come to exist by virtue of My command. Beware lest ye deny the verses of
My Lord, and be of them who have wrought injustice and are numbered with
the lost. Beware lest ye cling unto that which ye possess, or take pride
in your fame and renown. That which behoveth you is to wholly detach
yourselves from all that is in the heavens and on the earth. Thus hath it
been ordained by Him Who is the All-Powerful, the Almighty.
84 O Temple of My Cause! Say: Should I wish to transform, in a single
moment, all things into mirrors of My Names, this undoubtedly is in My
power, how much more in the power of My Lord, Who hath called Me into
being through His all-compelling and inscrutable command. And should I
choose to revolutionize the entire creation in the twinkling of an eye,
this assuredly is possible unto Me, how much more unto that sovereign
Purpose enshrined in the Will of God, My Lord and the Lord of all the
worlds.
85 Say: O ye manifestations of My Names! Should ye offer up all that ye
possess, nay your very lives, in the path of God, and invoke Him to the
number of the grains of sand, the drops of rain, and the waves of the sea,
and yet oppose the Manifestation of His Cause at the time of His
appearance, your works shall in no wise be mentioned before God. Should
ye, however, neglect all righteous works and yet choose to believe in Him
in these days, God perchance will put away your sins. He, verily, is the
All-Glorious, the Most Bountiful. Thus doth the Lord inform you of His
purpose, that haply ye may not wax proud before the One through Whom
whatsoever hath been revealed from all eternity hath been confirmed. Happy
is he who approacheth this Most Sublime Vision, and woe to them that turn
aside!
86 How numerous those who expend all their wealth in the path of God, and
whom We find, at the hour of His Revelation, to be of the rebellious and
the froward! How many those who keep the fast in the daytime, only to
protest against the One by Whose very command the ordinance of the fast
was first established! Such men are, in truth, of the ignorant. And how
many those who subsist on the coarsest bread, who take for their only seat
the grass of the field, and who undergo every manner of hardship, merely
to maintain their superiority in the eyes of men! Thus do We expose their
deeds, that this may serve as a warning unto others. These are the ones
who subject themselves to all manner of austerities before the gaze of
others in the hope of perpetuating their names, whilst in reality no
mention shall remain of them save in the curses and imprecations of the
dwellers of earth and heaven.
87 Say: Would it profit you in the least if, as ye fondly imagine, your
names were to endure? Nay, by the Lord of all worlds! Was the idol
'Uzza(10) made any greater by this, that its name lived on amidst the
worshippers of names? Nay, by Him Who is the Self of God, the
All-Glorious, the All-Compelling! Should your names fade from every mortal
mind, and yet God be well pleased with you, ye will indeed be numbered
among the treasures of His name, the Most Hidden. Thus have We sent down
Our verses that they may attract you unto the Source of all Lights, and
acquaint you with the purpose of your Lord, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
Abstain, then, from all that hath been forbidden unto you in the Book, and
eat of the lawful things which God hath provided for your sustenance.
Deprive not yourselves of His goodly bestowals, for He, verily, is the
Most Generous, the Lord of grace abounding. Subject not yourselves to
excessive hardships, but follow the way We have made plain unto you
through Our luminous verses and perspicuous proofs, and be not of the
negligent.
88 O concourse of divines! It is not yours to boast if ye abstain from
drinking wine and from similar transgressions which have been forbidden
you in the Book, for should ye commit such deeds, the dignity of your
station would then be tainted in the eyes of the people, your affairs
would be disrupted, and your name disgraced and dishonoured. Nay, your
true and abiding glory resideth in submission to the Word of Him Who is
the Eternal Truth, and in your inward and outward detachment from aught
else besides God, the All-Compelling, the Almighty. Great is the
blessedness of that divine that hath not allowed knowledge to become a
veil between him and the One Who is the Object of all knowledge, and who,
when the Self-Subsisting appeared, hath turned with a beaming face towards
Him. He, in truth, is numbered with the learned. The inmates of Paradise
seek the blessing of his breath, and his lamp sheddeth its radiance over
all who are in heaven and on earth. He, verily, is numbered with the
inheritors of the Prophets. He that beholdeth him hath, verily, beheld the
True One, and he that turneth towards him hath, verily, turned towards
God, the Almighty, the All-Wise.
89 O ye the dawning-places of knowledge! Beware that ye suffer not
yourselves to become changed, for as ye change, most men will, likewise,
change. This, verily, is an injustice unto yourselves and unto others.
