be vouchsafed unto thee. Praised be God! Thou hast been shielded from the
most great terror and hast succeeded in drawing nigh unto the Most Great
Bounty at a time when all men were prevented from recognizing the eternal
King by the interposition of the veils of outward glory, namely the
divines of this day. Cherish thou as dearly as thine own life this
testimony pronounced by the All-Glorious Pen and strive with all thy might
to preserve it by the potency of the Name of Him Who is the Beloved One of
the entire creation, that this sublime honour may be proof against the
eyes and the hands of robbers. Verily thy Lord is the Expounder, the
All-Knowing.
Convey the greetings of this Wronged One unto all the beloved friends in
that region and call to their minds Our wondrous and exalted remembrances,
that haply they may forsake the things current amongst them, may set their
hearts on that which pertaineth unto God and remain purged from unseemly
deeds and pursuits.
May the glory of the Almighty, the All-Wise, be upon thee and upon such as
are related unto thee.
"WE make mention of him who hath been attracted by Our..."
WE make mention of him who hath been attracted by Our Call when it was
raised from the summit of transcendent glory and hath set his face towards
God, the Lord of creation. He is numbered with such as have heard and
responded to the summons of their Lord at a time when the peoples of the
world are wrapt in palpable veils. He testifieth unto that whereunto God
hath testified, and acknowledgeth his belief in that which the Tongue of
Grandeur hath uttered. Unto this beareth witness the Lord of Names in this
wondrous Tablet.
O My exalted Pen! Bring him, on My behalf, the joyful tidings concerning
the things that God, the Powerful, the Omnipotent, hath reserved for him.
Indeed he hath, for most of the time, been hemmed in by manifold sorrows,
and verily his merciful Lord is the One Who seeth and knoweth all things.
Rejoice thou with exceeding gladness inasmuch as this Wronged One hath
turned His face towards thee, hath mentioned thy name aforetime and doth
mention it at this very moment.
Unto My loved friends give thou remembrances in My Name and convey to them
the tidings of the gracious bounties of their Lord, the Giver, the
All-Generous. From this exalted station We send Our greetings unto such
believers as have taken fast hold on the Sure Handle and quaffed the
choice wine of constancy from the hand of favour of their Lord, the
Almighty, the All-Praised.
In this Day the faculty of hearing exclaimeth, 'This is my Day, wherein I
hearken unto the wondrous Voice coming from the precincts of the Prison of
my Lord, the Perspicuous, the Hearing.' And the faculty of sight calleth
aloud, 'Verily this is my Day, for I behold the Dayspring of glory shining
resplendent at the bidding of Him Who is the Ordainer, the All-Powerful.'
Blessed the ear that hath heard the call, 'Behold, and thou shalt see
Me.'(87) and happy the eye that hath gazed upon the most wondrous Sign,
dawning from this luminous horizon.
Say: O concourse of the rulers and of the learned and the wise! The
Promised Day is come and the Lord of Hosts hath appeared. Rejoice ye with
great joy by reason of this supreme felicity. Aid Him then through the
power of wisdom and utterance. Thus biddeth you the One Who hath ever
proclaimed, 'Verily, no God is there but Me, the All-Knowing, the
All-Wise.'
May His glory rest upon thee and upon those who are with thee and such
ones as cherish thee and give ear to the words thou utterest in
glorification of this mighty, this transcendent Revelation.
"O THOU who bearest My Name, Jud [Bounty]! Upon..."
O THOU who bearest My Name, Jud(88) [Bounty]! Upon thee be My Glory. Give
ear unto that which thou didst hear aforetime when the Day-Star of
testimony was shining resplendent above the horizon of 'Iraq, when Baghdad
served as the Seat of the Throne of thy Lord, the Exalted, the Mighty.
I bear witness that thou hast hearkened unto the melody of God and His
sweet accents, inclined thine ear to the cooing of the Dove of divine
Revelation and hast heard the Nightingale of fidelity pouring forth its
notes upon the Branch of Glory: Verily there is none other God but Me, the
Incomparable, the All-Informed.
