mysteries and holy allusions enshrined in that which flowed from the
tongue of Muhammad, and as they neglected to examine the matter in their
own hearts, and followed instead those priests of error who have hindered
the progress of the people in past dispensations and who will continue to
do so in future cycles, they were thus veiled from the divine purpose,
failed to quaff from the celestial streams, and deprived themselves of the
presence of God, the Manifestation of His Essence, and the Dayspring of
His eternity. Thus did they wander in the paths of delusion and the ways
of heedlessness, and return to their abode in that fire which feedeth on
their own souls. These, verily, are numbered with the infidels whose names
have been inscribed by the Pen of God in His holy Book. Nor have they ever
found, or will ever find, a friend or helper.
55 Had these souls but clung steadfastly to the Handle of God manifested
in the Person of Muhammad, had they turned wholly unto God and cast aside
all that they had learned from their divines, He would assuredly have
guided them through His grace and acquainted them with the sacred truths
that are enshrined within His imperishable utterances. For far be it from
His greatness and His glory that He should turn away a seeker at His door,
cast aside from His Threshold one who hath set his hopes on Him, reject
one who hath sought the shelter of His shade, deprive one who hath held
fast to the hem of His mercy, or condemn to remoteness the poor one who
hath found the river of His riches. But as these people failed to turn
wholly unto God, and to hold fast to the hem of His all-pervading mercy at
the appearance of the Daystar of Truth, they passed out from under the
shadow of guidance and entered the city of error. Thus did they become
corrupt and corrupt the people. Thus did they err and lead the people into
error. And thus were they recorded among the oppressors in the books of
heaven.
56 Now that this evanescent One hath reached this exalted point in the
exposition of the inner mysteries, the reason for the denial of these
uncouth souls will be described briefly, that it may serve as a testimony
unto them that are endued with understanding and insight, and be a token
of My favour unto the concourse of the faithful.
57 Know then that when Muhammad, the Point of the Qur'an and the Light of
the All-Glorious, came with perspicuous verses and luminous proofs
manifested in such signs as are beyond the power of all existence to
produce, He bade all men follow this lofty and outstretched Path in
accordance with the precepts that He had brought from God. Whoso
acknowledged Him, recognized the signs of God in His inmost Being, and saw
in His beauty the changeless beauty of God, the decree of "resurrection",
"ingathering", "life", and "paradise" was passed upon him. For he who had
believed in God and in the Manifestation of His beauty was raised from the
grave of heedlessness, gathered together in the sacred ground of the
heart, quickened to the life of faith and certitude, and admitted into the
paradise of the divine presence. What paradise can be loftier than this,
what ingathering mightier, and what resurrection greater? Indeed, should a
soul be acquainted with these mysteries, he would grasp that which none
other hath fathomed.
58 Know then that the paradise that appeareth in the day of God surpasseth
every other paradise and excelleth the realities of Heaven. For when
God--blessed and glorified is He--sealed the station of prophethood in the
person of Him Who was His Friend, His Chosen One, and His Treasure amongst
His creatures, as hath been revealed from the Kingdom of glory: "but He is
the Apostle of God and the Seal of the Prophets",(37) He promised all men
that they shall attain unto His own presence in the Day of Resurrection.
In this He meant to emphasize the greatness of the Revelation to come, as
it hath indeed been manifested through the power of truth. And there is of
a certainty no paradise greater than this, nor station higher, should ye
reflect upon the verses of the Qur'an. Blessed be he who knoweth of a
certainty that he shall attain unto the presence of God on that day when
His Beauty shall be made manifest.
