shine resplendent throughout the earth, so that no trace of the ungodly
may remain.
I beg forgiveness of Thee, O My Lord, for that which I have uttered in Thy
Epistle, and I repent unto Thee. I am but one of Thy servants who give
praise to Thee. Glorified art Thou; no God is there but Thee. In Thee have
I placed My whole trust and of Thee do I beg pardon for being a suppliant
at Thy door.
Sanctified is God thy Lord, the Lord of the Mighty Throne, from that which
the people wrongfully and without the guidance of His lucid Book, affirm
of Him. Peace be upon them that beseech forgiveness from God thy Lord,
saying: 'Verily, praise be unto God, the Lord of the worlds.'
Extracts From A Tablet Containing Words Addressed To The Sherif Of Mecca
O Sherif!... All thy life thou hast accorded worship unto Us, but when We
manifested Ourself unto thee, thou didst desist from bearing witness unto
Our Remembrance, and from affirming that He is indeed the Most Exalted,
the Sovereign Truth, the All-Glorious. Thus hath Thy Lord put thee to
proof in the Day of Resurrection. Verily He is the All-Knowing, the
All-Wise.
For hadst thou uttered 'Here am I' at the time We sent thee the Book, We
would have admitted thee to the company of such of Our servants as truly
believe, and would have graciously praised thee in Our Book, until the Day
when all men shall appear before Us for judgement. This is in truth far
more advantageous unto thee than all the acts of worship thou hast
performed for thy Lord during all thy life, nay, from the beginning that
hath no beginning. Assuredly this is what would have served and will ever
serve thy best interests. Verily We are cognizant of all things. Yet
notwithstanding that We had called thee into being for the purpose of
attaining Our presence in the Day of Resurrection, thou didst shut thyself
out from Us without any reason or explicit Writ; whereas hadst thou been
among such as are endowed with the knowledge of the Bayan, thou wouldst
have, at the sight of the Book, testified forthwith that there is no God
but Him, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting, and wouldst have affirmed
that He Who hath revealed the Qur'an, hath likewise revealed this Book,
that every word of it is from God, and unto it we all bear allegiance.
However, that which was preordained hath come to pass. Shouldst thou
return unto Us while revelation still continueth through Us, We shall
transform thy fire into light. Truly We are powerful over all things. But
if thou failest in this task, thou shalt find no way open to thee other
than to embrace the Cause of God and to implore that the matter of thine
allegiance be brought to the attention of Him Whom God shall make
manifest, that He may graciously enable thee to prosper and cause thy fire
to be transformed into light. This is that which hath been sent down unto
Us. Should this not come to pass, whatever We have set down shall remain
binding and irrevocably decreed by God, the Help in Peril, the
Self-Subsisting, and We shall therefore banish thee from Our presence as a
token of justice on Our part. Verily we are equitable in Our judgement.
Address To A Muslim Divine
O 'Abdu's-Sahib! Verily God and every created thing testify that there is
none other God but Me, the Almighty, the Best Beloved...
Thy vision is obscured by the belief that divine revelation ended with the
coming of Muhammad, and unto this We have borne witness in Our first
epistle. Indeed, He Who hath revealed verses unto Muhammad, the Apostle of
God, hath likewise revealed verses unto 'Ali-Muhammad. For who else but
God can reveal to a man such clear and manifest verses as overpower all
the learned? Since thou hast acknowledged the revelation of Muhammad, the
Apostle of God, then there is no other way open before thee but to testify
that whatever is revealed by the Primal Point hath also proceeded from
God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. Is it not true that the
Qur'an hath been sent down from God and that all men are powerless before
its revelation? Likewise these words have also been revealed by God, if
thou dost but perceive. What is there in the Bayan which keepeth thee back
from recognizing these verses as being sent forth by God, the
Inaccessible, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious?
The essence of these words is this: Were We to bring thee to a reckoning,
thou wouldst prove thyself empty-handed; We in truth know all things.
Hadst thou uttered 'yea' on hearing the Words of God, thou wouldst have
been seen to have been worshipping God from the beginning that hath no
beginning until the present day, never to have disobeyed Him, not even for
the twinkling of an eye. Yet, neither the upright deeds thou hast wrought
during all thy life, nor the exertions thou didst make to banish every
thought from thy heart save that of the good-pleasure of God, none of
these did in truth profit thee, not even to the extent of a grain of
mustard seed, inasmuch as thou didst veil thyself from God and tarried
behind at the time of His manifestation.