O thou who bearest My Name! The glances of the loving-kindness of God have
been and continue to be directed towards thee. While in His presence, thou
hast heard the Voice of the One true God--exalted be His glory--and hast
beheld the unveiled splendour of the Light of divine knowledge. Ponder a
while! How sublime is the Utterance of Him Who is the Sovereign Truth and
how abject are the idle contentions of the people! The accumulations of
vain fancy have obstructed men's ears and stopped them from hearing the
Voice of God, and the veils of human learning and false imaginings have
prevented their eyes from beholding the splendour of the light of His
countenance. With the arm of might and power We have rescued a number of
souls from the slough of impending extinction and enabled them to attain
the Dayspring of glory. Moreover We have laid bare the divine mysteries
and in most explicit language foretold future events, that neither the
doubts of the faithless, nor the denials of the froward, nor the
whisperings of the heedless may keep back the seekers of truth from the
Source of the light of the One true God. Nevertheless some people seem to
have been seized with epilepsy, others are torn up even as hollow
tree-stumps. They abandon God, the Most Exalted--He before Whose revelation
of a single verse, all the Scriptures of the past and of more recent times
pale into lowliness and insignificance--and set their hearts on lying tales
and follow empty words.
Thou hast surely quaffed from the ocean of Mine utterance and hast
witnessed the effulgent splendour of the orb of My wisdom. Thou hast also
heard the sayings of the infidels who neither are acquainted with the
fundamentals of the Faith, nor have tasted this choice Wine whose seal
hath been broken through the power of My Name, the Help in Peril, the
Self-Subsisting. Beseech thou God that the believers who are endued with
true understanding may be graciously enabled to do that which is pleasing
unto Him.
How strange that despite this ringing Call, despite the appearance of this
most wondrous Revelation, We notice that men, for the most part, have
fixed their hearts on the vanities of the world and are sorely dismayed
and troubled by reason of prevailing doubts and evil suggestions. Say:
This is the Day of God Himself; fear ye God and be not of them that have
disbelieved in Him. Cast the idle tales behind your backs and behold My
Revelation through Mine eyes. Unto this have ye been exhorted in heavenly
Books and Scriptures, in the Scrolls and Tablets.
Arise thou to serve the Cause of thy Lord; then give the people the joyful
tidings concerning this resplendent Light whose revelation hath been
announced by God through His Prophets and Messengers. Admonish everyone
moreover to observe prudence as ordained by Him, and in the Name of God
advise them, saying: It behoveth every one in this Day of God to dedicate
himself to the teaching of the Cause with utmost prudence and
steadfastness. Should he discover a pure soil, let him sow the seed of the
Word of God, otherwise it would be preferable to observe silence.
Not long ago this most sublime Word was revealed in the Crimson Book by
the All-Glorious Pen: 'The heaven of divine wisdom is illumined with two
luminaries: consultation and compassion'. Please God, everyone may be
enabled to observe this weighty and blessed word.
Certain people seem to be entirely bereft of understanding. By clinging to
the cord of idle fancy they have debarred themselves from the Sure Handle.
I swear by My life! Were they to reflect a while with fairness on that
which the All-Merciful hath sent down, they would, one and all,
spontaneously give utterance to these words, 'Verily Thou art the Truth,
the manifest Truth.'
It behoveth thee to turn thy gaze in all circumstances unto the One true
God, and seek diligently to serve His Cause. Call thou to mind when thou
wert in My company, within the Tabernacle of Glory, and didst hear from Me
that which He Who conversed with God [Moses] heard upon the Sinai of
divine knowledge. Thus did We graciously aid thee, enabled thee to
recognize the truth and cautioned thee, that thou mightest render thanks
unto thy bountiful Lord. Thou shouldst safeguard this sublime station
through the potency of My Name, the Omnipotent, the Faithful.
Convey greetings on My behalf to My loved ones and suffer them to hearken
unto My sweet Voice. Thus biddeth thee the One Who hath bidden thee in the
past; I am in truth the Ordainer, the All-Informed. Glory be upon thee and
upon those who give ear to thy words concerning this momentous Cause and
who love thee for the sake of God, the Lord of the worlds.
"O HAYDAR! This Wronged One hath heard thy voice..."
O HAYDAR!(89) This Wronged One hath heard thy voice raised in the service
of the Cause of God and is well aware of the feeling of joy which His love
hath roused in thy heart and of thy pangs of anguish at that which hath
befallen His loved ones. I swear by the Lord of mercy! The whole world is
overwhelmed with sorrow whilst mankind is perplexed with doubts and
dissensions. The people of God, the Lord of Names, are so grievously beset
by enemies that the supreme Paradise hath lamented and the inmates of
highest Heaven and those who, day and night, circle round the Throne have
groaned aloud.