Unto this beareth witness every man of discernment and insight. Ye are
even as a spring. If it be changed, so will the streams that branch out
from it be changed. Fear God, and be numbered with the godly. In like
manner, if the heart of man be corrupted, his limbs will also be
corrupted. And similarly, if the root of a tree be corrupted, its
branches, and its offshoots, and its leaves, and its fruits, will be
corrupted. Thus have We set forth similitudes for your instruction, that
perchance ye may not be debarred by the things ye possess from attaining
unto that which hath been destined for you by Him Who is the All-Glorious,
the Most Bountiful.
90 It is indeed in Our power to take up a handful of dust and to adorn it
with the vesture of Our Names. This, however, would be but a sign of our
favour, and not an indication of any merit it may have inherently
possessed. Thus hath it been revealed in truth by Him Who is the Sovereign
Revealer, the All-Knowing. Consider the Black Stone,(11) which God hath
made a point whereunto all men turn in adoration. Hath this bounty been
conferred upon it by virtue of its innate excellence? Nay, by Mine own
Self! Or doth such distinction stem from its intrinsic worth? Nay, by Mine
own Being, Whose Essence even the wisest and most discerning of men have
failed to grasp!
91 Again, consider the Mosque of Aqsa and the other places which We have
made sanctuaries unto the people in every land and region. The honour and
distinction they enjoy is in no wise due to their own merit, but stemmeth
from their relation to Our Manifestations, Whom We have appointed as the
Daysprings of Our Revelation amidst mankind, if ye be of them that
understand. In this there lieth a wisdom inscrutable to all save God.
Inquire, that He may graciously make plain unto you His purpose. His
knowledge, verily, embraceth all things. Detach yourselves, O people, from
the world and all its vanities, and heed not the call of such as have
disbelieved in God and joined partners with Him. Arise above the horizon
of utterance to extol and praise your Lord, the All-Merciful. This is that
which God hath purposed for you; well is it with them who perceive it.
92 Say: O people! We have commanded you in Our Tablets to strive, at the
time of the promised Revelation, to sanctify your souls from all names,
and to purify them from all that hath been created in the heavens or on
the earth, that therein may appear the splendours of the Sun of Truth
which shineth forth above the horizon of the Will of your Lord, the
Almighty, the Most Great. We have, moreover, commanded you to cleanse your
hearts from every trace of the love or hate of the peoples of the world,
lest aught should divert you from one course or impel you towards another.
This, verily, is among the weightiest counsels I have vouchsafed unto you
in the perspicuous Book, for whoso attacheth himself to either of these
shall be prevented from attaining a proper understanding of Our Cause. To
this beareth witness every just and discerning soul.
93 Ye, however, have broken the Covenant of God, forgotten His Testament,
and at last turned away from Him Whose appearance hath solaced the eyes of
every true believer in the Divine Unity. Lift up the veils and coverings
that obscure your vision, and consider the testimonies of the Prophets and
Messengers, that haply ye may recognize the Cause of God in these days
when the Promised One hath come invested with a mighty sovereignty. Fear
God, and debar yourselves not from Him Who is the Dayspring of His signs.
This shall, in truth, but profit your own selves; as to your Lord, He,
verily, can afford to dispense with all creatures. From everlasting was He
alone; there was none else besides Him. He it is in Whose name the
standard of Divine Unity hath been planted upon the Sinai of the visible
and invisible worlds, proclaiming that there is none other God but Me, the
Peerless, the Glorious, the Incomparable.
94 Behold, however, how those who are but a creation of His Will and
Command have turned aside from Him and have taken unto themselves a lord
and master beside God; these, truly, are of the wayward. The mention of
the All-Merciful hath at all times been upon their lips, and yet when He
was manifested unto them through the power of truth they warred against
Him. Wretched indeed shall be the plight of such as have broken the
Covenant of their Lord when the Luminary of the world shone forth above
the horizon of the Will of God, the Most Holy, the All-Knowing, the
All-Wise! It was against God that they unsheathed the swords of malice and
hatred, and yet they perceive it not. Methinks they remain dead and buried
in the tombs of their selfish desires, though the breeze of God hath blown
over all regions. They, truly, are wrapt in a dense and grievous veil. And
oft as the verses of God are rehearsed unto them, they persist in proud
disdain; it is as though they were devoid of all understanding, or had
never heard the Call of God, the Most Exalted, the All-Knowing.