Verily all the divines in the land of Kaf [Kufih] shall, even as thyself,
be asked by God: 'Is it not strange that a Messenger should have come to
you with a Book, and ye, while confessing your powerlessness, refused to
follow the Faith of God which He had brought, and ye persisted in your
disbelief?' Therefore unto thee shall be assigned the fire which was meant
for those who turned away from God in that land, inasmuch as thou art
their leader; would that thou might be of them who heed.
Hadst thou faithfully obeyed the Decree of God, all the inhabitants of thy
land would have followed thee, and would have themselves entered into the
celestial Paradise, content with the good-pleasure of God for evermore.
However, on that day thou shalt wish that God had not created thee.
Thou hast set thyself up as one of the learned in the Faith of Islam, that
thou mightest save the believers, yet thou didst cause thy followers to
descend into the fire, for when the verses of God were sent forth thou
didst deprive thyself therefrom and yet reckoned thyself to be of the
righteous... Nay, by the life of Him Whom God shall make manifest! Neither
thou nor any one among His servants can produce the slightest proof, while
God shineth resplendent above His creatures and through the power of His
behest standeth supreme over all that dwell in the kingdoms of heaven and
earth and in whatever lieth between them. Verily He is potent over all
created things.
Thou hath named thyself 'Abdu's Sahib [servant of the Lord]. Yet, while
God hath, in very truth, made thy Lord manifest, and thou didst set thine
eyes upon Him, thou didst not recognize Him, even though thou hadst been
called into being by God for the purpose of attaining His presence, didst
thou but truly believe in the third verse of the chapter entitled
'Thunder'.(8)
Thou contendest, 'How can we recognize Him when we have heard naught but
words which fall short of irrefutable proofs?' Yet since thou hast
acknowledged and recognized Muhammad, the Apostle of God, through the
Qur'an, how canst thou withhold recognition from Him Who sent thee the
Book, despite thy calling thyself 'His servant'? Verily He doth exercise
undisputed authority over His revelations unto all mankind.
Wert thou to come unto Us while divine revelation is descending upon Us,
haply God will change thy fire into light. Verily He is the
Ever-Forgiving, the Most Generous. Otherwise that which hath been revealed
is decisive and final and will be faithfully upheld by all until the Day
of Resurrection... If divine revelation ceaseth, thou shouldst write a
petition to Him Whom God shall make manifest, imploring that it be
delivered into His presence. Therein thou must beg pardon of thy Lord,
turn unto Him in repentance and be of them that are wholly devoted to Him.
Perchance God will transform thy fire into light at the next Resurrection.
He, of a truth, is the Protector, the Most Exalted, the Ever-Forgiving.
Unto Him bow down in worship all that are in the heavens and on the earth
and whatever lieth between them; and unto Him shall all return.
We enjoin thee to save thyself and all the inhabitants of that land from
the fire, then to enter the peerless and exalted Paradise of His
good-pleasure. Otherwise the day is approaching when thou shalt perish and
enter the fire, when thou shalt have neither patron nor helper from God.
We have taken compassion on thee, as a sign of Our grace, inasmuch as thou
hast related thyself unto Us. Verily We are aware of all things. We are
cognizant of thy righteous deeds, though they shall avail thee nothing;
for the whole object of such righteousness is but recognition of God, thy
Lord, and undoubted faith in the Words revealed by Him.
Address To Sulayman, One Of The Muslim Divines In The Land Of Masqat
This is an Epistle from God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting, unto
Sulayman in the land of Masqat, to the right of the Sea. In truth there is
none other God but Him, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting... Indeed,
were all the inhabitants of heaven and earth and whatever existeth between
them to assemble together, they would utterly fail and be powerless to
produce such a book, even though We made them masters of eloquence and
learning on earth. Since thou dost adduce proofs from the Qur'an, God
shall, with proofs from that self-same Book, vindicate Himself in the
Bayan. This is none other than a decree of God; He is truly the
All-Knowing, the All-Powerful.
If thou art of them that truly believe, thou hast no other alternative
than to bear allegiance unto it. This is the Way of God for all the
inhabitants of earth and heaven and all that lieth betwixt them. No God is
there but Me, the Almighty, the Inaccessible, the Most Exalted.
