unto God, the Fashioner of earth and heaven, and We render Him such aid as
can be hindered by neither the hosts of tyranny nor the ascendancy of the
people of iniquity. Say: O peoples of the earth! Scatter the idols of your
vain imaginings in the name of your Lord, the All-Glorious, the
All-Knowing, and turn ye unto Him in this Day which God hath made the King
of days.
118 O Supreme Pontiff! Incline thine ear unto that which the Fashioner of
mouldering bones counselleth thee, as voiced by Him Who is His Most Great
Name. Sell all the embellished ornaments thou dost possess, and expend
them in the path of God, Who causeth the night to return upon the day, and
the day to return upon the night. Abandon thy kingdom unto the kings, and
emerge from thy habitation, with thy face set towards the Kingdom, and,
detached from the world, then speak forth the praises of thy Lord betwixt
earth and heaven. Thus hath bidden thee He Who is the Possessor of Names,
on the part of thy Lord, the Almighty, the All-Knowing. Exhort thou the
kings and say: "Deal equitably with men. Beware lest ye transgress the
bounds fixed in the Book." This indeed becometh thee. Beware lest thou
appropriate unto thyself the things of the world and the riches thereof.
Leave them unto such as desire them, and cleave unto that which hath been
enjoined upon thee by Him Who is the Lord of creation. Should anyone offer
thee all the treasures of the earth, refuse to even glance upon them. Be
as thy Lord hath been. Thus hath the Tongue of Revelation spoken that
which God hath made the ornament of the book of creation.
119 Consider a pearl which shineth by virtue of its inherent nature. If it
be covered with silk, its lustre and beauty will be concealed. Likewise,
man's distinction lieth in the excellence of his conduct and in the
pursuit of that which beseemeth his station, not in childish play and
pastimes. Know that thy true adornment consisteth in the love of God and
in thy detachment from all save Him, and not in the luxuries thou dost
possess. Abandon them unto those who seek after them and turn unto God, He
Who causeth the rivers to flow.
120 Whatever proceeded from the tongue of the Son was revealed in
parables, whilst He Who proclaimeth the Truth in this Day speaketh without
them. Take heed lest thou cling to the cord of idle fancy and withhold
thyself from that which hath been ordained in the Kingdom of God, the
Almighty, the All-Bountiful. Should the inebriation of the wine of My
verses seize thee, and thou determinest to present thyself before the
throne of thy Lord, the Creator of earth and heaven, make My love thy
vesture, and thy shield remembrance of Me, and thy provision reliance upon
God, the Revealer of all power.
121 O followers of the Son! We have once again sent John unto you, and He,
verily, hath cried out in the wilderness of the Bayan: O peoples of the
world! Cleanse your eyes! The Day whereon ye can behold the Promised One
and attain unto Him hath drawn nigh! O followers of the Gospel! Prepare
the way! The Day of the advent of the Glorious Lord is at hand! Make ready
to enter the Kingdom. Thus hath it been ordained by God, He Who causeth
the dawn to break.
122 Give ear unto that which the Dove of Eternity warbleth upon the twigs
of the Divine Lote-Tree: O peoples of the earth! We sent forth him who was
named John to baptize you with water, that your bodies might be cleansed
for the appearance of the Messiah. He, in turn, purified you with the fire
of love and the water of the spirit in anticipation of these Days whereon
the All-Merciful hath purposed to cleanse you with the water of life at
the hands of His loving providence. This is the Father foretold by Isaiah,
and the Comforter concerning Whom the Spirit had covenanted with you. Open
your eyes, O concourse of bishops, that ye may behold your Lord seated
upon the Throne of might and glory.
123 Say: O peoples of all faiths! Walk not in the ways of them that
followed the Pharisees and thus veiled themselves from the Spirit. They
truly have strayed and are in error. The Ancient Beauty is come in His
Most Great Name, and He wisheth to admit all mankind into His most holy
Kingdom. The pure in heart behold the Kingdom of God manifest before His
Face. Make haste thereunto and follow not the infidel and the ungodly.
Should your eye be opposed thereto, pluck it out.(13) Thus hath it been
decreed by the Pen of the Ancient of Days, as bidden by Him Who is the
Lord of the entire creation. He, verily, hath come again that ye might be
redeemed, O peoples of the earth. Will ye slay Him Who desireth to grant
you eternal life? Fear God, O ye who are endued with insight.
124 O people! Hearken unto that which hath been revealed by your
All-Glorious Lord, and turn your faces unto God, the Lord of this world
and of the world to come. Thus doth He Who is the Dawning-Place of the
Daystar of divine inspiration command you as bidden by the Fashioner of
all mankind. We, verily, have created you for the light, and desire not to
abandon you unto the fire. Come forth, O people, from darkness by the
grace of this Sun which hath shone forth above the horizon of divine
providence, and turn thereunto with sanctified hearts and assured souls,
with seeing eyes and beaming faces. Thus counselleth you the Supreme
Ordainer from the scene of His transcendent glory, that perchance His
summons may draw you nigh unto the Kingdom of His names.
