The Summons of the Lord of Hosts
by Baha'u'llah
Edition 1, (October 28, 2005)
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CONTENTS
Baha'i Terms of Use
Introduction
Suriy-i-Haykal
Pope Pius IX
Napoleon III
Czar Alexander II
Queen Victoria
Nasiri'd-Din Shah
Suriy-i-Ra'is
Lawh-i-Ra'is
Lawh-i-Fu'ad
Suriy-i-Muluk
NOTE ON THE TRANSLATION
KEY TO PASSAGES TRANSLATED BY SHOGHI EFFENDI
INTRODUCTION
The years following Baha'u'llah's arrival in Adrianople witnessed His
Revelation's attainment, in the words of Shoghi Effendi, of "its meridian
glory" through the proclamation of its Founder's message to the kings and
rulers of the world. During this relatively brief but turbulent period of
the Faith's history, and in the early years of His subsequent exile in
1868 to the fortress town of 'Akka, He summoned the monarchs of East and
West collectively, and some among them individually, to recognize the Day
of God and to acknowledge the One promised in the scriptures of the
religions professed by the recipients of His summons. "Never since the
beginning of the world", Baha'u'llah declares, "hath the Message been so
openly proclaimed."
The present volume brings together the first full, authorized English
translation of these major writings. Among them is the complete
Suriy-i-Haykal, the Surih of the Temple, one of Baha'u'llah's most
challenging works. It was originally revealed during His banishment to
Adrianople and later recast after His arrival in 'Akka. In this version He
incorporated His messages addressed to individual potentates--Pope Pius IX,
Napoleon III, Czar Alexander II, Queen Victoria, and Nasiri'd-Din Shah.
It was this composite work which, shortly after its completion,
Baha'u'llah instructed be written in the form of a pentacle, symbolizing
the human temple. To it He added, as a conclusion, what Shoghi Effendi has
described as "words which reveal the importance He attached to those
Messages, and indicate their direct association with the prophecies of the
Old Testament":
Thus have We built the Temple with the hands of power and might,
could ye but know it. This is the Temple promised unto you in the
Book. Draw ye nigh unto it. This is that which profiteth you,
could ye but comprehend it. Be fair, O peoples of the earth! Which
is preferable, this, or a temple which is built of clay? Set your
faces towards it. Thus have ye been commanded by God, the Help in
Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
During the last years of His ministry Baha'u'llah Himself arranged for the
publication for the first time of definitive versions of some of His
principal works, and the Suriy-i-Haykal was awarded a prominent position
among them.
Of the various writings that make up the Suriy-i-Haykal, one requires
particular mention. The Lawh-i-Sultan, the Tablet to Nasiri'd-Din Shah,
Baha'u'llah's lengthiest epistle to any single sovereign, was revealed in
the weeks immediately preceding His final banishment to 'Akka. It was
eventually delivered to the monarch by Badi', a youth of seventeen, who
had entreated Baha'u'llah for the honour of rendering some service. His
efforts won him the crown of martyrdom and immortalized his name. The
Tablet contains the celebrated passage describing the circumstances in
which the divine call was communicated to Baha'u'llah and the effect it
produced. Here, too, we find His unequivocal offer to meet with the Muslim
clergy, in the presence of the Shah, and to provide whatever proofs of the
new Revelation they might consider to be definitive, a test of spiritual
integrity significantly failed by those who claimed to be the
authoritative trustees of the message of the Qur'an.
Included in this collection, as well, is the first full translation of the
Suriy-i-Muluk or Surih of the Kings, which Shoghi Effendi described as
"the most momentous Tablet revealed by Baha'u'llah in which He, for the
first time, directs His words collectively to the entire company of the
monarchs of East and West". It sets forth both the character of His
mission and the standard of justice that must govern the exercise of their
rule in this Day of God:
Lay not aside the fear of God, O kings of the earth, and beware
that ye transgress not the bounds which the Almighty hath fixed.
Observe the injunctions laid upon you in His Book, and take good
heed not to overstep their limits. Be vigilant, that ye may not do
injustice to anyone, be it to the extent of a grain of mustard
seed. Tread ye the path of justice, for this, verily, is the
straight path.
The Tablet introduces some of the great themes that were to figure
prominently in the Writings of Baha'u'llah over the next two and a half
decades: the obligation of those into whose hands God has entrusted civil
authority to institute the reign of justice, the necessity for the
reduction of armaments and the resolution of conflicts among nations, and
an end to the excessive expenditures that were impoverishing these rulers'
subjects.
Surveying the principal contents of Baha'u'llah's majestic call to the
kings and rulers of the world, Shoghi Effendi has written:
The magnitude and diversity of the theme, the cogency of the
argument, the sublimity and audacity of the language, arrest our
attention and astound our minds. Emperors, kings and princes,
chancellors and ministers, the Pope himself, priests, monks and
philosophers, the exponents of learning, parliamentarians and
deputies, the rich ones of the earth, the followers of all
religions, and the people of Baha--all are brought within the
purview of the Author of these Messages, and receive, each
according to their merits, the counsels and admonitions they
deserve. No less amazing is the diversity of the subjects touched
upon in these Tablets. The transcendent majesty and unity of an
unknowable and unapproachable God is extolled, and the oneness of
His Messengers proclaimed and emphasized. The uniqueness, the
universality and potentialities of the Baha'i Faith are stressed,
and the purpose and character of the Babi Revelation unfolded.