95 Say: Alas for you! How can ye profess yourselves believers, when ye
deny the verses of God, the Almighty, the All-Wise? Say: O people! Turn
your faces unto your Lord, the All-Merciful. Beware lest ye be veiled by
aught that hath been revealed in the Bayan: It was, in truth, revealed for
no other purpose than to make mention of Me, the All-Powerful, the Most
High, and had no other object than My Beauty. The whole world hath been
filled with My testimony, if ye be of them that judge with fairness.
96 Had the Primal Point been someone else beside Me as ye claim, and had
attained My presence, verily He would have never allowed Himself to be
separated from Me, but rather We would have had mutual delights with each
other in My Days. He, in truth, wept sore in His remoteness from Me. He
preceded Me that He might summon the people unto My Kingdom, as it hath
been set forth in the Tablets, could ye but perceive it! O would that men
of hearing might be found who could hear the voice of His lamentation in
the Bayan bewailing that which hath befallen Me at the hands of these
heedless souls, bemoaning His separation from Me and giving utterance to
His longing to be united with Me, the Mighty, the Peerless. He, verily,
beholdeth at this very moment His Best-Beloved amidst those who were
created to attain His Day and to prostrate themselves before Him, and yet
who have inflicted in their tyranny such abasement upon Him as the pen
confesseth its inability to describe.
97 Say: O people! We, verily, summoned you, in Our former Revelation, unto
this Scene of transcendent glory, this Seat of stainless sanctity, and
announced unto you the advent of the Days of God. Yet, when the most great
veil was rent asunder, and the Ancient Beauty came unto you in the clouds
of God's decree, ye repudiated Him in Whom ye had believed aforetime. Woe
betide you, O company of infidels! Fear ye God, and nullify not the truth
with the things ye possess. When the luminary of divine verses dawneth
upon you from the horizon of the Pen of the King of all names and
attributes, fall ye prostrate upon your faces before God, the Lord of the
Worlds. For to bow down in adoration at the threshold of His door is
indeed better for you than the worship of both worlds, and to submit to
His Revelation is more profitable unto you than whatsoever hath been
created in the heavens and on the earth.
98 Say: O people! I admonish you wholly for the sake of God, and seek no
reward from you. For My recompense shall be with God, He Who hath brought
Me into being, raised Me up by the power of truth, and made Me the Source
of His remembrance amidst His creatures. Hasten to behold this divine and
glorious Vision, the Spot wherein God hath established His Seat. Follow
not that which the Evil One whispereth in your hearts, for he, verily,
doth prompt you to walk after your lusts and covetous desires, and
hindereth you from treading the straight Path which this all-embracing and
all-compelling Cause hath opened.
99 Say: The Evil One hath appeared in such wise as the eye of creation
hath never beheld. He Who is the Beauty of the All-Merciful hath likewise
been made manifest with an adorning the like of which hath never been
witnessed in the past. The Call of the All-Merciful hath been raised, and
behind it the call of Satan. Well is it with them who hearken unto the
Voice of God, and turn their faces towards His throne to behold a most
holy and blessed Vision. For whoso cherisheth in his heart the love of
anyone beside Me, be it to the extent of a grain of mustard seed, shall be
unable to gain admittance into My Kingdom. To this beareth witness that
which adorneth the preamble of the Book of Existence, could ye but
perceive it. Say: This is the Day whereon God's most great favour hath
been made manifest. The voice of all who are in the heavens above and on
the earth below proclaimeth My Name, and singeth forth My praises, could
ye but hear it!
100 O Temple of Divine Revelation! Sound the trumpet in My Name! O Temple
of Divine mysteries! Raise the clarion call of Thy Lord, the
Unconditioned, the Unconstrained! O Maid of Heaven! Step forth from the
chambers of paradise and announce unto the people of the world: By the
righteousness of God! He Who is the Best-Beloved of the worlds--He Who hath
ever been the Desire of every perceiving heart, the Object of the
adoration of all that are in heaven and on earth, and the Cynosure of the
former and the latter generations--is now come!
101 Take heed lest ye hesitate in recognizing this resplendent Beauty when
once He hath appeared in the plenitude of His sovereign might and majesty.
He, verily, is the True One, and all else besides Him is as naught before
a single one of His servants, and paleth into nothingness when brought
face to face with the revelation of His splendours. Hasten, then, to
attain the living waters of His grace, and be not of the negligent. As to
him who hesitateth, though it be for less than a moment, God shall verily
bring his works to naught and return him to the seat of wrath; wretched
indeed is the abode of them that tarry!