59 Were I to recount all the verses that have been revealed in connection
with this exalted theme, it would weary the reader and divert Us from Our
purpose. The following verse shall therefore suffice Us; may thine eyes be
solaced therewith, and mayest thou attain unto that which hath been
treasured and concealed therein: "It is God who hath reared the heavens
without pillars thou canst behold; then mounted His throne, and imposed
laws on the sun and moon: each travelleth to its appointed goal. He
ordereth all things. He maketh His signs clear, that ye may have firm
faith in the presence of your Lord."(38)
60 Ponder then, O My friend, the words "firm faith" that have been
mentioned in this verse. It saith that the heavens and the earth, the
throne, the sun and the moon, all have been created to the end that His
servants may have unswerving faith in His presence in His days. By the
righteousness of God! Contemplate, O My brother, the greatness of this
station, and behold the condition of the people in these days, fleeing
from the Countenance of God and His Beauty "as though they were affrighted
asses".(39) Wert thou to reflect upon that which We have revealed unto
thee, thou wouldst undoubtedly grasp Our purpose in this utterance and
discover that which We have desired to impart unto thee within this
paradise. Perchance thine eyes may rejoice in beholding it, thine ears
take delight in hearing that which is recited therein, thy soul be
enthralled by recognizing it, thy heart illumined by comprehending it, and
thy spirit gladdened by the fragrant breezes that waft therefrom. Haply
thou mayest attain unto the pinnacle of divine grace and abide within the
Ridvan of transcendent holiness.
61 He, however, who denied God in His Truth, who turned his back upon Him
and rebelled, who disbelieved and made mischief, the verdict of "impiety",
"blasphemy", "death", and "fire" was passed upon him. For, what blasphemy
is greater than to turn unto the manifestations of Satan, to follow the
doctors of oblivion and the people of rebellion? What impiety is more
grievous than to deny the Lord on the day when faith itself is renewed and
regenerated by God, the Almighty, the Beneficent? What death is more
wretched than to flee from the Source of everlasting life? What fire is
fiercer on the Day of Reckoning than that of remoteness from the divine
Beauty and the celestial Glory?
62 These were the very words and utterances used by the pagan Arabs living
in the days of Muhammad to dispute with and pronounce judgement against
Him. They said: "Those who believed in Muhammad dwelt in our midst and
associated with us day and night. When did they die and when were they
raised again to life?" Hearken unto that which was revealed in reply: "If
ever thou dost marvel, marvellous surely is their saying, 'What! When we
have become dust and mouldering bones, shall we be restored in a new
creation?'"(40) And in another passage: "And if thou shouldst say, 'After
death ye shall surely be raised again', the infidels will certainly
exclaim, 'This is naught but palpable sorcery.'"(41) Thus did they mock
and deride Him, for they had read in their Books and heard from their
divines the terms "life" and "death", and understood them as this
elemental life and physical death, and hence when they found not that
which their vain imaginings and their false and wicked minds had
conceived, they hoisted the banners of discord and the standards of
sedition and kindled the flame of war. God, however, quenched it through
the power of His might, as thou seest again in this day with these
infidels and evil-doers.
63 At this hour, when the sweet savours of attraction have wafted over Me
from the everlasting city, when transports of yearning have seized Me from
the land of splendours at the dawning of the Daystar of the worlds above
the horizon of 'Iraq, and the sweet melodies of Hijaz have brought to Mine
ears the mysteries of separation, I have purposed to relate unto thine
eminence a portion of that which the Mystic Dove hath warbled in the
midmost heart of Paradise as to the true meaning of life and death, though
the task be impossible. For were I to interpret these words for thee as it
hath been inscribed in the Guarded Tablets, all the books and pages of the
world could not contain it, nor could the souls of men bear its weight. I
shall nonetheless mention that which beseemeth this day and age, that it
might serve as a guidance unto whosoever desireth to gain admittance into
the retreats of glory in the realms above, to hearken unto the melodies of
the spirit intoned by this divine and mystic bird, and to be numbered with
those who have severed themselves from all save God and who in this day
rejoice in the presence of their Lord.
64 Know then that "life" hath a twofold meaning. The first pertaineth to
the appearance of man in an elemental body, and is as manifest to thine
eminence and to others as the midday sun. This life cometh to an end with
physical death, which is a God-ordained and inescapable reality. That
life, however, which is mentioned in the Books of the Prophets and the
Chosen Ones of God is the life of knowledge; that is to say, the servant's
recognition of the sign of the splendours wherewith He Who is the Source
of all splendour hath Himself invested him, and his certitude of attaining
unto the presence of God through the Manifestations of His Cause. This is
that blessed and everlasting life that perisheth not: whosoever is
quickened thereby shall never die, but will endure as long as His Lord and
Creator will endure.
