powerful sovereigns ruling the world. None of them hath been informed of
His [the Bab's] Manifestation, and if informed, none hath believed in Him.
Who knoweth, they may leave this world below full of desire, and without
having realized that the thing for which they were waiting had come to
pass. This is what happened to the monarchs that held fast unto the
Gospel. They awaited the coming of the Prophet of God [Muhammad], and when
He did appear, they failed to recognize Him. Behold how great are the sums
which these sovereigns expend without even the slightest thought of
appointing an official charged with the task of acquainting them in their
own realms with the Manifestation of God! They would thereby have
fulfilled the purpose for which they have been created. All their desires
have been and are still fixed upon leaving behind them traces of their
names.
"Ponder likewise the Dispensation of the Apostle of God ..."
Ponder likewise the Dispensation of the Apostle of God which lasted twelve
hundred and seventy years(67) till the dawn of the manifestation of the
Bayan. He directed everyone to await the advent of the Promised Qa'im. All
deeds which in the Islamic Dispensation began with Muhammad should find
their consummation through the appearance of the Qa'im. God hath made Him
manifest invested with the proof wherewith the Apostle of God was
invested, so that none of the believers in the Qur'an might entertain
doubts about the validity of His Cause, for it is set down in the Qur'an
that none but God is capable of revealing verses. During the period of
1270 years no one among the followers of the Qur'an ever witnessed a
person appearing with conclusive proofs. Now the Ever-Living Lord hath
made manifest and invested with supreme testimony this long-awaited
Promised One from a place no one could imagine and from a person whose
knowledge was deemed of no account. His age is no more than twenty-five
years, yet His glory is such as none of the learned among the people of
Islam can rival; inasmuch as man's glory lieth in his knowledge. Behold
the learned who are honoured by virtue of their ability to understand the
Holy Writings, and God hath exalted them to such a degree that in
referring to them He saith: 'None knoweth the meaning thereof except God
and them that are well-grounded in knowledge.'(68) How strange then that
this twenty-five-year-old untutored one should be singled out to reveal
His verses in so astounding a manner. If the Muslim divines have cause for
pride in understanding the meaning of the Holy Writings, His glory is in
revealing the Writings, that none of them may hesitate to believe in His
Words. So great is the celestial might and power which God hath revealed
in Him that if it were His will and no break should intervene He could,
within the space of five days and nights, reveal the equivalent of the
Qur'an which was sent down in twenty-three years. Ponder thou and reflect.
Hath anyone like unto Him ever appeared in former times, or is this
characteristic strictly confined unto Him?
"Consider the manifold favours vouchsafed by the ..."
Consider the manifold favours vouchsafed by the Promised One, and the
effusions of His bounty which have pervaded the concourse of the followers
of Islam to enable them to attain unto salvation. Indeed observe how He
Who representeth the origin of creation, He Who is the Exponent of the
verse, 'I, in very truth, am God', identified Himself as the Gate [Bab]
for the advent of the promised Qa'im, a descendant of Muhammad, and in His
first Book enjoined the observance of the laws of the Qur'an, so that the
people might not be seized with perturbation by reason of a new Book and a
new Revelation and might regard His Faith as similar to their own,
perchance they would not turn away from the Truth and ignore the thing for
which they had been called into being.
"Let Me set forth some rational arguments for thee. If ..."
Let Me set forth some rational arguments for thee. If someone desireth to
embrace the Faith of Islam today, would the testimony of God prove
conclusive for him? If thou dost contend that it would not, then how is it
that God will chastise him after death, and that, while he lives, the
verdict of 'non-believer' is passed upon him? If thou affirmest that the
testimony is conclusive, how wouldst thou prove this? If thy assertion is
based on hearsay, then mere words are unacceptable as a binding testimony;
but if thou deemest the Qur'an as the testimony, this would be a weighty
and evident proof.
Now consider the Revelation of the Bayan. If the followers of the Qur'an
had applied to themselves proofs similar to those which they advance for
the non-believers in Islam, not a single soul would have remained deprived
of the Truth, and on the Day of Resurrection everyone would have attained
salvation.
Should a Christian contend, 'How can I deem the Qur'an a testimony while I
am unable to understand it?' such a contention would not be acceptable.