Pope Pius IX
102 O Pope! Rend the veils asunder. He Who is the Lord of Lords is come
overshadowed with clouds, and the decree hath been fulfilled by God, the
Almighty, the Unrestrained. Dispel the mists through the power of thy
Lord, and ascend unto the Kingdom of His names and attributes. Thus hath
the Pen of the Most High commanded thee at the behest of thy Lord, the
Almighty, the All-Compelling. He, verily, hath again come down from Heaven
even as He came down from it the first time. Beware that thou dispute not
with Him even as the Pharisees disputed with Him without a clear token or
proof. On His right hand flow the living waters of grace, and on His left
the choice Wine of justice, whilst before Him march the angels of
Paradise, bearing the banners of His signs. Beware lest any name debar
thee from God, the Creator of earth and heaven. Leave thou the world
behind thee, and turn towards thy Lord, through Whom the whole earth hath
been illumined.
103 We have adorned the Kingdom with the ornament of Our name, the
All-Glorious. Thus hath it been decreed by God, the Fashioner of all
things. Take heed lest thy vain imaginings withhold thee, when once the
Sun of Certitude hath shone forth above the horizon of the Utterance of
thy Lord, the Mighty, the Beneficent. Dwellest thou in palaces whilst He
Who is the King of Revelation liveth in the most desolate of abodes? Leave
them unto such as desire them, and set thy face with joy and delight
towards the Kingdom.
104 Say: O peoples of the earth! Destroy the abodes of negligence with the
hands of power and assurance, and raise up the mansions of true knowledge
within your hearts, that the All-Merciful may shed the radiance of His
light upon them. Better is this for you than all whereon the sun shineth,
and unto this beareth witness He Who holdeth within His grasp the ultimate
decree. The Breeze of God hath been wafted over the world at the advent of
the Desired One in His great glory, whereupon every stone and clod of
earth hath cried out: "The Promised One is come! The Kingdom is God's, the
Mighty, the Gracious, the Forgiving."
105 Beware lest human learning debar thee from Him Who is the Supreme
Object of all knowledge, or lest the world deter thee from the One Who
created it and set it upon its course. Arise in the name of thy Lord, the
God of Mercy, amidst the peoples of the earth, and seize thou the Cup of
Life with the hands of confidence. First drink thou therefrom, and proffer
it then to such as turn towards it amongst the peoples of all faiths. Thus
hath the Moon of Utterance risen above the horizon of wisdom and
understanding.
106 Tear asunder the veils of human learning lest they hinder thee from
Him Who is My name, the Self-Subsisting. Call thou to remembrance Him Who
was the Spirit, Who, when He came, the most learned of His age pronounced
judgement against Him in His own country, whilst he who was only a
fisherman believed in Him. Take heed, then, ye men of understanding heart!
Thou, in truth, art one of the suns of the heaven of His names. Guard
thyself, lest darkness spread its veils over thee, and fold thee away from
His light. Ponder, then, that which hath been sent down in the Book by thy
Lord, the Almighty, the All-Bountiful.
107 Say: Still your pens, O concourse of divines, for lo, the shrill voice
of the Pen of Glory hath been lifted up between earth and heaven. Cast
away all that ye possess and take fast hold of that which We have revealed
unto you with power and authority. The Hour that was concealed within the
knowledge of God hath struck, whereupon all the atoms of the earth have
proclaimed: "The Ancient of Days is come in His great glory! Hasten unto
Him, O peoples of the earth, with humble and contrite hearts." Say: We, in
truth, have given Ourself as a ransom for your own lives. Alas, when We
came once again, We beheld you fleeing from Us, whereat the eye of My
loving-kindness wept sore over My people. Fear God, O ye that perceive.
108 Consider those who opposed the Son, when He came unto them with
sovereignty and power. How many the Pharisees who were waiting to behold
Him, and were lamenting over their separation from Him! And yet, when the
fragrance of His coming was wafted over them, and His beauty was unveiled,
they turned aside from Him and disputed with Him. Thus do We impart unto
thee that which hath been recorded in the Books and Scriptures. None save
a very few, who were destitute of any power amongst men, turned towards
His face. And yet today every man endowed with power and invested with
sovereignty prideth himself on His Name! In like manner, consider how
numerous, in these days, are the monks who, in My Name, have secluded
themselves in their churches, and who, when the appointed time was
fulfilled, and We unveiled Our beauty, knew Us not, though they call upon
Me at eventide and at dawn. We behold them clinging to My name, yet veiled
from My Self. This, verily, is a strange thing.