From this land We then proceeded to the sacred House, and on Our return
journey We landed once again at this spot, when We perceived that thou
hadst heeded not that which We sent thee, nor art thou of them that truly
believe. Although We had created thee to behold Our countenance, and We
did actually alight in thy locality, yet thou didst fail to attain the
object of thy creation, and this despite thy worshipping God all thy life.
Wherefore vain shall be the deeds thou hast wrought, by reason of thy
being shut out as by a veil from Our presence and from Our Writings. This
is an irrevocable decree ordained by Us. Verily We are equitable in Our
judgement.
Hadst thou observed the contents of the Epistle We sent unto thee, it
would have been far more profitable to thee than worshipping thy Lord from
the beginning that hath no beginning until this day, and indeed more
meritorious than proving thyself wholly devoted in thine acts of worship.
And hadst thou attained the presence of thy Lord in this land, and been of
them that truly believe that the Face of God is beheld in the person of
the Primal Point, it would have been far more advantageous than
prostrating thyself in adoration from the beginning that hath no beginning
until the present time....
In truth We tested thee and found that thou wert not of them that are
endowed with understanding, wherefore We passed upon thee the sentence of
negation, as a token of justice from Our presence; and verily We are
equitable.
However, shouldst thou return unto Us, We would convert thy negation into
affirmation. Verily We are the One Who is of immense bounteousness. But
should the Primal Point cease to be with you, then the judgement given in
the Words of God shall be final and unalterable and every one will
assuredly uphold it.
Wert thou to address a letter to Him Whom God shall make manifest, begging
that it be delivered unto His presence, perchance He would graciously
forgive thee and, at His behest, turn thy negation into affirmation. He is
in truth the All-Bountiful, the Most Generous, He Whose grace is infinite.
Otherwise, no way shalt thou find open unto thee and no benefit shalt thou
gain from the deeds thou hast wrought, by reason of thy failure to respond
'yea, here am I'. Verily We have reduced thee and thy works to naught, as
though thou hadst never come into existence nor ever been of them that do
good works, that this may serve as a lesson for those unto whom the Bayan
is given, that they may take good heed when the sacred Writings of Him
Whom God shall make manifest will reach them and perchance, by pondering
upon them, may be enabled to save their own souls.
Our grace assuredly pervadeth all that dwell in the kingdoms of earth and
heaven and in whatever lieth between them, and beyond them all mankind.
However, souls that have shut themselves out as by a veil can never
partake of the outpourings of the grace of God.
2: EXCERPTS FROM THE QAYYUMU'L-ASMA
"All praise be to God Who hath, through the ..."
All praise be to God Who hath, through the power of Truth, sent down this
Book unto His servant, that it may serve as a shining light for all
mankind... Verily this is none other than the sovereign Truth; it is the
Path which God hath laid out for all that are in heaven and on earth. Let
him then who will, take for himself the right path unto his Lord. Verily
this is the true Faith of God, and sufficient witness are God and such as
are endowed with the knowledge of the Book. This is indeed the eternal
Truth which God, the Ancient of Days, hath revealed unto His omnipotent
Word--He Who hath been raised up from the midst of the Burning Bush. This
is the Mystery which hath been hidden from all that are in heaven and on
earth, and in this wondrous Revelation it hath, in very truth, been set
forth in the Mother Book by the hand of God, the Exalted...
O concourse of kings and of the sons of kings! Lay aside, one and all,
your dominion which belongeth unto God...
Let not thy sovereignty deceive thee, O _Sh_ah, for 'every soul shall
taste of death,'(9) and this, in very truth, hath been written down as a
decree of God. _Chapter I._
"O King of Islam! Aid thou, with the truth, after having ..."
O King of Islam! Aid thou, with the truth, after having aided the Book,
Him Who is Our Most Great Remembrance, for God hath, in very truth,
destined for thee, and for such as circle round thee, on the Day of
Judgement, a responsible position in His Path. I swear by God, O _Sh_ah!
If thou showest enmity unto Him Who is His Remembrance, God will, on the
Day of Resurrection, condemn thee, before the kings, unto hell-fire, and
thou shalt not, in very truth, find on that Day any helper except God, the
Exalted. Purge thou, O _Sh_ah, the Sacred Land [Tihran] from such as have
repudiated the Book, ere the day whereon the Remembrance of God cometh,
terribly and of a sudden, with His potent Cause, by the leave of God, the
Most High. God, verily, hath prescribed to thee to submit unto Him Who is
His Remembrance, and unto His Cause, and to subdue, with the truth and by
His leave, the countries, for in this world thou hast been mercifully
invested with sovereignty, and wilt, in the next, dwell, nigh unto the
Seat of Holiness, with the inmates of the Paradise of His good-pleasure...
