To Pope Pius IX, Baha'u'llah revealed the following: "O Pope! Rend the
veils asunder. He Who is the Lord of Lords is come overshadowed with
clouds, and the decree hath been fulfilled by God, the Almighty, the
Unrestrained.... He, verily, hath again come down from Heaven even as He
came down from it the first time. Beware that thou dispute not with Him
even as the Pharisees disputed with Him [Jesus] without a clear token or
proof. On His right hand flow the living waters of grace, and on His left
the choice Wine of justice, whilst before Him march the angels of
Paradise, bearing the banners of His signs. Beware lest any name debar
thee from God, the Creator of earth and heaven. Leave thou the world
behind thee, and turn towards thy Lord, through Whom the whole earth hath
been illumined.... Dwellest thou in palaces whilst He Who is the King of
Revelation liveth in the most desolate of abodes? Leave them unto such as
desire them, and set thy face with joy and delight towards the Kingdom....
Arise in the name of thy Lord, the God of Mercy, amidst the peoples of the
earth, and seize thou the Cup of Life with the hands of confidence, and
first drink thou therefrom, and proffer it then to such as turn towards it
amongst the peoples of all faiths....
"Call thou to remembrance Him Who was the Spirit [Jesus], Who, when He
came, the most learned of His age pronounced judgment against Him in His
own country, whilst he who was only a fisherman believed in Him. Take
heed, then, ye men of understanding heart! Thou, in truth, art one of the
suns of the heaven of His names. Guard thyself, lest darkness spread its
veils over thee, and fold thee away from His light.... Consider those who
opposed the Son [Jesus], when He came unto them with sovereignty and
power. How many the Pharisees who were waiting to behold Him, and were
lamenting over their separation from Him! And yet, when the fragrance of
His coming was wafted over them, and His beauty was unveiled, they turned
aside from Him and disputed with Him.... None save a very few, who were
destitute of any power amongst men, turned towards His face. And yet today
every man endowed with power and invested with sovereignty prideth himself
on His Name! In like manner, consider how numerous, in these days, are the
monks who, in My Name, have secluded themselves in their churches, and
who, when the appointed time was fulfilled, and We unveiled Our beauty,
knew Us not, though they call upon Me at eventide and at dawn....
"The Word which the Son concealed is made manifest. It hath been sent down
in the form of the human temple in this day. Blessed be the Lord Who is
the Father! He, verily, is come unto the nations in His most great
majesty. Turn your faces towards Him, O concourse of the righteous!
...This is the day whereon the Rock [Peter] crieth out and shouteth, and
celebrateth the praise of its Lord, the All-Possessing, the Most High,
saying: 'Lo! The Father is come, and that which ye were promised in the
Kingdom is fulfilled!...' My body longeth for the cross, and Mine head
waiteth the thrust of the spear, in the path of the All-Merciful, that the
world may be purged from its transgressions....
"O Supreme Pontiff! Incline thine ear unto that which the Fashioner of
moldering bones counseleth thee, as voiced by Him Who is His Most Great
Name. Sell all the embellished ornaments thou dost possess, and expend
them in the path of God, Who causeth the night to return upon the day, and
the day to return upon the night. Abandon thy kingdom unto the kings, and
emerge from thy habitation, with thy face set towards the Kingdom, and,
detached from the world, then speak forth the praises of thy Lord betwixt
earth and heaven. Thus hath bidden thee He Who is the Possessor of Names,
on the part of thy Lord, the Almighty, the All-Knowing. Exhort thou the
kings and say: 'Deal equitably with men. Beware lest ye transgress the
bounds fixed in the Book.' This indeed becometh thee. Beware lest thou
appropriate unto thyself the things of the world and the riches thereof.