Likewise the people of the Qur'an disdainfully observe, 'We are unable to
comprehend the eloquence of the verses in the Bayan, how can we regard it
as a testimony?' Whoever uttereth such words, say unto him, 'O thou
untutored one! By what proof hast thou embraced the Religion of Islam? Is
it the Prophet on whom thou hast never set eyes? Is it the miracles which
thou hast never witnessed? If thou hast accepted Islam unwittingly,
wherefore hast thou done so? But if thou hast embraced the Faith by
recognizing the Qur'an as the testimony, because thou hast heard the
learned and the faithful express their powerlessness before it, or if thou
hast, upon hearing the divine verses and by virtue of thy spontaneous love
for the True Word of God, responded in a spirit of utter humility and
lowliness--a spirit which is one of the mightiest signs of true love and
understanding--then such proofs have been and will ever be regarded as
sound.'
"The recognition of Him Who is the Bearer of divine ..."
The recognition of Him Who is the Bearer of divine Truth is none other
than the recognition of God, and loving Him is none other than loving God.
However, I swear by the sublime Essence of God--exalted and glorified be
He--that I did not wish my identity to be known by men, and gave
instructions that My name should be concealed, because I was fully aware
of the incapacity of this people, who are none other than those who have,
in reference to no less a person than the Apostle of God--incomparable as
He hath ever been--remarked, 'He is certainly a lunatic'.(69) If they now
claim to be other than those people, their deeds bear witness to the
falsity of their assertions. That which God testifieth is none other than
what His supreme Testimony testifieth. Were all the peoples of the world
to testify unto a thing and were He to testify unto another, His testimony
will be regarded as God's testimony, while aught else but Him hath been
and will ever be as naught; for it is through His might that a thing
assumeth existence.
Consider the extent of the adherence of these people to matters of faith.
When dealing with their own affairs they are well content with the
testimony of two just witnesses, and yet despite the testimony of so many
righteous men they hesitate to believe in Him Who is the Bearer of the
divine Truth.
"The evidences which the people demanded from the ..."
The evidences which the people demanded from the Apostle of God through
their idle fancy have mostly been rejected in the Qur'an, even as in the
Surih of the Children of Israel [Surih XVII] it hath been revealed: 'And
they say, by no means will we believe on thee till thou cause a fountain
to gush forth for us from the earth; or till thou have a garden of palm
trees and vines, and thou cause rivers to spring forth from the midst
thereof in abundance; or thou cause the heaven to fall down upon us, as
thou hast given out, in pieces; or thou bring God and the angels to vouch
for thee; or thou have a house of gold; or thou ascend to heaven nor will
we believe in thine ascension, till thou send down to us a book which we
may read. Say, Praise be to my Lord! Am I more than a man, an apostle?'
Now be fair! The Arabs uttered such words, and now, prompted by thy
desire, thou dost demand yet other things? What is the difference between
thee and them? If thou dost ponder a while, it will be evident that it is
incumbent upon a lowly servant to acquiesce to whatever proof God hath
appointed, and not to follow his own idle fancy. If the wishes of the
people were to be gratified not a single disbeliever would remain on
earth. For once the Apostle of God had fulfilled the wishes of the people
they would unhesitatingly have embraced His Faith. May God save thee,
shouldst thou seek any evidence according to thy selfish desire; rather it
behooveth thee to uphold the unfailing proof which God hath appointed. The
object of thy belief in God is but to secure His good-pleasure. How then
dost thou seek as a proof of thy faith a thing which hath been and is
contrary to His good-pleasure?
"Rid thou thyself of all attachments to aught except God, ..."
Rid thou thyself of all attachments to aught except God, enrich thyself in
God by dispensing with all else besides Him, and recite this prayer:
Say: God sufficeth all things above all things, and nothing in the heavens
or in the earth or in whatever lieth between them but God, thy Lord,
sufficeth. Verily, He is in Himself the Knower, the Sustainer, the
Omnipotent.
Regard not the all-sufficing power of God as an idle fancy. It is that
genuine faith which thou cherishest for the Manifestation of God in every
Dispensation. It is such faith which sufficeth above all the things that
exist on the earth, whereas no created thing on earth besides faith would
suffice thee. If thou art not a believer, the Tree of divine Truth would
condemn thee to extinction. If thou art a believer, thy faith shall be
sufficient for thee above all things that exist on earth, even though thou
possess nothing.