The summary draws attention to Baha'u'llah's uncompromising indictment of
the conditions of human society for which its leadership is held primarily
responsible:
Episodes, at once moving and marvellous, at various stages of His
ministry, are recounted, and the transitoriness of worldly pomp,
fame, riches, and sovereignty, repeatedly and categorically
asserted. Appeals for the application of the highest principles in
human and international relations are forcibly and insistently
made, and the abandonment of discreditable practices and
conventions, detrimental to the happiness, the growth, the
prosperity and the unity of the human race, enjoined. Kings are
censured, ecclesiastical dignitaries arraigned, ministers and
plenipotentiaries condemned, and the identification of His advent
with the coming of the Father Himself unequivocally admitted and
repeatedly announced. The violent downfall of a few of these kings
and emperors is prophesied, two of them are definitely challenged,
most are warned, all are appealed to and exhorted.
In a Tablet, the original of which has been lost, Baha'u'llah had already
condemned, in the severest terms, the misrule of the Ottoman Sultan
'Abdu'l-'Aziz. The present volume includes, however, three other Tablets
which address two ministers of the Sultan, whose selfish and unprincipled
influence played an important role in Baha'u'llah's successive
banishments. The Suriy-i-Ra'is, which addresses 'Ali Pasha, the Ottoman
Prime Minister, was revealed in August 1868 as the exiles were being moved
from Adrianople to Gallipoli, and exposes unsparingly the abuse of civil
power the minister had perpetrated. The Lawh-i-Ra'is, which also contains
passages directed to 'Ali Pasha, was revealed shortly after Baha'u'llah's
incarceration in the citadel of 'Akka and includes a chilling denunciation
of the character of the Minister. The third Tablet, the Lawh-i-Fu'ad,
revealed in 1869 shortly after the death of Fu'ad Pasha, the Ottoman
Minister to whose machinations it refers, describes the spiritual
consequences of the abuse of power, and foretells the imminent downfall of
his colleague, 'Ali Pasha, and the overthrow of the Sultan
himself--prophecies that were widely circulated and whose dramatic
fulfilment added greatly to the prestige of their Author.
It seems especially appropriate, as Baha'u'llah's influence penetrates
ever more deeply the life of the larger society throughout the world, that
the full texts of these great Tablets should now be available for a broad
readership. We express to the committees who were commissioned to
undertake and review these translations the deep gratitude we feel for the
care and sensitivity they have brought to the task. Baha'is will recognize
key passages from several of the Tablets that were introduced to the West
by Shoghi Effendi. His translations into English of the Baha'i Holy Texts
provide an enduring standard for the efforts of those who rise to the
challenge of preparing appropriate renderings into English of these
treasures of the Faith.
The Universal House of Justice
SURIY-I-HAYKAL
_This is the Surih of the Temple which God hath ordained to be the Mirror
of His Names between the heavens and the earth, and the Sign of His
Remembrance amidst the peoples of the world._
He is the Most Wondrous, the All-Glorious!
1 Glorified is He Who hath revealed His verses to those who understand.
Glorified is He Who sendeth down His verses to those who perceive.
Glorified is He Who guideth whomsoever He pleaseth unto His path. Say: I,
verily, am the Path of God unto all who are in the heavens and all who are
on the earth; well is it with them that hasten thereunto!
2 Glorified is He Who sendeth down His verses to those who comprehend.
Glorified is He Who speaketh forth from the Kingdom of His Revelation, and
Who remaineth unknown to all save His honoured servants. Glorified is He
Who quickeneth whomsoever He willeth by virtue of His word "Be", and it
is! Glorified is He Who causeth whomsoever He willeth to ascend unto the
heaven of grace, and sendeth down therefrom whatsoever He desireth
according to a prescribed measure.
3 Blessed is He Who doeth as He willeth by a word of His command. He,
verily, is the True One, the Knower of things unseen. Blessed is He Who
inspireth whomsoever He willeth with whatsoever He desireth, through His
irresistible and inscrutable command. Blessed is He Who aideth whomsoever
He desireth with the hosts of the unseen. His might is, in truth, equal to
His purpose, and He, verily, is the All-Glorious, the Self-Subsisting.
Blessed is He Who exalteth whomsoever He willeth by the power of His
sovereign might, and confirmeth whomsoever He chooseth in accordance with
His good pleasure; well is it with them that understand!
4 Blessed is He Who, in a well-guarded Tablet, hath prescribed a fixed
measure unto all things. Blessed is He Who hath revealed unto His Servant
that which shall illumine the hearts and minds of men. Blessed is He Who
hath sent down upon His Servant such tribulations as have melted the
hearts of them that dwell within the Tabernacle of eternity and the souls
of those who have drawn nigh unto their Lord. Blessed is He Who hath
showered upon His Servant, from the clouds of His decree, the darts of
affliction, and Who beholdeth Me enduring them with patience and
fortitude. Blessed is He Who hath ordained for His Servant that which He
hath destined for no other soul. He, verily, is the One, the Incomparable,
the Self-Subsisting.