O 'Ali! Woes and sorrows are powerless to restrain thy Lord, the
All-Merciful. Indeed He hath risen to champion the Cause of God in such
wise that neither the overpowering might of the world nor the tyranny of
the nations can ever alarm Him. He calleth aloud betwixt earth and heaven,
saying: The Promised Day is come. The Lord of creation proclaimeth:
Verily, there is no God besides Me, the Almighty, the All-Bountiful.
O 'Ali! The immature wish to put out the light of God with their mouths
and to extinguish by their acts the flame in the Burning Bush. Say,
wretched indeed is your plight, O ye embodiments of delusion. Fear ye God
and reject not the heavenly grace which hath shed radiance upon all
regions. Say, He Who is the Exponent of the hidden Name hath appeared, did
ye but know it. He Whose advent hath been foretold in the heavenly
Scriptures is come, could ye but understand it. The world's horizon is
illumined by the splendours of this Most Great Revelation. Haste ye with
radiant hearts and be not of them that are bereft of understanding. The
appointed Hour hath struck and mankind is laid low. Unto this bear witness
the honoured servants of God.
O Haydar-'Ali! I swear by the righteousness of God! The Blast hath been
blown on the Trumpet of the Bayan as decreed by the Lord, the Merciful,
and all that are in the heavens and on the earth have swooned away except
such as have detached themselves from the world, cleaving fast unto the
Cord of God, the Lord of mankind. This is the Day in which the earth
shineth with the effulgent light of thy Lord, but the people are lost in
error and have been shut out as by a veil. We desire to regenerate the
world, yet they have resolved to put an end to My life. Thus have their
hearts prompted them in this Day--a Day which hath been made bright by the
radiant light of the countenance of its Lord, the Omnipotent, the
Almighty, the Unconstrained. The Mother Book hath lifted up its Voice, but
the people are bereft of hearing. The Preserved Tablet hath been revealed
with truth, yet the generality of mankind peruse it not. They have denied
the gracious favour of God after it hath been sent down unto them and have
turned away from God, the Knower of things unseen. They firmly cling to
the hem of idle fancies, turning their backs on the hidden Name of the
Almighty.
Say, O concourse of divines! Be fair in your judgement, I adjure you by
God. Produce then whatever proofs and testimonies ye possess, if ye are to
be reckoned among the inmates of this glorious habitation. Set your hearts
towards the Dayspring of divine Revelation that We may disclose before
your eyes the equivalent of all such verses, proofs, testimonies,
affirmations and evidences as ye and other kindreds of the earth possess.
Fear ye God and be not of them that well deserve the chastisement of God,
the Lord of creation.
This is the Day in which the Ocean of knowledge hath lifted up its Voice
and hath brought forth its pearls. Would that ye knew it! The heaven of
the Bayan hath been raised up in truth at the behest of God, the Help in
Peril, the Self-Subsisting. I swear by God! The Essence of knowledge
exclaimeth and saith: Lo! He Who is the Object of all knowledge is come
and through His advent the sacred Books of God, the Gracious, the Loving,
have been embellished. Every revelation of grace, every evidence of goodly
gifts emanateth from Him and unto Him doth it return.
Fear ye God, O concourse of the foolish, and do not inflict tribulations
upon those who have willed naught but that which God hath willed.
Moreover, if ye heed my call, follow not your selfish desires. The day is
approaching when everything now discernible will have faded away and ye
shall weep for having failed in your duty towards God. Unto this
testifieth this inscribed Tablet.
Rejoice thou with great joy that We have remembered thee both now and in
the past. Indeed the sweet savours of this remembrance shall endure and
shall not change throughout the eternity of the Names of God, the Lord of
mankind. We have graciously accepted thy devotions, thy praise, thy
teaching work and the services thou hast rendered for the sake of this
mighty Announcement. We have also hearkened unto that which thy tongue
hath uttered at the meetings and gatherings. Verily thy Lord heareth and
observeth all things. We have attired thee with the vesture of My
good-pleasure in My heavenly Kingdom, and from the Divine Lote-Tree which
is raised on the borders of the vale of security and peace, situate in the
luminous Spot beyond the glorious City, We call aloud unto thee saying: In
truth there is no God but Me, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. We have
brought thee into being to serve Me, to glorify My Word and to proclaim My
Cause. Centre thine energies upon that wherefor thou hast been created by
virtue of the Will of the supreme Ordainer, the Ancient of Days.