"It is recorded in a tradition that of the entire concourse of ..."
It is recorded in a tradition that of the entire concourse of the
Christians no more than seventy people embraced the Faith of the Apostle
of God. The blame falleth upon their doctors, for if these had believed,
they would have been followed by the mass of their countrymen. Behold,
then, that which hath come to pass! The learned men of Christendom are
held to be learned by virtue of their safeguarding the teaching of Christ,
and yet consider how they themselves have been the cause of men's failure
to accept the Faith and attain unto salvation! Is it still thy wish to
follow in their footsteps? The followers of Jesus submitted to their
clerics to be saved on the Day of Resurrection, and as a result of this
obedience they eventually entered into the fire, and on the Day when the
Apostle of God appeared they shut themselves out from the recognition of
His exalted Person. Dost thou desire to follow such divines?
Nay, by God, be thou neither a divine without discernment nor a follower
without discernment, for both of these shall perish on the Day of
Resurrection. Rather it behooveth thee to be a discerning divine, or to
walk with insight in the way of God by obeying a true leader of religion.
In every nation thou beholdest unnumbered spiritual leaders who are bereft
of true discernment, and among every people thou dost encounter myriads of
adherents who are devoid of the same characteristic. Ponder for a while in
thy heart, have pity on thyself and turn not aside thine attention from
proofs and evidences. However, seek not proofs and evidences after thine
idle fancy; but rather base thy proofs upon what God hath appointed.
Moreover, know thou that neither being a man of learning nor being a
follower is in itself a source of glory. If thou art a man of learning,
thy knowledge becometh an honour, and if thou art a follower, thine
adherence unto leadership becometh an honour, only when these conform to
the good-pleasure of God. And beware lest thou regard as an idle fancy the
good-pleasure of God; it is the same as the good-pleasure of His
Messenger. Consider the followers of Jesus. They were eagerly seeking the
good-pleasure of God, yet none of them attained the good-pleasure of His
Apostle which is identical with God's good-pleasure, except such as
embraced His Faith.
"Thy letter hath been perused. Were the truth of this ..."
Thy letter hath been perused. Were the truth of this Revelation to be
fully demonstrated with elaborate proofs, all the scrolls that exist in
the heaven and on the earth would be insufficient to contain them.
However, the substance and essence of the subject is this, that there can
be no doubt that from everlasting God hath been invested with the
independent sovereignty of His exalted Being, and unto everlasting He will
remain inaccessible in the transcendent majesty of His holy Essence. No
creature hath ever recognized Him as befitteth His recognition, nor hath
any created being ever praised Him as is worthy of His praise. He is
exalted above every name, and is sanctified from every comparison. Through
Him all things are made known, while too lofty is His reality to be known
through anyone but Him. The process of His creation hath had no beginning
and can have no end, otherwise it would necessitate the cessation of His
celestial grace. God hath raised up Prophets and revealed Books as
numerous as the creatures of the world, and will continue to do so to
everlasting.
If thou art sailing upon the sea of God's Names, which are reflected in
all things, know thou that He is exalted and sanctified from being known
through His creatures, or being described by His servants. Everything thou
beholdest hath been called into being through the operation of His Will.
How can such a created thing, therefore, be indicative of His essential
oneness? God's existence in itself testifieth to His Own oneness, while
every created thing, by its very nature, beareth evidence that it hath
been fashioned by God. Such is the proof of consummate wisdom in the
estimation of those who sail the ocean of divine Truth.
If, however, thou art sailing upon the sea of creation, know thou that the
First Remembrance, which is the Primal Will of God, may be likened unto
the sun. God hath created Him through the potency of His might, and He
hath, from the beginning that hath no beginning, caused Him to be
manifested in every Dispensation through the compelling power of His
behest, and God will, to the end that knoweth no end, continue to manifest
Him according to the good-pleasure of His invincible Purpose.
And know thou that He indeed resembleth the sun. Were the risings of the
sun to continue till the end that hath no end, yet there hath not been nor
ever will be more than one sun; and were its settings to endure for
evermore, still there hath not been nor ever will be more than one sun. It
is this Primal Will which appeareth resplendent in every Prophet and
speaketh forth in every revealed Book. It knoweth no beginning, inasmuch
as the First deriveth its firstness from It; and knoweth no end, for the
Last oweth its lastness unto It.