5 Blessed is He Who hath caused to rain down upon His Servant from the
clouds of enmity, and at the hands of the people of denial, the shafts of
tribulation and trial; and yet seeth Our heart filled with gratitude.
Blessed is He Who hath laid upon the shoulders of His Servant the burden
of the heavens and of the earth--a burden for which We yield Him every
praise, though none may grasp this save them that are endued with
understanding. Glorified is He Who hath surrendered the embodiment of His
Beauty to the clutches of the envious and the wicked--a fate unto which We
are fully resigned, though none may perceive this save those who are
endued with insight. Glorified is He Who hath left Husayn to make His
dwelling amidst the hosts of His enemies, and exposed His body with every
breath to the spears of hatred and anger; yet do We yield Him thanks for
all that He hath destined to befall His Servant Who repaireth unto Him in
His affliction and grief.
6 While engulfed in tribulations I heard a most wondrous, a most sweet
voice, calling above My head. Turning My face, I beheld a Maiden--the
embodiment of the remembrance of the name of My Lord--suspended in the air
before Me. So rejoiced was she in her very soul that her countenance shone
with the ornament of the good pleasure of God, and her cheeks glowed with
the brightness of the All-Merciful. Betwixt earth and heaven she was
raising a call which captivated the hearts and minds of men. She was
imparting to both My inward and outer being tidings which rejoiced My
soul, and the souls of God's honoured servants.
7 Pointing with her finger unto My head, she addressed all who are in
heaven and all who are on earth, saying: By God! This is the Best-Beloved
of the worlds, and yet ye comprehend not. This is the Beauty of God
amongst you, and the power of His sovereignty within you, could ye but
understand. This is the Mystery of God and His Treasure, the Cause of God
and His glory unto all who are in the kingdoms of Revelation and of
creation, if ye be of them that perceive. This is He Whose Presence is the
ardent desire of the denizens of the Realm of eternity, and of them that
dwell within the Tabernacle of glory, and yet from His Beauty do ye turn
aside.
8 O people of the Bayan! If ye aid Him not, God will assuredly assist Him
with the powers of earth and heaven, and sustain Him with the hosts of the
unseen through His command "Be", and it is! The day is approaching when
God will have, by an act of His Will, raised up a race of men the nature
of which is inscrutable to all save God, the All-Powerful, the
Self-Subsisting. He shall purify them from the defilement of idle fancies
and corrupt desires, shall lift them up to the heights of holiness, and
shall cause them to manifest the signs of His sovereignty and might upon
earth. Thus hath it been ordained by God, the All-Glorious, the
All-Loving.
9 O people of the Bayan! Would ye deny Him Whose presence is the very
object of your creation, while ye rejoice idly upon your couches? Would ye
laugh to scorn and contend with Him, a single hair of Whose head
excelleth, in the sight of God, all that are in the heavens and all that
are on the earth? O people of the Bayan! Produce, then, that which ye
possess, that I may know by what proof ye believed aforetime in the
Manifestations of His Cause, and by what reason ye now wax so disdainful!
10 I swear by Him Who hath fashioned Me from the light of His own Beauty!
None have I ever seen that surpasseth you in heedlessness or exceedeth you
in ignorance. Ye seek to prove your faith in God through such holy Tablets
as ye possess, yet when the verses of God were revealed and His Lamp was
lighted, ye disbelieved in Him Whose very Pen hath fixed the destinies of
all things in the Preserved Tablet. Ye recite the sacred verses and yet
repudiate Him Who is their Source and Revealer. Thus hath God blinded your
eyes in requital for your deeds, would ye but understand. Day and night ye
transcribe the verses of God, and yet ye remain shut out, as by a veil,
from Him Who hath revealed them.
11 In this Day the Concourse on high beholdeth you in your evil doings and
shunneth your company, and yet ye perceive it not. They ask of one
another: "What words do these fools utter, and in what valley are they
wont to graze? Do they deny that whereunto their very souls testify, and
shut their eyes to that which they plainly behold?" I swear by God, O
people! They that inhabit the Cities of the Names of God are bewildered at
your actions, while ye roam, aimless and unconscious, in a parched and
barren land.
12 O Pen of the Most High! Hearken unto the Call of Thy Lord, raised from
the Divine Lote-Tree in the holy and luminous Spot, that the sweet accents
of Thy Lord, the All-Merciful, may fill Thy soul with joy and fervour, and
that the breezes that waft from My name, the Ever-Forgiving, may dispel
Thy cares and sorrows. Raise up, then, from this Temple, the temples of
the Oneness of God, that they may tell out, in the kingdom of creation,
the tidings of their Lord, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious, and be of
them that are illumined by His light.
13 We, verily, have ordained this Temple to be the source of all existence
in the new creation, that all may know of a certainty My power to
accomplish that which I have purposed through My word "Be", and it is!
Beneath the shadow of every letter of this Temple We shall raise up a
people whose number none can reckon save God, the Help in Peril, the
Self-Subsisting. Erelong shall God bring forth from His Temple such souls
as will remain unswayed by the insinuations of the rebellious, and who
will quaff at all times of the cup that is life indeed. These, truly, are
of the blissful.