At this moment We call to remembrance Our loved ones and bring them the
joyous tidings of God's unfailing grace and of the things that have been
provided for them in My lucid Book. Ye have tolerated the censure of the
enemies for the sake of My love and have steadfastly endured in My Path
the grievous cruelties which the ungodly have inflicted upon you. Unto
this I Myself bear witness, and I am the All-Knowing. How vast the number
of places that have been ennobled with your blood for the sake of God. How
numerous the cities wherein the voice of your lamentation hath been raised
and the wailing of your anguish uplifted. How many the prisons into which
ye have been cast by the hosts of tyranny. Know ye of a certainty that He
will render you victorious, will exalt you among the peoples of the world
and will demonstrate your high rank before the gaze of all nations. Surely
He will not suffer the reward of His favoured ones to be lost.
Take heed lest the deeds wrought by the embodiments of idle fancy sadden
you or the acts committed by every wayward oppressor grieve you. Seize ye
the chalice of constancy through the power of His Name, quaff then
therefrom by virtue of the sovereignty of God, the Powerful, the
Omnipotent. Thus hath the Day-Star of My tender compassion and
loving-kindness shone forth above the horizon of this Tablet that ye may
render thanks unto your Lord, the Almighty, the All-Bountiful.
The glory that hath dawned resplendent from the heaven of Mine utterance
rest upon thee and upon them that have directed themselves towards thee
and inclined their ears to the words which thy mouth hath uttered
concerning this glorious, this august Revelation.
"BY the righteousness of God! The Mother Book is made..."
BY the righteousness of God! The Mother Book is made manifest, summoning
mankind unto God, the Lord of the worlds, while the seas proclaim: The
Most Great Ocean hath appeared, from whose waves one can hear the
thundering cry: 'Verily, no God is there but Me, the Peerless, the
All-Knowing.' And the trees raising their clamour exclaim: O people of the
world! The voice of the Divine Lote-Tree is clearly sounding and the
shrill cry of the Pen of Glory is ringing loud: Give ye ear and be not of
the heedless. The sun is calling out: O concourse of the divines! The
heaven of religions is split and the moon cleft asunder and the peoples of
the earth are brought together in a new resurrection. Fear ye God and
follow not the promptings of your passions, rather follow Him unto Whom
have testified the Scriptures of God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
The episode of Sinai hath been re-enacted in this Revelation and He Who
conversed upon the Mount is calling aloud: Verily, the Desired One is
come, seated upon the throne of certitude, could ye but perceive it. He
hath admonished all men to observe that which is conducive to the
exaltation of the Cause of God and will guide mankind unto His Straight
Path.
How vast the number of the down-trodden who have been enraptured by the
Call of God! How numerous the potentates who have risen up to commit acts
of aggression that have caused the inmates of the all-highest Paradise to
lament and the dwellers of this glorious habitation to wail with grief!
How great the multitude of the poor who have quaffed the choice wine of
divine revelation and how many the rich who have turned away, repudiated
the truth and voiced their disbelief in God, the Lord of this blessed and
wondrous Day!
Say: Fear ye God, then observe equity in your judgement of this Great
Announcement before which, as soon as it shone forth, every momentous
announcement bowed low in adoration. Say: O concourse of the foolish! If
ye reject Him, by what evidence can ye prove your allegiance to the former
Messengers of God or vindicate your belief in that which He hath sent down
from His mighty and exalted Kingdom? What benefit do your possessions
bestow upon you? What protection can your treasures afford you? None, I
swear by the Spirit of God that pervadeth all that are in the heavens and
on the earth. Cast away that which ye have put together with the hands of
idle fancy and vain imaginings and take fast hold of the Book of God which
hath been sent down by virtue of His all-compelling and inviolable
authority.
Thy letter was presented before this Wronged One and in thine honour have
We revealed this Tablet from which the fragrance of the gracious favour of
thy Lord, the Compassionate, the Bountiful, is diffused. We beseech God to
make thee as a banner upraised in the city of His remembrance, and to
exalt thy station in this Cause--a Cause beneath whose shadow the sincere
ones of God shall behold the peoples and kindreds of the earth seeking
shelter. Verily, thy Lord knoweth and informeth. Moreover We entreat Him
to nourish thee with the best of what hath been treasured in His Book. He
is in truth the One Who doth hear and answer the call.
Persevere thou in helping His Cause through the strengthening power of the
hosts of wisdom and utterance. Thus hath it been decreed by God, the
Gracious, the All-Praised. Blessed is the believer who hath in this Day
embraced the Truth and the man of fixed resolve whom the hosts of tyranny
have been powerless to affright.