In the time of the First Manifestation the Primal Will appeared in Adam;
in the day of Noah It became known in Noah; in the day of Abraham in Him;
and so in the day of Moses; the day of Jesus; the day of Muhammad, the
Apostle of God; the day of the 'Point of the Bayan'; the day of Him Whom
God shall make manifest; and the day of the One Who will appear after Him
Whom God shall make manifest. Hence the inner meaning of the words uttered
by the Apostle of God, 'I am all the Prophets', inasmuch as what shineth
resplendent in each one of Them hath been and will ever remain the one and
the same sun.
5: EXCERPTS FROM THE KITAB-I-ASMA (THE BOOK OF NAMES)
O ye that are invested with the Bayan! Denounce ye not one another, ere
the Day-Star of ancient eternity shineth forth above the horizon of His
sublimity. We have created you from one tree and have caused you to be as
the leaves and fruit of the same tree, that haply ye may become a source
of comfort to one another. Regard ye not others save as ye regard your own
selves, that no feeling of aversion may prevail amongst you so as to shut
you out from Him Whom God shall make manifest on the Day of Resurrection.
It behooveth you all to be one indivisible people; thus should ye return
unto Him Whom God shall make manifest.
Those who have deprived themselves of this Resurrection by reason of their
mutual hatreds or by regarding themselves to be in the right and others in
the wrong, were chastised on the Day of Resurrection by reason of such
hatreds evinced during their night.(70) Thus they deprived themselves of
beholding the countenance of God, and this for no other reason than mutual
denunciations.
O ye that are invested with the Bayan! Ye should perform such deeds as
would please God, your Lord, earning thereby the good-pleasure of Him Whom
God shall make manifest. Turn not your religion into a means of material
gain, spending your life on vanities, and inheriting thereby on the Day of
Resurrection that which would displease Him Whom God shall make manifest,
while ye deem that what ye do is right. If, however, ye observe piety in
your Faith, God will surely nourish you from the treasuries of His
heavenly grace.
Be ye sincere in your allegiance to Him Whom God shall make manifest, for
the sake of God, your Lord, that perchance ye may, through devotion to His
Faith, be redeemed on the Day of Resurrection. Beware lest ye suffer one
another to be wrapt in veils by reason of the disputes which may, during
your night, arise among you as a result of the problems ye encounter or in
consideration of such matters as your loftiness or lowliness, your
nearness or remoteness.
Thus have We firmly exhorted you--a befitting exhortation indeed--that haply
ye may cleave tenaciously unto it and attain thereby salvation on the Day
of Resurrection. The time is approaching when ye will be at peace with
yourselves in your homes, and lo, Him Whom God shall make manifest will
have appeared, and God wisheth you to return unto Him, even as God called
you into being through the Primal Point. However, all of you will seek
guidance while pursuing the promptings of your own desires. Some of you
are filled with pride by reason of your religion, others because of your
learning. Ye will, one and all, cling unto some part of the Bayan as a
means of self-glorification. XVI, 19.(71)
"God is sanctified from His servants and no direct relationship ..."
God is sanctified from His servants and no direct relationship ever
existeth between Him and any created thing, while ye have all arisen at
His bidding. Verily He is your Lord and your God, your Master and your
King. He ordaineth your movements at His behest throughout the day-time
and in the night season.
Say, He Whom God shall make manifest is indeed the Primal Veil of God.
Above this Veil ye can find nothing other than God, while beneath it ye
can discern all things emanating from God. He is the Unseen, the
Inaccessible, the Most Exalted, the Best Beloved.
If ye seek God, it behooveth you to seek Him Whom God shall make manifest,
and if ye cherish the desire to dwell in the Ark of Names, ye will be
distinguished as the guides to Him Whom God shall make manifest, did ye
but believe in Him. Verily then make your hearts the daysprings of His
exalted Names as recorded in the Book, and ye shall, even as mirrors
placed before the sun, be able to receive enlightenment. XVI, 17.
"Should a person lay claim to a cause and produce his ..."