14 These are servants who abide beneath the shelter of the tender mercy of
their Lord, and who remain undeterred by those who seek to obstruct their
path. Upon their faces may be seen the brightness of the light of the
All-Merciful, and from their hearts may be heard the remembrance of Mine
all-glorious and inaccessible Name. Were they to unloose their tongues to
extol their Lord, the denizens of earth and heaven would join in their
anthems of praise--yet how few are they who hear! And were they to glorify
their Lord, all created things would join in their hymns of glory. Thus
hath God exalted them above the rest of His creation, and yet the people
remain unaware!
15 These are they who circle round the Cause of God even as the shadow
doth revolve around the sun. Open, then, your eyes, O people of the Bayan,
that haply ye may behold them! It is by virtue of their movement that all
things are set in motion, and by reason of their stillness all things are
brought to rest, would that ye might be assured thereof! Through them the
believers in the Divine Unity have turned towards Him Who is the Object of
the adoration of the entire creation, and by them the hearts of the
righteous have found rest and composure, could ye but know it! Through
them the earth hath been established, the clouds have rained down their
bounty, and the bread of knowledge hath descended from the heaven of
grace, could ye but perceive it!
16 These souls are the protectors of the Cause of God on earth, who shall
preserve its beauty from the obscuring dust of idle fancies and vain
imaginings. In the path of their Lord they shall not fear for their lives;
rather will they sacrifice their all in their eagerness to behold the face
of their Well-Beloved when once He hath appeared in this Name, the
Almighty, the All-Powerful, the All-Glorious, the Most Holy.
17 O Living Temple! Arise by the power of Thy Self in such wise that all
created things will be moved to arise with Thee. Aid, then, Thy Lord
through such ascendancy and might as We have bestowed upon Thee. Take heed
lest Thou falter on that Day when all created things are filled with
dismay; rather be Thou the revealer of My name, the Help in Peril, the
Self-Subsisting. Assist Thy Lord to the utmost of Thine ability, and pay
no heed to the peoples of the world, for that which their mouths utter is
like unto the droning of a gnat in an endless valley. Quaff the water of
life in My name, the All-Merciful, and proffer unto the near ones amongst
the inmates of this lofty station that which shall cause them to become
detached from all names and enter beneath this blessed and
all-encompassing shadow.
18 O Living Temple! Through Thee have We gathered together all created
things, whether in the heavens or on the earth, and called them to account
for that which We had covenanted with them before the foundation of the
world. And lo, but for a few radiant faces and eloquent tongues, We found
most of the people dumbfounded, their eyes staring up in fear. From the
former We brought forth the creation of all that hath been and all that
shall be. These are they whose countenances God hath graciously turned
away from the face of the unbelievers, and whom He hath sheltered beneath
the shadow of the Tree of His own Being; they upon whose hearts He hath
bestowed the gift of peace and tranquillity, and whom He hath strengthened
and assisted through the hosts of the seen and the unseen.
19 O Eyes of this Temple! Look not upon the heavens and that which they
contain, nor upon the earth and them that dwell thereon, for We have
created you to behold Our own Beauty: See it now before you! Withhold not
your gaze therefrom, and deprive not yourselves of the Beauty of your
Lord, the All-Glorious, the Best-Beloved. Erelong shall We bring into
being through you keen and penetrating eyes that will contemplate the
manifold signs of their Creator and turn away from all that is perceived
by the people of the world. Through you shall We bestow the power of
vision upon whomsoever We desire, and lay hold upon those who have
deprived themselves of this gracious bounty. These, verily, have drunk
from the cup of delusion, though they perceive it not.
20 O Ears of this Temple! Purge yourselves from all idle clamour and
hearken unto the voice of your Lord. He, verily, revealeth unto you, from
the Throne of glory, that there is none other God save Me, the
All-Glorious, the Almighty, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
Erelong shall We bring into being through you pure and undefiled ears
which will heed the Word of God and that which hath appeared from the
Dayspring of the Utterance of your Lord, the All-Merciful. They shall
assuredly perceive the sweet accents of Divine Revelation that proceed
from these most blessed and hallowed precincts.
21 O Tongue of this Temple! We, verily, have created thee through Our
name, the All-Merciful, have taught thee whatsoever had remained concealed
in the Bayan, and have bestowed upon thee the power of utterance, that
thou mayest make mention of Mine exalted Self amidst My creatures.
Proclaim, then, this wondrous and mighty Remembrance, and fear not the
manifestations of the Evil One. Thou wert called into being for this very
purpose by virtue of My transcendent and all-compelling command. Through
thee have We unloosed the Tongue of Utterance to expound all that hath
been, and We shall again, by My sovereign power, unloose it to speak of
that which is yet to come. Erelong shall We bring into being through thee
eloquent tongues that will praise and extol Me amongst the Concourse on
high and amidst the peoples of the world. Thus have the verses of God been
revealed, and thus hath it been decreed by the Lord of all names and
attributes. Thy Lord, verily, is the True One, the Knower of things
unseen. Nothing whatsoever shall prevent these tongues from magnifying
their Creator. Through them, all created things shall arise to glorify the
Lord of names and to bear witness that there is none other God save Me,
the All-Powerful, the Most-Glorious, the Best-Beloved. Nor shall those who
make mention of Me speak aught unless they be inspired by this Tongue from
its lofty station. Few, however, are they who understand! No tongue is
there that speaketh not the praises of its Lord and maketh not mention of
His Name. Amongst the people, however, are those who understand and utter
praises, and those who utter praises, yet understand not.