By God! If ye do well, to your own behoof will ye do well; and if ye deny
God and His signs, We, in very truth, having God, can well dispense with
all creatures and all earthly dominion. _Chapter I._
"Be thou content with the commandment of God, the ..."
Be thou content with the commandment of God, the True One, inasmuch as
sovereignty, as recorded in the Mother Book by the hand of God, is surely
invested in Him Who is His Remembrance...
O Minister of the _Sh_ah! Fear thou God, besides Whom there is none other
God but Him, the Sovereign Truth, the Just, and lay aside thy dominion,
for We, by the leave of God, the All-Wise, inherit the earth and all who
are upon it,(10) and He shall rightfully be a witness unto thee and unto
the _Sh_ah. Were ye to obey the Remembrance of God with absolute
sincerity, We guarantee, by the leave of God, that on the Day of
Resurrection, a vast dominion shall be yours in His eternal Paradise.
Vain indeed is your dominion, for God hath set aside earthly possessions
for such as have denied Him; for unto Him Who is your Lord shall be the
most excellent abode, He Who is, in truth, the Ancient of Days....
O concourse of kings! Deliver with truth and in all haste the verses sent
down by Us to the peoples of Turkey and of India, and beyond them, with
power and with truth, to lands in both the East and the West.... And know
that if ye aid God, He will, on the Day of Resurrection, graciously aid
you, upon the Bridge, through Him Who is His Most Great Remembrance...
O people of the earth! Whoso obeyeth the Remembrance of God and His Book
hath in truth obeyed God and His chosen ones and he will, in the life to
come, be reckoned in the presence of God among the inmates of the Paradise
of His good-pleasure. _Chapter I._
"Verily We made the revelation of verses to be a testimony ..."
Verily We made the revelation of verses to be a testimony for Our message
unto you. Can ye produce a single letter to match these verses? Bring
forth, then, your proofs, if ye be of those who can discern the one true
God. I solemnly affirm before God, should all men and spirits combine to
compose the like of one chapter of this Book, they would surely fail, even
though they were to assist one another.(11)
O concourse of divines! Fear God from this day onwards in the views ye
advance, for He Who is Our Remembrance in your midst, and Who cometh from
Us, is, in very truth, the Judge and Witness. Turn away from that which ye
lay hold of, and which the Book of God, the True One, hath not sanctioned,
for on the Day of Resurrection ye shall, upon the Bridge, be, in very
truth, held answerable for the position ye occupied.... And unto you We
have sent down this Book which truly none can mistake...
O concourse of the people of the Book! Fear ye God and pride not
yourselves in your learning. Follow ye the Book which His Remembrance hath
revealed in praise of God, the True One. He Who is the Eternal Truth
beareth me witness, whoso followeth this Book hath indeed followed all the
past Scriptures which have been sent down from heaven by God, the
Sovereign Truth. Verily, He is well informed of what ye do... Such as are
the true followers of Islam would say: 'O Lord our God! We have hearkened
to the call of Thy Remembrance and obeyed Him. Forgive us our sins. Thou
art, verily, the Eternal Truth, and unto Thee, our infallible Retreat,
must we all return.'(12) _Chapter II._
"As to those who deny Him Who is the Sublime Gate of ..."
As to those who deny Him Who is the Sublime Gate of God, for them We have
prepared, as justly decreed by God, a sore torment. And He, God, is the
Mighty, the Wise.
We have, of a truth, sent down this divinely-inspired Book unto Our
Servant... Ask ye then Him Who is Our Remembrance of its interpretation,
inasmuch as He, as divinely-ordained and through the grace of God, is
invested with the knowledge of its verses...
O children of men! If ye believe in the one True God, follow Me, this Most
Great Remembrance of God sent forth by your Lord, that He may graciously
forgive you your sins. Verily He is forgiving and compassionate toward the
concourse of the faithful. We, of a truth, choose the Messengers through
the potency of Our Word, and We exalt Their offspring, some over others,
through the Great Remembrance of God as decreed in the Book and concealed
therein...
Some of the people of the city have declared: 'We are the helpers of God',
but when this Remembrance came suddenly upon them, they turned aside from
helping Us. Verily God is My Lord and your true Lord, therefore worship
Him, while this Path from 'Ali [the Bab] is none but the straight Path(13)
in the estimation of your Lord. _Chapter III._
"Unto every people We have sent down the Book in ..."