Leave them unto such as desire them, and cleave unto that which hath been
enjoined upon thee by Him Who is the Lord of creation. Should anyone offer
thee all the treasures of the earth, refuse to even glance upon them. Be
as thy Lord hath been. Thus hath the Tongue of Revelation spoken that
which God hath made the ornament of the book of creation.... Should the
inebriation of the wine of My verses seize thee, and thou determinest to
present thyself before the throne of thy Lord, the Creator of earth and
heaven, make My love thy vesture, and thy shield remembrance of Me, and
thy provision reliance upon God, the Revealer of all power.... Verily, the
day of ingathering is come, and all things have been separated from each
other. He hath stored away that which He chose in the vessels of justice,
and cast into fire that which befitteth it. Thus hath it been decreed by
your Lord, the Mighty, the Loving, in this promised Day. He, verily,
ordaineth what He pleaseth. There is none other God save He, the Almighty,
the All-Compelling."
In the Tablet addressed to the Czar of Russia, Alexander II, we read: "O
Czar of Russia! Incline thine ear unto the voice of God, the King, the
Holy, and turn thou unto Paradise, the Spot wherein abideth He Who, among
the Concourse on high, beareth the most excellent titles, and Who, in the
kingdom of creation, is called by the name of God, the Effulgent, the
All-Glorious. Beware lest thy desire deter thee from turning towards the
face of thy Lord, the Compassionate, the Most Merciful. We, verily, have
heard the thing for which thou didst supplicate thy Lord, whilst secretly
communing with Him. Wherefore, the breeze of My loving-kindness wafted
forth, and the sea of My mercy surged, and We answered thee in truth. Thy
Lord, verily, is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. Whilst I lay chained and
fettered in the prison, one of thy ministers extended Me his aid.
Wherefore hath God ordained for thee a station which the knowledge of none
can comprehend except His knowledge. Beware lest thou barter away this
sublime station.... Beware lest thy sovereignty withhold thee from Him Who
is the Supreme Sovereign. He, verily, is come with His Kingdom, and all
the atoms cry aloud: 'Lo! The Lord is come in His great majesty!' He Who
is the Father is come, and the Son [Jesus], in the holy vale, crieth out:
'Here am I, here am I, O Lord, My God!', whilst Sinai circleth round the
House, and the Burning Bush calleth aloud: 'The All-Bounteous is come
mounted upon the clouds! Blessed is he that draweth nigh unto Him, and woe
betide them that are far away.'
"Arise thou amongst men in the name of this all-compelling Cause, and
summon, then, the nations unto God, the Exalted, the Great. Be thou not of
them who called upon God by one of His names, but who, when He Who is the
Object of all names appeared, denied Him and turned aside from Him, and,
in the end, pronounced sentence against Him with manifest injustice.
Consider and call thou to mind the days whereon the Spirit of God [Jesus]
appeared, and Herod gave judgment against Him. God, however, aided Him
with the hosts of the unseen, and protected Him with truth, and sent Him
down unto another land, according to His promise. He, verily, ordaineth
what He pleaseth. Thy Lord truly preserveth whom He willeth, be he in the
midst of the seas, or in the maw of the serpent, or beneath the sword of
the oppressor....
"Again I say: Hearken unto My voice that calleth from My prison, that it
may acquaint thee with the things that have befallen My Beauty, at the
hands of them that are the manifestations of My glory, and that thou
mayest perceive how great hath been My patience, notwithstanding My might,
and how immense My forebearance, notwithstanding My power. By My life!
Couldst thou but know the things sent down by My Pen, and discover the
treasures of My Cause, and the pearls of My mysteries which lie hid in the
seas of My names and in the goblets of My words, thou wouldst, in thy love
for My name, and in thy longing for My glorious and sublime Kingdom, lay
down thy life in My path. Know thou that though My body be beneath the
swords of My foes, and My limbs be beset with incalculable afflictions,
yet My spirit is filled with a gladness with which all the joys of the
earth can never compare.