22 O Maid of inner meanings! Step out of the chamber of utterance by the
leave of God, the Lord of the heavens and the earth. Reveal, then, thyself
adorned with the raiment of the celestial Realm, and proffer with thy ruby
fingers the wine of the heavenly Dominion, that haply the denizens of this
world may perceive the light that shone forth from the Kingdom of God when
the Daystar of eternity appeared above the horizon of glory. Perchance
they may arise before the dwellers of earth and heaven to extol and
magnify this Youth Who hath established Himself in the midmost heart of
Paradise upon the throne of His name, the All-Sufficing Helper--He upon
Whose countenance shineth the brightness of the All-Merciful, from Whose
gaze appear the glances of the All-Glorious, and in Whose ways are
revealed the tokens and evidences of God, the omnipotent Protector, the
Almighty, the All-Loving.
23 Grieve not if none be found to accept the crimson wine proffered by Thy
snow-white hand and to seize it in the name of Thy Lord, the Most Exalted,
the Most High--He Who hath appeared again in His name, the Most Glorious.
Leave this people unto themselves, and repair unto the Tabernacle of
majesty and glory, wherein Thou shalt encounter a people whose faces shine
as brightly as the sun in its noontide splendour, and who praise and extol
their Lord in this Name that hath arisen, in the plenitude of might and
power, to assume the throne of independent sovereignty. From their lips
Thou shalt hear naught but the strains of My glorification and praise;
unto this Thy Lord beareth Me witness. The existence of these people,
however, hath remained concealed from the eyes of all who, from
everlasting, have been created through the Word of God. Thus have We made
plain Our meaning and set forth Our verses, that perchance men may reflect
upon the signs and tokens of their Lord.
24 These are they who, in truth, were not enjoined to prostrate themselves
before Adam.(1) They have never turned away from the countenance of Thy
Lord, and partake at every moment of the gifts and delights of holiness.
Thus hath the Pen of the All-Merciful set forth the secrets of all things,
be they of the past or of the future. Would that the world might
understand! Erelong shall God make manifest this people upon the earth,
and through them shall exalt His name, diffuse His signs, uphold His
words, and proclaim His verses, in spite of those that have repudiated His
truth, gainsaid His sovereignty, and cavilled at His signs.
25 O Beauty of the All-Glorious! Shouldst Thou chance upon this people and
enter their presence, recount unto them that which this Youth hath related
unto Thee concerning Himself and the things that have befallen Him, that
they may come to know what hath been inscribed upon the Preserved Tablet.
Acquaint them with the tidings of this Youth, and with the trials and
tribulations He hath suffered, that they may become mindful of Mine
afflictions, and be of them that understand. Recount, then, unto them how
We singled out for Our favour one of Our brothers,(2) how We imparted unto
him a dewdrop from the fathomless ocean of knowledge, clothed him with the
garment of one of Our Names, and exalted him to such a station that all
were moved to extol him, and how We so protected him from the harm of the
malevolent as to disarm even the mightiest amongst them.
26 We arose before the peoples of earth and heaven at a time when all had
determined to slay us. While dwelling in their midst, We continually made
mention of the Lord, celebrated His praise, and stood firm in His Cause,
until at last the Word of God was vindicated amongst His creatures, His
signs were spread abroad, His power exalted, and His sovereignty revealed
in its full splendour. To this bear witness all His honoured servants. Yet
when My brother beheld the rising fame of the Cause, he became filled with
arrogance and pride. Thereupon he emerged from behind the veil of
concealment, rose up against Me, disputed My verses, denied My testimony,
and repudiated My signs. Nor would his hunger be appeased unless he were
to devour My flesh and drink My blood. To this testify such of God's
servants as have accompanied Him in His exile, and they that enjoy near
access unto Him.
27 To this end he conferred with one of My servants(3) and sought to win
him over to his own designs; whereupon the Lord despatched unto Mine
assistance the hosts of the seen and the unseen, protected Me by the power
of truth, and sent down upon Me that which thwarted his purpose. Thus were
foiled the plots of those who disbelieve in the verses of the
All-Merciful. They, truly, are a rejected people. When news spread of that
which the promptings of self had impelled My brother to attempt, and Our
companions in exile learned of his nefarious design, the voice of their
indignation and grief was lifted up and threatened to spread throughout
the city. We forbade, however, such recriminations, and enjoined upon them
patience, that they might be of those that endure steadfastly.
28 By God, besides Whom is none other God! We withstood all these trials
with forbearance, and enjoined upon God's servants to show forth patience
and fortitude. Removing Ourself from their midst, We took up residence in
another house, that perchance the flame of envy might be quenched in Our
brother's breast, and that he might be guided aright. We neither opposed
him, nor saw him again thereafter, but remained in Our home, placing Our
hopes in the bounty of God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. When,
however, he realized that his deed had been exposed, he seized the pen of
calumny and wrote unto the servants of God, attributing what he had
himself committed unto Mine own peerless and wronged Beauty. His purpose
was none other than to inspire mischief amongst God's servants, and to
instil hatred into the hearts of those who had believed in God, the
All-Glorious, the All-Loving.