The glory which hath shone forth above the horizon of utterance be upon
thee and upon such believers as have seized the chalice of His sealed wine
through the power of His Name, the Self-Subsisting, and drunk deep despite
those that have rejected the One in Whom they had formerly professed
belief--they that have disputed the truth of this Great Announcement
whereunto God hath testified in His precious and ancient Book.
"O MUHAMMAD HUSAYN! Be thou prepared to receive the..."
O MUHAMMAD HUSAYN! Be thou prepared to receive the outpourings of the
loving-kindness of God, the Lord of the worlds. The All-Merciful hath
deigned to bestow upon thee pearls of knowledge from the Ocean of the
grace of God, the Almighty, the Most Exalted.
Where is the man of insight who will recognize and perceive the truth?
Where is to be found the man of hearing who will hearken unto My wondrous
Voice calling from the realm of glory? Where is the soul who will set his
face towards the Divine Lote-Tree in such wise that neither the
overpowering might of the kings, nor the violent commotions of their
subjects may frustrate him, lifting up his voice amidst the entire
creation through the power of wisdom and utterance and testifying unto
that whereunto hath testified God, that verily no God is there besides
Him, the Powerful, the Invincible, the Omnipotent, the Knowing, the Wise.
O Husayn! Thy name hath been mentioned in the Most Great Prison before
this Wronged One and We have revealed for thee that with which none of the
books of the world can compare. Unto this beareth witness the King of
eternity; yet the generality of mankind are numbered among the heedless.
From the dawning-place of testimony We have raised the Call unto all that
dwell in the realm of creation. Amongst men there are those who have been
carried away by the fragrance of the utterance of their Lord in such
manner that they have forsaken everything which pertaineth unto men in
their eagerness to attain the court of the presence of God, the Lord of
the mighty throne. There are also those who are sore perplexed and
wavering. Others have made haste, winged their way to answer the Call of
their Lord, the Ancient of Days. Still others have turned aside, rejected
the truth and eventually disbelieved in God, the Almighty, the
All-Praised. And there are yet others who have pronounced judgement
against Him with such cruelty that every wise and discerning soul hath
been moved to lament. We have graciously summoned them unto the river that
is life indeed, while they have, with manifest injustice, decreed the
shedding of My blood. Thus hath the Day-Star of wisdom shone forth from
above the horizon of the utterance of thy Lord, the All-Merciful. Shouldst
thou attain unto its light, it behoveth thee to magnify the praise of thy
Lord and say, I yield Thee thanks, O God of the worlds.
Blessed art thou and are they whom the world and its vanities have failed
to deter from this luminous Horizon.
Convey greetings on My behalf unto My loved ones. We exhort them to
observe wisdom as decreed in My wondrous Book.
"O MY handmaiden and My leaf! Rejoice with great joy..."
O MY handmaiden and My leaf! Rejoice with great joy inasmuch as thy call
hath ascended unto the Divine Lote-Tree and is answered from the
all-glorious Horizon. Verily, no God is there but Me, the Wronged One, the
Exile.
We have revealed Ourself unto men, have unveiled the Cause, guided all
mankind towards God's Straight Path, promulgated the laws and have
enjoined upon everyone that which shall truly profit them both in this
world and in the next; yet they have pronounced judgement to shed My
blood, whereat the Maid of Heaven hath wept sore, Sinai hath lamented and
the Faithful Spirit was made to sigh with grief.
In these days the people have debarred themselves from the effusions of
divine grace by following in the footsteps of every ignorant one that hath
gone astray. They have cast the Ocean of divine knowledge behind their
backs and fixed their eyes upon such foolish men as claim to be well
versed in learning without being supported by any evidence from God, the
Lord of mankind.
Well is it with thee inasmuch as thou hast forsaken idle imaginings and
taken fast hold of the Cord of God that no man can sever. Consider the
gracious favour of God--exalted be His glory. How numerous are the kings
and queens on earth who, despite much yearning, anticipation and waiting,
have been debarred from Him Who is the Desire of the world, whilst thou
didst attain. God willing, thou mayest accomplish a deed whose fragrance
shall endure as long as the Names of God--exalted be His glory--will endure.
By the righteousness of God! The title 'O My handmaiden' far excelleth
aught else that can be seen in the world. Ere long the eyes of mankind
shall be illumined and cheered by recognizing that which Our Pen of Glory
hath revealed.