Should a person lay claim to a cause and produce his proofs, then those
who seek to repudiate him are required to produce proofs like unto his. If
they succeed in doing so, his words will prove vain and they will prevail;
otherwise neither his words will cease nor the proofs he hath set forth
will become void. I admonish you, O ye who are invested with the Bayan, if
ye would fain assert your ascendancy, confront not any soul unless ye give
proofs similar to that which he hath adduced; for Truth shall be firmly
established, while aught else besides it is sure to perish.
How numerous the people who engaged in contests with Muhammad, the Apostle
of God, and were eventually reduced to naught, inasmuch as they were
powerless to bring forth proofs similar to that which God had sent down
unto Him. Had they been abashed and modest, and had they realized the
nature of the proofs wherewith He was invested, they would never have
challenged Him. But they regarded themselves as champions of their own
religion. Therefore God laid hold on them according to their deserts and
vindicated the Truth through the power of Truth. This is what ye clearly
perceive today in the Muhammadan Revelation.
Who is the man amongst you who can challenge the exalted Thrones of
Reality in every Dispensation, while all existence is wholly dependent
upon Them? Indeed, God hath wiped out all those who have opposed Them from
the beginning that hath no beginning until the present day and hath
conclusively demonstrated the Truth through the power of Truth. Verily, He
is the Almighty, the Omnipotent, the All-Powerful. XVII, 11.
"O Ye who are invested with the Bayan! Be ye watchful ..."
O Ye who are invested with the Bayan! Be ye watchful on the Day of
Resurrection, for on that Day ye will firmly believe in the Vahid of the
Bayan, though this, even as your past religion which proved of no avail,
can in no wise benefit you, unless ye embrace the Cause of Him Whom God
shall make manifest and believe in that which He ordaineth. Therefore take
ye good heed lest ye shut yourselves out from Him Who is the Fountain-head
of all Messengers and Scriptures, while ye hold fast to parts of the
teachings which have emanated from these sources. XVII, 15.
"Consider how at the time of the appearance of every ..."
Consider how at the time of the appearance of every Revelation, those who
open their hearts to the Author of that Revelation recognize the Truth,
while the hearts of those who fail to apprehend the Truth are straitened
by reason of their shutting themselves out from Him. However, openness of
heart is bestowed by God upon both parties alike. God desireth not to
straiten the heart of anyone, be it even an ant, how much less the heart
of a superior creature, except when he suffereth himself to be wrapt in
veils, for God is the Creator of all things.
Wert thou to open the heart of a single soul by helping him to embrace the
Cause of Him Whom God shall make manifest, thine inmost being would be
filled with the inspirations of that august Name. It devolveth upon you,
therefore, to perform this task in the Days of Resurrection, inasmuch as
most people are helpless, and wert thou to open their hearts and dispel
their doubts, they would gain admittance into the Faith of God. Therefore,
manifest thou this attribute to the utmost of thine ability in the days of
Him Whom God shall make manifest. For indeed if thou dost open the heart
of a person for His sake, better will it be for thee than every virtuous
deed; since deeds are secondary to faith in Him and certitude in His
Reality. XVII, 15.
"Take heed to carefully consider the words of every soul, ..."
Take heed to carefully consider the words of every soul, then hold fast to
the proofs which attest the truth. If ye fail to discover truth in a
person's words, make them not the object of contention, inasmuch as ye
have been forbidden in the Bayan to enter into idle disputation and
controversy, that perchance on the Day of Resurrection ye may not engage
in argumentation, and dispute with Him Whom God shall make manifest. XVII,
16.
"On the Day of Resurrection when He Whom God will ..."
On the Day of Resurrection when He Whom God will make manifest cometh unto
you, invested with conclusive proofs, ye shall hold His Cause as being
devoid of truth, whereas God hath apprised you in the Bayan that no
similarity existeth between the Cause of Him Whom God will make manifest
and the cause of others. How can anyone besides God reveal a verse such as
to overwhelm all mankind? Say, great is God! Who else but Him Whom God
will make manifest can spontaneously recite verses which proceed from His
Lord--a feat that no mortal man can ever hope to accomplish?
Truth can in no wise be confounded with aught else except itself; would
that ye might ponder His proof. Nor can error be confused with Truth, if
ye do but reflect upon the testimony of God, the True One.
How great hath been the number of those who have falsely laid claim to a
cause within Islam, and ye followed in their footsteps without having
witnessed a single proof. What evidence can ye then produce in the
presence of your Lord, if ye do but meditate a while?