29 By the One in Whose hand is My soul! We were dismayed by his
deceitfulness--nay, bewildered were all things visible and invisible. Nor
did he find respite from what he harboured in his bosom until he had
committed that which no pen dare describe, and by which he disgraced the
dignity of My station and profaned the sanctity of God, the Almighty, the
All-Glorious, the All-Praised. Were God to turn all the oceans of the
earth into ink and all created things into pens, they would not suffice Me
to exhaust the record of his wrongdoings. Thus do We recount that which
befell Us, that haply ye may be of them that understand.
30 O Pen of Eternity! Grieve not at the things that have befallen Thee,
for erelong shall God raise up a people who will see with their own eyes
and will recall Thy tribulations. Withhold Thy pen from the mention of
Thine enemies, and bestir it in the praise of the Eternal King. Renounce
all created things, and quaff the sealed wine of My remembrance. Beware
lest Thou become occupied with the mention of those from whom naught save
the noisome savours of enmity can be perceived, those who are so enslaved
by their lust for leadership that they would not hesitate to destroy
themselves in their desire to emblazon their fame and perpetuate their
names. God hath recorded such souls in the Preserved Tablet as mere
worshippers of names. Recount then that which Thou hast purposed for this
Temple, that its signs and tokens may be made manifest upon earth, and
that the brightness of this Light may illumine the horizons of the world
and cleanse the earth from the defilement of those who have disbelieved in
God. Thus have We set down the verses of God and made plain the matter
unto those who understand.
31 O Living Temple! Stretch forth Thy hand over all who are in heaven and
on earth, and seize within the grasp of Thy Will the reins of command. We
have, verily, placed in Thy right hand the empire of all things. Do as
Thou willest, and fear not the ignorant. Reach out to the Tablet that hath
dawned above the horizon of the pen of Thy Lord, and take hold of it with
such strength that, through Thee, the hands of all who inhabit the earth
may be enabled to lay fast hold upon it. This, in truth, is that which
becometh Thee, if Thou be of those who understand. Through the upraising
of Thy hand to the heaven of My grace, the hands of all created things
shall be lifted up to their Lord, the Mighty, the Powerful, the Gracious.
Erelong shall We raise up, through the aid of Thy hand, other hands endued
with power, with strength and might, and shall establish through them Our
dominion over all that dwell in the realms of revelation and creation.
Thus will the servants of God recognize the truth that there is none other
God beside Me, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. With these hands,
moreover, We shall both bestow and withhold, though none can understand
this save those who see with the eye of the spirit.
32 Say: O people! Can ye ever hope to escape the sovereign power of your
Lord? By the righteousness of God! No refuge will ye find in this day, and
no one to protect you, save those upon whom God hath bestowed the favour
of His mercy. He, verily, is the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Compassionate.
Say: O people! Forsake all that ye possess, and enter beneath the shadow
of your Lord, the All-Merciful. Better is this for you than all your works
of the past and of the future. Fear ye God, and deprive not yourselves of
the sweet savours of the days of the Lord of all names and attributes.
Take heed lest ye alter or pervert the text of the Word of God. Walk ye in
the fear of God, and be numbered with the righteous.
33 Say: O people! This is the Hand of God, which hath ever been above your
own hands, could ye but understand. Within its grasp We have ordained all
the good of the heavens and the earth, such that no good shall be made
manifest but that it proceedeth therefrom. Thus have We made it the source
and treasury of all good both aforetime and hereafter. Say: The rivers of
divine wisdom and utterance which flowed through the Tablets of God are
joined to this Most Great Ocean, could ye but perceive it, and whatever
hath been set forth in His Books hath attained its final consummation in
this most exalted Word--a Word shining above the horizon of the Will of the
All-Glorious in this Revelation which hath filled with delight all things
seen and unseen.
34 Erelong shall God draw forth, out of the bosom of power, the hands of
ascendancy and might, and shall raise up a people who will arise to win
victory for this Youth and who will purge mankind from the defilement of
the outcast and the ungodly. These hands will gird up their loins to
champion the Faith of God, and will, in My name the Self-Subsistent, the
Mighty, subdue the peoples and kindreds of the earth. They will enter the
cities and will inspire with fear the hearts of all their inhabitants.
Such are the evidences of the might of God; how fearful, how vehement is
His might, and how justly doth He wield it! He, verily, ruleth and
transcendeth all who are in the heavens and on the earth, and revealeth
what He desireth according to a prescribed measure.
35 Should any one of them be called upon to confront all the hosts of
creation, he would assuredly prevail through the ascendancy of My Will.