65 The first life, which pertaineth to the elemental body, will come to an
end, as hath been revealed by God: "Every soul shall taste of death."(42)
But the second life, which ariseth from the knowledge of God, knoweth no
death, as hath been revealed aforetime: "Him will We surely quicken to a
blessed life."(43) And in another passage concerning the martyrs: "Nay,
they are alive and sustained by their Lord."(44) And from the Traditions:
"He who is a true believer liveth both in this world and in the world to
come."(45) Numerous examples of similar words are to be found in the Books
of God and of the Embodiments of His justice. For the sake of brevity,
however, We have contented Ourself with the above passages.
66 O My brother! Forsake thine own desires, turn thy face unto thy Lord,
and walk not in the footsteps of those who have taken their corrupt
inclinations for their god, that perchance thou mayest find shelter in the
heart of existence, beneath the redeeming shadow of Him Who traineth all
names and attributes. For they who turn away from their Lord in this day
are in truth accounted amongst the dead, though to outward seeming they
may walk upon the earth, amongst the deaf, though they may hear, and
amongst the blind, though they may see, as hath been clearly stated by Him
Who is the Lord of the Day of Reckoning: "Hearts have they with which they
understand not, and eyes have they with which they see not...."(46) They
walk the edge of a treacherous bank and tread the brink of a fiery
abyss.(47) They partake not of the billows of this surging and
treasure-laden Ocean, but disport themselves with their own idle words.
67 In this connection We will relate unto thee that which was revealed of
old concerning "life", that perchance it may turn thee away from the
promptings of self, deliver thee from the narrow confines of thy prison in
this gloomy plane, and aid thee to become of them that are guided aright
in the darkness of this world.
68 He saith, and He, verily, speaketh the truth: "Shall the dead whom We
have quickened, and for whom We have ordained a light whereby he may walk
amongst men, be like him whose likeness is in the darkness, whence he will
not come forth?"(48) This verse was revealed with respect to Hamzih and
Abu-Jahl, the former of whom was a believer whilst the latter disbelieved.
Most of the pagan leaders mocked and derided it, were agitated, and
clamoured: "How did Hamzih die? And how was he restored to his former
life?" Were ye to examine carefully the verses of God, ye would find many
such statements recorded in the Book.
69 Would that pure and stainless hearts could be found, that I might
impart unto them a sprinkling from the oceans of knowledge which My Lord
hath bestowed upon Me, so that they may soar in the heavens even as they
walk upon the earth and speed over the waters even as they course the
land, and that they may take up their souls in their hands and lay them
down in the path of their Creator. Howbeit, leave hath not been granted to
divulge this mighty secret. Indeed, it hath been from everlasting a
mystery enshrined within the treasuries of His power and a secret
concealed within the repositories of His might, lest His faithful servants
forsake their own lives in the hope of attaining this most great station
in the realms of eternity. Nor shall they who wander in this oppressive
darkness ever attain unto it.
70 O My brother! At every juncture We have restated Our theme, that all
that hath been recorded in these verses may, by the leave of God, be made
clear unto thee, and that thou mayest become independent of those who are
plunged in the darkness of self and who tread the valley of arrogance and
pride, and be of them that move within the paradise of everlasting life.
71 Say: O people! The Tree of Life hath verily been planted in the heart
of the heavenly paradise and bestoweth life in every direction. How can ye
fail to perceive and recognize it? It will in truth aid thee to grasp all
that this well-assured Soul hath disclosed unto thee of the essence of the
divine mysteries. The Dove of holiness warbleth in the heaven of
immortality and admonisheth thee to array thyself with a new vesture,
wrought of steel to shield thee from the shafts of doubt concealed in the
allusions of men, saying: "Except a man be born of water and of the
Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the
flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not
that I said unto thee, ye must be born again."(49)
72 Wing then thy flight unto this divine Tree and partake of its fruits.
Gather up that which hath fallen therefrom and guard it faithfully.
