high. Unto this testify the things which have
befallen Us in this straight Path. By God! Our hearts were consumed, and
Our bodies were crucified, and Our blood was spilt, while Our eyes were
fixed on the horizon of the loving-kindness of their Lord, the Witness,
the All-Seeing. The more grievous their woes, the greater waxed the love
of the people of Baha. Unto their sincerity hath borne witness what the
All-Merciful hath sent down in the Qur'an. He saith: 'Wish ye, then, for
death, if ye are sincere.'(72) Who is to be preferred, he that hath
sheltered himself behind curtains, or he that hath offered himself in the
path of God? Judge thou fairly, and be not of them that rove distraught in
the wilderness of falsehood. So carried away have they been by the living
waters of the love of the Most Merciful, that neither the arms of the
world nor the swords of the nations have deterred them from setting their
faces towards the ocean of the bounty of their Lord, the Giver, the
Generous.
By God! Troubles have failed to unnerve Me, and the repudiation of the
divines hath been powerless to weaken Me. I have spoken, and still speak
forth before the face of men: 'The door of grace hath been unlocked and He
Who is the Dayspring of Justice is come with perspicuous signs and evident
testimonies, from God, the Lord of strength and of might!' Present thyself
before Me that thou mayest hear the mysteries which were heard by the Son
of 'Imran(73) upon the Sinai of Wisdom. Thus commandeth thee He Who is the
Dawning-Place of the Revelation of thy Lord, the God of Mercy, from His
great Prison.
Hath leadership made thee proud? Peruse thou what God hath revealed to the
Sovereign ruler, the Sultan of Turkey, who hath incarcerated Me in this
fortified stronghold, so that thou mayest be informed of the condition of
this Wronged One, as decreed by God, the One, the Single, the
All-Informed. Art thou happy to see the abject and worthless as thy
followers? They support thee as did a people before them, they that
followed Annas, who, without clear proof and testimony, pronounced
judgement against the Spirit.(74)
Peruse thou the Kitab-i-Iqan and that which the All-Merciful hath sent
down unto the King of Paris(75) and to such as are like him, that thou
mayest be made aware of the things that have happened in the past, and be
persuaded that We have not sought to spread disorder in the land after it
had been well-ordered. We exhort, wholly for the sake of God, His
servants. Let him who wisheth turn unto Him, and him who wisheth turn
aside. Our Lord, the Merciful, is verily the All-Sufficing, the
All-Praised. O concourse of divines! This is the day whereon nothing
amongst all things, nor any name amongst all names, can profit you save
through this Name which God hath made the Manifestation of His Cause and
the Dayspring of His Most Excellent Titles unto all who are in the kingdom
of creation. Blessed is that man that hath recognized the fragrance of the
All-Merciful and been numbered with the steadfast. Your sciences shall not
profit you in this day, nor your arts, nor your treasures, nor your glory.
Cast them all behind your backs, and set your faces towards the Most
Sublime Word through which the Scriptures and the Books and this lucid
Tablet have been distinctly set forth. Cast away, O concourse of divines,
the things ye have composed with the pens of your idle fancies and vain
imaginings. By God! The Day-Star of Knowledge hath shone forth above the
horizon of certitude.
O Baqir! Read and call thou to mind that which was said of old by a
believer of thy stock: 'Will ye slay a man because he saith my Lord is
God, when He hath already come to you with signs from your Lord? If he be
a liar, on him will be his lie, but if he be a man of truth, part of what
he threateneth will fall upon you. In truth God guideth not him who is a
transgressor, a liar.'(76)
O thou who art gone astray! If thou hast any doubt concerning Our conduct,
know thou that We bear witness unto that whereunto God hath Himself borne
witness ere the creation of the heavens and of the earth, that there is
none other God but Him, the Almighty, the All-Bounteous. We testify that
He is One in His Essence, One in His attributes. He hath none to equal Him
in the whole universe, nor any partner in all creation. He hath sent forth
His Messengers, and sent down His Books, that they may announce unto His
creatures the Straight Path.
Hath the Shah been informed, and chosen to close his eyes to thine acts?
Or hath he been seized with fear at the howling of a pack of wolves who
have cast the Path of God behind their backs and followed in thy way
without any clear proof or Book? We have heard that the provinces of
Persia have been adorned with the adornment of justice. When We observed
closely, however, We found them to be the dawning-places of tyranny and
the daysprings of injustice. We behold justice in the clutches of tyranny.
We beseech God to set it free through the power of His might and His
sovereignty. He, verily, overshadoweth all that is in the heavens and on
earth. To none is given the right to protest against anyone concerning
that which hath befallen the Cause of God. It behoveth whosoever hath set
his face towards the Most Sublime Horizon to cleave tenaciously unto the
cord of patience, and to put his reliance in God, the Help in Peril, the
Unconstrained. O ye loved ones of God! Drink your fill from the
well-spring of wisdom, and walk ye in the garden of wisdom, and soar ye in
the atmosphere of wisdom, and speak forth with wisdom and eloquence. Thus
biddeth you your Lord, the Almighty, the All-Knowing.
O Baqir! Rely not on thy glory, and thy power. Thou art even as the last
trace of sunlight upon the mountain-top. Soon will it fade away, as
decreed by God, the All-Possessing, the Most High. Thy glory and the glory
of such as are like thee have been taken away, and this verily is what
hath been ordained by the One with Whom is the Mother Tablet. Where is he
to be found who contended with God, and whither is gone he that gainsaid
His signs, and turned aside from His sovereignty? Where are they who have
slain His chosen ones and spilt the blood of His holy ones? Reflect, that
haply thou mayest perceive the breaths of thine acts, O foolish doubter!
Because of you the Apostle(77) lamented, and the Chaste One(78) cried out,
and the countries were laid waste, and darkness fell upon all regions. O
concourse of divines! Because of you the people were abased, and the
banner of Islam was hauled down, and its mighty throne subverted. Every
time a man of discernment hath sought to hold fast unto that which would
exalt Islam, ye raised a clamour, and thereby was he deterred from
achieving his purpose, while the land remained fallen in clear ruin.
Consider the Sultan of Turkey! He did not want war, but those like you
desired it. When its fires were enkindled and its flames rose high, the
government and the people were thereby weakened. Unto this beareth witness
every man of equity and perception. Its calamities waxed so great that the
smoke thereof surrounded the Land of Mystery(79) and its environs, and
what had been revealed in the Tablet of the Sultan was made manifest. Thus
hath it been decreed in the Book, at the behest of God, the Help in Peril,
the Self-Subsisting.