109 Say: Take heed lest your devotions withhold you from Him Who is the
object of all devotion, or your worship debar you from Him Who is the
object of all worship. Rend asunder the veils of your idle fancies! This
is your Lord, the Almighty, the All-Knowing, Who hath come to quicken the
world and unite all who dwell on earth. Turn unto the Dayspring of
Revelation, O people, and tarry not, be it for less than the twinkling of
an eye. Read ye the Evangel and yet refuse to acknowledge the All-Glorious
Lord? This indeed beseemeth you not, O concourse of learned men!
110 Say: If ye deny this Revelation, by what proof have ye believed in
God? Produce it then. Thus hath the summons of God been sent down by the
Pen of the Most High at the bidding of your Lord, the Most Glorious, in
this Tablet from whose horizon the splendour of His Light hath shone
forth. How many are My servants whose deeds have become veils between them
and their own selves, and who have been kept back thereby from drawing
nigh unto God, He Who causeth the winds to blow.
111 O concourse of monks! The fragrances of the All-Merciful have wafted
over all creation. Happy the man that hath forsaken his desires, and taken
fast hold of guidance. He, indeed, is of those who have attained unto the
presence of God in this Day, a Day whereon commotions have seized the
dwellers of the earth and filled with dismay all save those who have been
exempted by God, He Who layeth low the necks of men.
112 Adorn ye your bodies whilst the raiment of God is stained with the
blood of hatred at the hands of the people of denial? Issue forth from
your habitations and bid the people enter the Kingdom of God, the Lord of
the Day of Judgement. The Word which the Son concealed is made manifest.
It hath been sent down in the form of the human temple in this day.
Blessed be the Lord Who is the Father! He, verily, is come unto the
nations in His most great majesty. Turn your faces towards Him, O
concourse of the righteous!
113 O followers of all religions! We behold you wandering distraught in
the wilderness of error. Ye are the fish of this Ocean; wherefore do ye
withhold yourselves from that which sustaineth you? Lo, it surgeth before
your faces. Hasten unto it from every clime. This is the day whereon the
Rock(12) crieth out and shouteth, and celebrateth the praise of its Lord,
the All-Possessing, the Most High, saying: "Lo! The Father is come, and
that which ye were promised in the Kingdom is fulfilled!" This is the Word
which was preserved behind the veils of grandeur, and which, when the
Promise came to pass, shed its radiance from the horizon of the Divine
Will with clear tokens.
114 My body hath borne imprisonment that your souls may be released from
bondage, and We have consented to be abased that ye may be exalted. Follow
the Lord of glory and dominion, and not every ungodly oppressor. My body
longeth for the cross, and Mine head awaiteth the thrust of the spear, in
the path of the All-Merciful, that the world may be purged from its
transgressions. Thus hath the Daystar of divine authority shone forth from
the horizon of the Revelation of Him Who is the Possessor of all names and
attributes.
115 The people of the Qur'an have risen against Us, and tormented Us with
such a torment that the Holy Spirit lamented, and the thunder roared out,
and the clouds wept over Us. Among the faithless is he who hath imagined
that calamities can deter Baha from fulfilling that which God, the Creator
of all things, hath purposed. Say: Nay, by Him Who causeth the rain to
fall! Nothing whatsoever can withhold Him from the remembrance of His
Lord.
116 By the righteousness of God! Should they cast Him into a fire kindled
on the continent, He will assuredly rear His head in the midmost heart of
the ocean and proclaim: "He is the Lord of all that are in heaven and all
that are on earth!" And if they cast Him into a darksome pit, they will
find Him seated on earth's loftiest heights calling aloud to all mankind:
"Lo, the Desire of the World is come in His majesty, His sovereignty, His
transcendent dominion!" And if He be buried beneath the depths of the
earth, His Spirit soaring to the apex of heaven shall peal the summons:
"Behold ye the coming of the Glory; witness ye the Kingdom of God, the
Most Holy, the Gracious, the All-Powerful!" And if they shed His blood,
every drop thereof shall cry out and invoke God in this Name through which
the fragrance of His raiment hath been diffused in all directions.