Meditate then upon the utterance of one of the Prophets as He intimated to
the souls of men, through veiled allusions and hidden symbols, the
glad-tidings of the One Who was to come after Him, that thou mayest know
of a certainty that their words are inscrutable to all save those who are
endued with an understanding heart. He saith: "His eyes were as a flame of
fire", and "brass-like were His feet", and "out of His mouth goeth a
two-edged sword".(50) How could these words be literally interpreted? Were
anyone to appear with all these signs, he would assuredly not be human.
And how could any soul seek his company? Nay, should he appear in one
city, even the inhabitants of the next would flee from him, nor would any
soul dare approach him! Yet, shouldst thou reflect upon these statements,
thou wouldst find them to be of such surpassing eloquence and clarity as
to mark the loftiest heights of utterance and the epitome of wisdom.
Methinks it is from them that the suns of eloquence have appeared and the
stars of clarity have dawned forth and shone resplendent.
73 Behold, then, the foolish ones of bygone times and those who, in this
day, await the advent of such a being! Nor would they ever bear allegiance
unto him except that he appear in the aforementioned form. And as such a
being will never appear, so too will they never believe. Such indeed is
the measure of the understanding of these perverse and ungodly souls! How
could those who fail to understand the most evident of the evident and the
most manifest of the manifest ever apprehend the abstruse realities of the
divine precepts and the essence of the mysteries of His everlasting
wisdom?
74 I shall now briefly explain the true meaning of this utterance, that
thou mayest discover its hidden mysteries and be of them that perceive.
Examine then and judge aright that which We shall reveal unto thee, that
haply thou mayest be accounted in the sight of God amongst those who are
fair-minded in these matters.
75 Know then that He who uttered these words in the realms of glory meant
to describe the attributes of the One Who is to come in such veiled and
enigmatic terms as to elude the understanding of the people of error. Now,
when He saith: "His eyes were as a flame of fire", He alludeth but to the
keenness of sight and acuteness of vision of the Promised One, Who with
His eyes burneth away every veil and covering, maketh known the eternal
mysteries in the contingent world, and distinguisheth the faces that are
obscured with the dust of hell from those that shine with the light of
paradise.(51) Were His eyes not made of the blazing fire of God, how could
He consume every veil and burn away all that the people possess? How could
He behold the signs of God in the Kingdom of His names and in the world of
creation? How could He see all things with the all-perceiving eye of God?
Thus have we conferred upon Him a penetrating vision in this day. Would
that ye believe in the verses of God! For, indeed, what fire is fiercer
than this flame that shineth in the Sinai of His eyes, whereby He
consumeth all that hath veiled the peoples of the world? Immeasurably
exalted shall God remain above all that hath been revealed in His unerring
Tablets concerning the mysteries of the beginning and the end until that
day when the Crier will cry out, the day whereon we shall all return unto
Him.
76 As to the words "brass-like were His feet", by this is meant His
constancy upon hearing the call of God that commandeth Him: "Be thou
steadfast as thou hast been bidden."(52) He shall so persevere in the
Cause of God, and evince such firmness in the path of His might, that even
if all the powers of earth and heaven were to deny Him, He would not waver
in the proclamation of His Cause, nor flee from His command in the
promulgation of His Laws. Nay rather, He will stand as firm as the highest
mountains and the loftiest peaks. He will remain immovable in His
obedience to God and steadfast in revealing His Cause and proclaiming His
Word. No obstacle will hinder Him, nor will the censure of the froward
deter Him or the repudiation of the infidels cause Him to waver. All the
hatred, the rejection, the iniquity, and the unbelief that He witnesseth
serve but to strengthen His love for God, to augment the yearning of His
heart, to heighten the exultation of His soul, and to fill His breast with
passionate devotion. Hast thou ever seen in this world brass stronger, or
blade sharper, or mountain more unyielding than this? He shall verily
stand upon His feet to confront all the inhabitants of the earth, and will
fear no one, notwithstanding that which, as thou well knowest, the people
are wont to commit. Glory be to God, Who hath established Him and called
Him forth! Potent is God to do what He pleaseth. He, in truth, is the Help
in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
77 And further He saith: "Out of his mouth goeth a two-edged sword." Know