"Set thine heart towards Him Who is the Point of adoration for the world,
and say: O peoples of the earth! Have ye denied the One in Whose path He
Who came with the truth, bearing the announcement of your Lord, the
Exalted, the Great, suffered martyrdom? Say: This is an Announcement
whereat the hearts of the Prophets and Messengers have rejoiced. This is
the One Whom the heart of the world remembereth, and is promised in the
Books of God, the Mighty, the All-Wise. The hands of the Messengers were,
in their desire to meet Me, upraised towards God, the Mighty, the
Glorified.... Some lamented in their separation from Me, others endured
hardships in My path, and still others laid down their lives for the sake
of My Beauty, could ye but know it. Say: I, verily, have not sought to
extol Mine Own Self, but rather God Himself, were ye to judge fairly.
Naught can be seen in Me except God and His Cause, could ye but perceive
it. I am the One Whom the tongue of Isaiah hath extolled, the One with
Whose name both the Torah and the Evangel were adorned. ...Blessed be the
king whose sovereignty hath withheld him not from his Sovereign, and who
hath turned unto God with his heart. He, verily, is accounted of those
that have attained unto that which God, the Mighty, the All-Wise, hath
willed. Erelong will such a one find himself numbered with the monarchs of
the realms of the Kingdom. Thy Lord is, in truth, potent over all things.
He giveth what He willeth to whomsoever He willeth, and withholdeth what
He pleaseth from whomsoever He willeth. He, verily, is the All-Powerful,
the Almighty."
To Queen Victoria Baha'u'llah has written: "O Queen in London! Incline
thine ear unto the voice of thy Lord, the Lord of all mankind, calling
from the Divine Lote-Tree: Verily, no God is there but Me, the Almighty,
the All-Wise! Cast away all that is on earth, and attire the head of thy
kingdom with the crown of the remembrance of thy Lord, the All-Glorious.
He, in truth, hath come unto the world in His most great glory, and all
that hath been mentioned in the Gospel hath been fulfilled. The land of
Syria hath been honored by the footsteps of its Lord, the Lord of all men,
and north and south are both inebriated with the wine of His presence.
Blessed is the man that inhaled the fragrance of the Most Merciful, and
turned unto the Dawning-Place of His Beauty, in this resplendent Dawn. The
Mosque of Aqsa vibrateth through the breezes of its Lord, the
All-Glorious, whilst Batha [Mecca] trembleth at the voice of God, the
Exalted, the Most High. Whereupon every single stone of them celebrateth
the praise of the Lord, through this Great Name.
"Lay aside thy desire, and set then thine heart towards thy Lord, the
Ancient of Days. We make mention of thee for the sake of God, and desire
that thy name may be exalted through thy remembrance of God, the Creator
of earth and heaven. He, verily, is witness unto that which I say. We have
been informed that thou hast forbidden the trading in slaves, both men and
women. This, verily, is what God hath enjoined in this wondrous
Revelation. God hath, truly, destined a reward for thee, because of this.
He, verily, will pay the doer of good his due recompense, wert thou to
follow what hath been sent unto thee by Him Who is the All-Knowing, the
All-Informed. As to him who turneth aside, and swelleth with pride, after
that the clear tokens have come unto him, from the Revealer of signs, his
work shall God bring to naught. He, in truth, hath power over all things.
Man's actions are acceptable after his having recognized [the
Manifestation]. He that turneth aside from the True One is indeed the most
veiled amongst His creatures. Thus hath it been decreed by Him Who is the
Almighty, the Most Powerful.
"We have also heard that thou hast entrusted the reins of counsel into the
hands of the representatives of the people. Thou, indeed, hast done well,
for thereby the foundations of the edifice of thine affairs will be
strengthened, and the hearts of all that are beneath thy shadow, whether
high or low, will be tranquilized. It behooveth them, however, to be
trustworthy among His servants, and to regard themselves as the
representatives of all that dwell on earth. This is what counseleth them,
in this Tablet, He Who is the Ruler, the All-Wise.... Blessed is he that
entereth the assembly for the sake of God, and judgeth between men with
pure justice. He, indeed, is of the blissful....