Unto every people We have sent down the Book in their own language.(14)
This Book We have, verily, revealed in the language of Our Remembrance and
it is in truth a wondrous language. He is, verily, the eternal Truth come
from God, and according to the divine judgement given in the Mother Book,
He is the most distinguished among the writers of Arabic and most eloquent
in His utterance. He is in truth the Supreme Talisman and is endowed with
supernatural powers, as set forth in the Mother Book...
O people of the city! Ye have disbelieved your Lord. If ye are truly
faithful to Muhammad, the Apostle of God and the Seal of the Prophets, and
if ye follow His Book, the Qur'an, which is free from error, then here is
the like of it--this Book, which We have, in truth and by the leave of God,
sent down unto Our Servant. If ye fail to believe in Him, then your faith
in Muhammad and His Book which was revealed in the past will indeed be
treated as false in the estimation of God. If ye deny Him, the fact of
your having denied Muhammad and His Book will, in very truth and with
absolute certainty, become evident unto yourselves. _Chapter IV._
"Fear ye God and breathe not a word concerning His ..."
Fear ye God and breathe not a word concerning His Most Great Remembrance
other than what hath been ordained by God, inasmuch as We have established
a separate covenant regarding Him with every Prophet and His followers.
Indeed, We have not sent any Messenger without this binding covenant and
We do not, of a truth, pass judgement upon anything except after the
covenant of Him Who is the Supreme Gate hath been established. Ere long
the veil shall be lifted from your eyes at the appointed time. Ye shall
then behold the sublime Remembrance of God, unclouded and vivid. _Chapter
V._
"Do men imagine that We are far distant from the people ..."
Do men imagine that We are far distant from the people of the world? Nay,
the day We cause them to be assailed by the pangs of death(15) they shall,
upon the plain of Resurrection, behold how the Lord of Mercy and His
Remembrance were near. Thereupon they shall exclaim: 'Would that we had
followed the path of the Bab! Would that we had sought refuge only with
Him, and not with men of perversity and error! For verily the Remembrance
of God appeared before us,(16) behind us, and on all sides, yet we were,
in very truth, shut out as by a veil from Him.' _Chapter VII._
"Do not say, 'How can He speak of God while in truth ..."
Do not say, 'How can He speak of God while in truth His age is no more
than twenty-five?' Give ye ear unto Me. I swear by the Lord of the heavens
and of the earth: I am verily a servant of God. I have been made the
Bearer of irrefutable proofs from the presence of Him Who is the
long-expected Remnant of God. Here is My Book before your eyes, as indeed
inscribed in the presence of God in the Mother Book. God hath indeed made
Me blessed, wheresoever I may be, and hath enjoined upon Me to observe
prayer and fortitude so long as I shall live on earth amongst you.
_Chapter IX._
"Glorified is He besides Whom there is none other God. ..."
Glorified is He besides Whom there is none other God. In His grasp He
holdeth the source of authority, and verily God is powerful over all
things. We have decreed that every long life shall in truth suffer
decline(17) and that every hardship shall be followed by ease,(18) that
perchance men may recognise the Gate of God as He Who is the eternal
Truth, and verily God shall stand as witness unto those that have
believed. _Chapter XIII._
"O ye servants of God! Verily, be not grieved if a thing ye ..."
O ye servants of God! Verily, be not grieved if a thing ye asked of Him
remaineth unanswered, inasmuch as He hath been commanded by God to observe
silence, a silence which is in truth praiseworthy. We have indeed enabled
Thee to truly see in Thy dream a measure of Our Cause, but wert Thou to
acquaint them with the hidden Mystery, they would dispute its truth among
themselves. Verily Thy Lord, the God of truth, knoweth the very secrets of
hearts(19) ...
O peoples of the world! Whatsoever ye have offered up in the way of the
One True God, ye shall indeed find preserved by God, the Preserver, intact
at God's Holy Gate. O peoples of the earth! Bear ye allegiance unto this
resplendent light wherewith God hath graciously invested Me through the
power of infallible Truth, and walk not in the footsteps of the Evil
One,(20) inasmuch as he prompteth you to disbelieve in God, your Lord, and
verily God will not forgive disbelief in Himself, though He will forgive
other sins to whomsoever He pleaseth.(21) Indeed His knowledge embraceth
all things... _Chapter XVII._