This, verily, is a proof of My power, though My creatures comprehend it
not. This, verily, is a sign of My sovereignty, though My subjects
understand it not. This, verily, is a token of My command, though My
servants perceive it not. This, verily, is an evidence of Mine ascendancy,
though none amongst the people is truly thankful for it, save those whose
eyes God hath illumined with the light of His knowledge, whose hearts He
hath made the repository of His Revelation, and upon whose shoulders He
hath placed the weight of His Cause. These shall inhale the fragrances of
the All-Merciful from the garment of His Name, and shall rejoice at all
times in the signs and verses of their Lord. As for those who disbelieve
in God, and join partners with Him, they shall indeed incur His wrath,
shall be cast into the Fire, and shall be made to dwell, fearful and
dismayed, in its depths. Thus do We expound Our verses, and make plain the
truth with clear proofs, that perchance the people may reflect upon the
signs of their Lord.
36 O Living Temple! We have, in very truth, appointed Thee to be the sign
of My majesty amidst all that hath been and all that shall be, and have
ordained Thee to be the emblem of My Cause betwixt the heavens and the
earth, through My word "Be", and it is!
37 O First Letter of this Temple, betokening the Essence of Divinity!(4)
We have made thee the treasury of My Will and the repository of My Purpose
unto all who are in the kingdoms of revelation and creation. This is but a
token of the grace of Him Who is the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
38 O Second Letter of this Temple, betokening My name, the Almighty! We
have made thee the manifestation of Our sovereignty and the dayspring of
Our Names. Potent am I to fulfil that which My tongue speaketh.
39 O Third Letter of this Temple, betokening My name, the All-Bountiful!
We have made thee the dawning-place of Our bounty amidst Our creatures and
the fountainhead of Our generosity amidst Our people. Powerful am I in My
dominion. Nothing whatsoever of all that hath been created in the heavens
or on the earth can escape My knowledge, and I am the True One, the Knower
of things unseen.
40 O Pen! Send down out of the clouds of Thy generosity that which shall
enrich all created things, and withhold not Thy favours from the world of
being. Thou, verily, art the All-Bountiful in the heaven of Thine
eternity, and the Lord of infinite grace unto all who inhabit the kingdom
of names. Look not upon the people and the things they possess; look
rather upon the wonders of Thy gifts and favours. Gather then Thy servants
beneath Thy shade that shadoweth all mankind. Stretch forth the hand of
bounty over all creation, and the fingers of bestowal over all existence.
This, verily, is that which beseemeth Thee, though the people understand
it not. Whosoever turneth his face towards Thee doeth so by Thy grace, and
as to him who turneth away, Thy Lord, in truth, is independent of all
created things. Unto this bear witness His true and devoted servants.
41 Erelong shall God raise up, through Thee, those with hands of
indomitable strength and arms of invincible might, who will come forth
from behind the veils, will render the All-Merciful victorious amongst the
peoples of the world, and will raise so mighty a cry as to cause all
hearts to tremble with fear. Thus hath it been decreed in a Written
Tablet. Such shall be the ascendancy which these souls will evince that
consternation and dismay will seize all the dwellers of the earth.
42 Beware lest ye shed the blood of anyone. Unsheathe the sword of your
tongue from the scabbard of utterance, for therewith ye can conquer the
citadels of men's hearts. We have abolished the law to wage holy war
against each other. God's mercy, hath, verily, encompassed all created
things, if ye do but understand. Aid ye your Lord, the God of Mercy, with
the sword of understanding. Keener indeed is it, and more finely tempered,
than the sword of utterance, were ye but to reflect upon the words of your
Lord. Thus have the hosts of Divine Revelation been sent down by God, the
Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting, and thus have the armies of divine
inspiration been made manifest from the Source of command, as bidden by
God, the All-Glorious, the Best-Beloved.
43 Say: The measure of all created things hath been appointed in this
concealed and manifest Temple, wherein lie enshrined the knowledge of the
heavens and the earth, and of all things past and future. The finger of
God's handiwork hath inscribed upon this Tablet that which the wisest and
most learned of men are powerless to fathom, and hath created therein
temples inscrutable to all save His own Self, could ye but apprehend this
truth. Blessed be the one who readeth it, who pondereth its contents, and
who is numbered with them that comprehend!
44 Say: Naught is seen in My temple but the Temple of God, and in My
beauty but His Beauty, and in My being but His Being, and in My self but
His Self, and in My movement but His Movement, and in My acquiescence but
His Acquiescence, and in My pen but His Pen, the Mighty, the All-Praised.
There hath not been in My soul but the Truth, and in Myself naught could
be seen but God.
45 Beware lest ye speak of duality in regard to My Self, for all the atoms
of the earth proclaim that there is none other God but Him, the One, the
Single, the Mighty, the Loving. From the beginning that hath no beginning
I have proclaimed, from the realm of eternity, that I am God, none other
God is there save Me, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting; and unto the
end that hath no end I shall proclaim, amidst the kingdom of names, that I
am God, none other God is there beside Me, the All-Glorious, the
Best-Beloved. Say: Lordship is My Name, whereof I have created
manifestations in the world of being, while We Ourself remain sanctified
above them, would ye but ponder this truth. And Godhead is My Name,
whereof We have created exponents whose power shall encompass the people
of the earth and make them true worshippers of God, could ye but recognize
it. Thus should ye regard all Our Names, if ye be endued with insight.