thou that since the sword is an instrument that divideth and cleaveth
asunder, and since there proceedeth from the mouth of the Prophets and the
Chosen Ones of God that which separateth the believer from the infidel and
the lover from the beloved, this term hath been so employed, and apart
from this dividing and separating no other meaning is intended. Thus, when
He Who is the Primal Point and the eternal Sun desireth, by the leave of
God, to gather together all creation, to raise them up from the graves of
their own selves, and to divide them one from another, He shall pronounce
but one verse from Him, and this verse will distinguish truth from error
from this day unto the Day of Resurrection. What sword is sharper than
this heavenly sword, what blade more trenchant than this incorruptible
steel that severeth every tie and separateth thereby the believer from the
infidel, father from son, brother from sister, and lover from beloved?(53)
For whoso believeth in that which hath been revealed unto him is a true
believer and whoso turneth away is an infidel, and such an irrevocable
separation occurreth between them that they will cease to consort and
associate with each other in this world. And so it is between father and
son, for should the son believe and the father deny, they will be severed
and forever dissociated from each other. Nay rather, thou witnesseth how
the son slayeth the father and the father the son. Consider in the same
light all that We have explained and related unto thee.
78 Wert thou to behold all things with the eye of discernment, thou
wouldst indeed see that this divine sword doth cleave asunder generations.
Would that ye could understand it! All this is by virtue of the word of
separation that is manifested on the Day of Judgement and Separation, were
the people to take heed in the days of their Lord. Nay, couldst thou but
sharpen thy sight and refine thy heart, thou wouldst witness that all the
material swords which in every day and age have slain the infidels and
waged war against the impious proceed from this divine and invisible
sword. Open then thine eyes, that thou mayest behold all that We have
revealed to thee and attain unto that which none other hath attained. We
verily exclaim: "Praise be to God, He Who is the Lord of the Day of
Reckoning!"(54)
79 Yea, inasmuch as these people have failed to acquire true knowledge
from its source and wellspring, and from the ocean of fresh and
soft-flowing waters that stream, by the leave of God, through hearts that
are pure and stainless, they have been veiled from that which God hath
intended by those words and allusions and have remained confined within
the prison of their own selves.
80 We render thanks unto God for that which He hath bestowed upon us of
His grace. He it is Who hath caused us to be assured of the truth of His
Faith--a Faith which the combined forces of earth and heaven are powerless
to resist. He it is Who hath enabled us to acknowledge Him in the day of
His presence, to testify unto Him Whom God shall make manifest in the
latter Resurrection, and to be among them that have believed in Him ere
His appearance, that His favour may be made complete unto us and unto all
mankind.
81 But hear, O My brother, My plaint against them that claim to be
associated with God and with the Manifestations of His knowledge, and yet
follow their corrupt inclinations, consume the substance of their
neighbour, are given to wine, commit murder, defraud and slander each
other, hurl calumnies against God, and are wont to speak falsely. The
people attribute all these deeds unto Us, whilst their perpetrators remain
shameless before God. They cast aside that which He hath enjoined upon
them and commit that which He hath forbidden. Yet it behoveth the people
of truth that the signs of humility should shine upon their faces, that
the light of sanctity should radiate from their countenances, that they
should walk upon the earth as though they were in the presence of God and
distinguish themselves in their deeds from all the dwellers of the earth.
Such must be their state that their eyes should behold the evidences of
His might, their tongues and hearts make mention of His name, their feet
be set towards the lands of His nearness, and their hands take fast hold
upon His precepts. And were they to pass through a valley of pure gold and
mines of precious silver, they should regard them as wholly unworthy of
their attention.
82 These people, however, have turned aside from all this and placed
instead their affections upon that which accordeth with their own corrupt
inclinations. Thus do they roam in the wilderness of arrogance and pride.
I bear witness at this moment that God is wholly quit of them, and
likewise are We. We beseech God to suffer Us not to associate with them
either in this life or in the life to come. He, verily, is the Eternal
Truth. No God is there but Him, and His might is equal to all things.