"Turn thou unto God and say: O my Sovereign Lord! I am but a vassal of
Thine, and Thou art, in truth, the King of kings. I have lifted my
suppliant hands unto the heaven of Thy grace and Thy bounties. Send down,
then, upon me from the clouds of Thy generosity that which will rid me of
all save Thee, and draw me nigh unto Thyself. I beseech Thee, O my Lord,
by Thy name, which Thou hast made the king of names and the manifestation
of Thyself to all who are in heaven and on earth, to rend asunder the
veils that have intervened between me and my recognition of the
Dawning-Place of Thy signs and the Dayspring of Thy Revelation. Thou art,
verily, the Almighty, the All-Powerful, the All-Bounteous. Deprive me not,
O my Lord, of the fragrances of the Robe of Thy mercy in Thy days, and
write down for me that which Thou hast written down for Thy handmaidens
who have believed in Thee and in Thy signs, and have recognized Thee, and
set their hearts towards the horizon of Thy Cause. Thou art truly the Lord
of the worlds and of those who show mercy the Most Merciful. Assist me,
then, O my God, to remember Thee amongst Thy handmaidens, and to aid Thy
Cause in Thy lands. Accept, then, that which hath escaped me when the
light of Thy countenance shone forth. Thou, indeed, hast power over all
things. Glory be to Thee, O Thou in Whose hand is the kingdom of the
heavens and of the earth."
In the Kitab-i-Aqdas, His Most Holy Book, Baha'u'llah thus addresses the
German Emperor, William I: "Say: O King of Berlin! Give ear unto the Voice
calling from this manifest Temple: Verily, there is none other God but Me,
the Everlasting, the Peerless, the Ancient of Days. Take heed lest pride
debar thee from recognizing the Dayspring of Divine Revelation, lest
earthly desires shut thee out, as by a veil, from the Lord of the Throne
above and of the earth below. Thus counseleth thee the Pen of the Most
High. He, verily, is the Most Gracious, the All-Bountiful. Do thou
remember the one whose power transcended thy power [Napoleon III], and
whose station excelled thy station. Where is he? Whither are gone the
things he possessed? Take warning, and be not of them that are fast
asleep. He it was who cast the Tablet of God behind him, when We made
known unto him what the hosts of tyranny had caused Us to suffer.
Wherefore, disgrace assailed him from all sides, and he went down to dust
in great loss. Think deeply, O King, concerning him, and concerning them
who, like unto thee, have conquered cities and ruled over men. The
All-Merciful brought them down from their palaces to their graves. Be
warned, be of them who reflect."
And further, in that same Book, this remarkable prophecy: "O banks of the
Rhine! We have seen you covered with gore, inasmuch as the swords of
retribution were drawn against you; and you shall have another turn. And
We hear the lamentations of Berlin, though she be today in conspicuous
glory."
Again in the Kitab-i-Aqdas these words, directed to Emperor Francis
Joseph, are recorded: "O Emperor of Austria! He who is the Dayspring of
God's Light dwelt in the prison of Akka, at the time when thou didst set
forth to visit the Aqsa Mosque [Jerusalem]. Thou passed Him by, and
inquired not about Him, by Whom every house is exalted, and every lofty
gate unlocked. We, verily, made it [Jerusalem] a place whereunto the world
should turn, that they might remember Me, and yet thou hast rejected Him
Who is the Object of this remembrance, when He appeared with the Kingdom
of God, thy Lord and the Lord of the worlds. We have been with thee at all
times, and found thee clinging unto the Branch and heedless of the Root.
Thy Lord, verily, is a witness unto what I say. We grieved to see thee
circle round Our Name, whilst unaware of Us, though We were before thy
face. Open thine eyes, that thou mayest behold this glorious Vision, and
recognize Him Whom thou invokest in the daytime and in the night season,
and gaze on the Light that shineth above this luminous Horizon."
In the Suriy-i-Muluk Sultan 'Abdu'l-'Aziz is addressed in the following
terms: "Hearken, O king, to the speech of Him that speaketh the truth, Him
that doth not ask thee to recompense Him with the things God hath chosen
to bestow upon thee, Him Who unerringly treadeth the straight Path. He it
is Who summoneth thee unto God, thy Lord, Who showeth thee the right
course, the way that leadeth to true felicity, that haply thou mayest be
of them with whom it shall be well.... He that giveth up himself wholly to
God, God shall, assuredly, be with him; and he that placeth his complete
trust in God, God shall, verily, protect him from whatsoever may harm him,
and shield him from the wickedness of every evil plotter.