46 O Fourth Letter of this Temple, betokening the attribute of Grace! We
have made thee the manifestation of grace betwixt earth and heaven. From
thee have We generated all grace in the contingent world, and unto thee
shall We cause it to return. And from thee shall We manifest it again,
through a word of Our command. Potent am I to accomplish whatsoever I
desire through My word "Be", and it is! Every grace that appeareth in the
world of being hath originated from thee, and unto thee shall it return.
This, verily, is what hath been ordained in a Tablet which We have
preserved behind the veil of glory and concealed from mortal eyes. Well is
it with them that deprive themselves not of this manifest and unfailing
grace.
47 Say: In this day, the fertilizing winds of the grace of God have passed
over all things. Every creature hath been endowed with all the
potentialities it can carry. And yet the peoples of the world have denied
this grace! Every tree hath been endowed with the choicest fruits, every
ocean enriched with the most luminous gems. Man, himself, hath been
invested with the gifts of understanding and knowledge. The whole creation
hath been made the recipient of the revelation of the All-Merciful, and
the earth the repository of things inscrutable to all except God, the
Truth, the Knower of things unseen. The time is approaching when every
created thing will have cast its burden. Glorified be God Who hath
vouchsafed this grace that encompasseth all things, whether seen or
unseen! Thus have We created the whole earth anew in this day, yet most of
the people have failed to perceive it. Say: The grace of God can never be
adequately understood; how much less can His own Self, the Help in Peril,
the Self-Subsisting, be comprehended!
48 O Temple of the Cause! Grieve not if Thou findest none ready to receive
Thy gifts. Thou wast created for My sake; occupy Thyself therefore with My
praise amidst My servants. This is that which hath been ordained for Thee
in the Preserved Tablet. Having found upon the earth many a soiled hand,
We sanctified the hem of Thy garment from the profanity of their touch and
placed it beyond the reach of the ungodly. Be patient in the Cause of Thy
Lord, for erelong shall He raise up souls endowed with sanctified hearts
and illumined eyes who shall flee from every quarter unto Thine
all-encompassing and boundless grace.
49 O Temple of God! No sooner had the hosts of Divine Revelation been sent
down by the Lord of all names and attributes bearing the banners of His
signs, than the exponents of doubt and fancy were put to flight. They
disbelieved in the clear tokens of God, the Help in Peril, the
Self-Subsisting, and rose up against Him in enmity and opposition. Amongst
them were those who claimed: "These are not clear verses from God, nor do
they proceed from an innate and untaught nature." Thus do the unbelievers
seek to remedy the sickness of their hearts, utterly heedless that they
thus render themselves accursed of all who dwell in heaven and on earth.
50 Say: The Holy Spirit Itself hath been generated through the agency of a
single letter revealed by this Most Great Spirit, if ye be of them that
comprehend. And that innate and untaught nature in its essence is called
into being by the verses of God, the Help in Peril, the All-Glorious, the
Best-Beloved. Say: This nature prideth itself in its relation to Our
transcendent Truth, whilst We, for Our part, glory neither in it nor in
aught else, for all beside Myself hath been created through the potency of
My word, could ye but understand.
51 Say: We have revealed Our verses in nine different modes. Each one of
them bespeaketh the sovereignty of God, the Help in Peril, the
Self-Subsisting. A single one of them sufficeth for a proof unto all who
are in the heavens and on the earth; yet the people, for the most part,
persist in their heedlessness. Should it be Our wish, We would reveal them
in countless other modes.
52 Say: O people! Fear ye God, and allow not your tongues to utter, in
their deceitfulness, that which displeaseth Him. Stand abashed before the
One Who, as ye well know, hath created you out of a drop of water.(5) Say:
We have created all that are in heaven and on earth in the nature made by
God. Whosoever turneth unto this blessed Countenance shall manifest the
potentialities of that inborn nature, and whosoever remaineth veiled
therefrom shall be deprived of this invisible and all-encompassing grace.
Verily, there is naught from which Our favour hath been withheld, inasmuch
as We have dealt equitably in the fashioning of each and all, and by a
word of Our mouth presented unto them the trust of Our love. They that
have accepted it are indeed safe and secure, and are numbered among those
who are immune from the terrors of this Day. Those, however, who have
rejected it have, in truth, disbelieved in God, the Help in Peril, the
Self-Subsisting. Thus do We distinguish between the people and pronounce
judgement upon them. We, of a certainty, have the power to discern.
53 Say: The Word of God can never be confounded with the words of His
creatures. It is, in truth, the King of words, even as He is Himself the
sovereign Lord of all, and His Cause transcendeth all that was and all
that shall be. Enter, O people, the City of Certitude wherein the throne
of your Lord, the All-Merciful, hath been established. Thus biddeth you
the Pen of the All-Glorious, as a token of His unfailing grace. Haply ye
may not make His Revelation a cause of dissension amongst you.
54 Among the infidels are those who have repudiated His Self and risen up
against His Cause, and who claim that these divine verses are contrived.
Such also were the objections of the deniers of old, who now implore
deliverance from the Fire. Say: Woe betide you for the idle words that
proceed from your mouths! If these verses be indeed contrived, then by
what proof have ye believed in God? Produce it, if ye be men of
understanding! Whensoever We revealed Our clear verses unto such men, they
rejected them, and whensoever they beheld that which the combined forces
of the earth are powerless to produce, they pronounced it sorcery.