"Wert thou to incline thine ear unto My speech and observe My counsel, God
would exalt thee to so eminent a position that the designs of no man on
the whole earth could ever touch or hurt thee. Observe, O king, with thine
inmost heart and with thy whole being, the precepts of God, and walk not
in the paths of the oppressor. Seize thou, and hold firmly within the
grasp of thy might, the reins of the affairs of thy people, and examine in
person whatever pertaineth unto them. Let nothing escape thee, for therein
lieth the highest good.
"Render thanks unto God for having chosen thee out of the whole world, and
made thee king over them that profess thy faith. It well beseemeth thee to
appreciate the wondrous favors with which God hath favored thee, and to
magnify continually His name. Thou canst best praise Him if thou lovest
His loved ones, and dost safeguard and protect His servants from the
mischief of the treacherous, that none may any longer oppress them. Thou
shouldst, moreover, arise to enforce the law of God amongst them, that
thou mayest be of those who are firmly established in His law.
"Shouldst thou cause rivers of justice to spread their waters amongst thy
subjects, God would surely aid thee with the hosts of the unseen and of
the seen, and would strengthen thee in thine affairs. No God is there but
Him. All creation and its empire are His. Unto Him return the works of the
faithful.
"Place not thy reliance on thy treasures. Put thy whole confidence in the
grace of God, thy Lord. Let Him be thy trust in whatever thou doest, and
be of them that have submitted themselves to His Will. Let Him be thy
helper and enrich thyself with His treasures, for with Him are the
treasuries of the heavens and of the earth. He bestoweth them upon whom He
will, and from whom He will He withholdeth them. There is none other God
but Him, the All-Possessing, the All-Praised. All are but paupers at the
door of His mercy; all are helpless before the revelation of His
sovereignty, and beseech His favors.
"Overstep not the bounds of moderation, and deal justly with them that
serve thee. Bestow upon them according to their needs, and not to the
extent that will enable them to lay up riches for themselves, to deck
their persons, to embellish their homes, to acquire the things that are of
no benefit unto them, and to be numbered with the extravagant. Deal with
them with undeviating justice, so that none among them may either suffer
want, or be pampered with luxuries. This is but manifest justice. Allow
not the abject to rule over and dominate them who are noble and worthy of
honor, and suffer not the high-minded to be at the mercy of the
contemptible and worthless, for this is what We observed upon Our arrival
in the City [Constantinople], and to it We bear witness....
"Set before thine eyes God's unerring Balance and, as one standing in His
Presence, weigh in that balance thine actions every day, every moment of
thy life. Bring thyself to account ere thou art summoned to a reckoning,
on the Day when no man shall have strength to stand for fear of God, the
Day when the hearts of the heedless ones shall be made to tremble....
"Thou art God's shadow on earth. Strive, therefore, to act in such a
manner as befitteth so eminent, so august a station. If thou dost depart
from following the things We have caused to descend upon thee and taught
thee, thou wilt, assuredly, be derogating from that great and priceless
honor. Return, then, and cleave wholly unto God, and cleanse thine heart
from the world and all its vanities, and suffer not the love of any
stranger to enter and dwell therein. Not until thou dost purify thine
heart from every trace of such love can the brightness of the light of God
shed its radiance upon it, for to none hath God given more than one heart.
This, verily, hath been decreed and written down in His ancient Book. And
as the human heart, as fashioned by God, is one and undivided, it
behooveth thee to take heed that its affections be, also, one and
undivided. Cleave thou, therefore, with the whole affection of thine
heart, unto His love, and withdraw it from the love of anyone besides Him,
that He may aid thee to immerse thyself in the ocean of His unity, and
enable thee to become a true upholder of His oneness....