125 Blessed the one who hath remained faithful to the Covenant of God, and
woe betide him who hath broken it and disbelieved in Him, the Knower of
secrets. Say: This is the Day of Bounty! Bestir yourselves that I may make
you monarchs in the realms of My Kingdom. If ye follow Me, ye shall behold
that which ye were promised, and I will make you My companions in the
dominion of My majesty and the intimates of My beauty in the heaven of My
power forevermore. If ye rebel against Me, I will in My clemency endure it
patiently, that haply ye may awaken and rise up from the couch of
heedlessness. Thus hath My mercy encompassed you. Fear ye God and follow
not in the ways of those who have turned away from His face, though they
invoke His name in the daytime and in the night season.
126 Verily, the day of ingathering is come, and all things have been
separated from each other. He hath stored away that which He chose in the
vessels of justice, and cast into fire that which befitteth it. Thus hath
it been decreed by your Lord, the Mighty, the Loving, in this promised
Day. He, verily, ordaineth what He pleaseth. There is none other God save
He, the Almighty, the All-Compelling. The desire of the Divine Sifter hath
been to store up every good thing for Mine own Self. Naught hath He spoken
save to acquaint you with My Cause and to guide you to the path of Him
whose mention hath adorned all the sacred Books.
127 Say: O concourse of Christians! We have, on a previous occasion,
revealed Ourself unto you, and ye recognized Me not. This is yet another
occasion vouchsafed unto you. This is the Day of God; turn ye unto Him.
He, verily, hath come down from heaven even as He came down the first
time, and He desireth to shelter you beneath the shade of His mercy. He,
verily, is the Exalted, the Mighty, the Supreme Helper. The Beloved One
loveth not that ye be consumed with the fire of your desires. Were ye to
be shut out as by a veil from Him, this would be for no other reason than
your own waywardness and ignorance. Ye make mention of Me, and know Me
not. Ye call upon Me, and are heedless of My Revelation, notwithstanding
that I came unto you from the heaven of pre-existence with surpassing
glory. Rend the veils asunder in My name and through the power of My
sovereignty that ye may discover a path unto your Lord.
128 The King of Glory proclaimeth from the tabernacle of majesty and
grandeur His call, saying: O people of the Gospel! They who were not in
the Kingdom have now entered it, whilst We behold you, in this day,
tarrying at the gate. Rend the veils asunder by the power of your Lord,
the Almighty, the All-Bounteous, and enter, then, in My name My Kingdom.
Thus biddeth you He Who desireth for you everlasting life. He, verily, is
potent over all things. Blessed are those who have recognized the Light
and hastened unto it. They, verily, dwell in the Kingdom, and partake of
the food and drink of God's chosen ones.
129 We behold you, O children of the Kingdom, in darkness. This, verily,
beseemeth you not. Are ye, in the face of the Light, fearful because of
your deeds? Direct yourselves towards Him. Your All-Glorious Lord hath
blessed His lands with His footsteps. Thus do We make plain unto you the
path of Him Whom the Spirit prophesied. I, verily, bear witness unto Him,
even as He hath borne witness unto Me. Verily, He said: "Come ye after Me,
and I will make you to become fishers of men." In this day, however, We
say: "Come ye after Me, that We may make you to become quickeners of
mankind." Thus hath the decree been inscribed in this Tablet by the Pen of
Revelation.
130 O Pen of the Most High! Bestir Thyself in remembrance of other kings
in this blessed and luminous Book, that perchance they may rise from the
couch of heedlessness and give ear unto that which the Nightingale singeth
upon the branches of the Divine Lote-Tree, and hasten towards God in this
most wondrous and sublime Revelation.
Napoleon III
131 O King of Paris!(14) Tell the priests to ring the bells no longer. By
God, the True One! The Most Mighty Bell hath appeared in the form of Him
Who is the Most Great Name, and the fingers of the Will of Thy Lord, the
Most Exalted, the Most High, toll it out in the heaven of Immortality in
His name, the All-Glorious. Thus have the mighty verses of Thy Lord been
again sent down unto thee, that thou mayest arise to remember God, the
Creator of earth and heaven, in these days when all the tribes of the
earth have mourned, and the foundations of the cities have trembled, and
the dust of irreligion hath enwrapped all men, except such as God, the
All-Knowing, the All-Wise, was pleased to spare. Say: He Who is the
Unconstrained is come, in the clouds of light, that He may quicken the
world with the breezes of His name, the Most Merciful, and unify its
peoples, and gather all men around this Table which hath been sent down
from heaven. Beware that ye deny not the favour of God after it hath been
sent down unto you. Better is this for you than that which ye possess; for
that which is yours perisheth, whilst that which is with God endureth. He,
in truth, ordaineth what He pleaseth. Verily, the breezes of forgiveness
have been wafted from the direction of your Lord, the God of Mercy; whoso
turneth thereunto shall be cleansed of his sins, and of all pain and
sickness. Happy the man that hath turned towards them, and woe betide him
that hath turned aside.
132 Wert thou to incline thine inner ear unto all created things, thou
wouldst hear: "The Ancient of Days is come in His great glory!" Everything
celebrateth the praise of its Lord. Some have known God and remember Him;
others remember Him, yet know Him not. Thus have We set down Our decree in
a perspicuous Tablet.
133 Give ear, O King, unto the Voice that calleth from the Fire which
burneth in this verdant Tree, on this Sinai which hath been raised above
the hallowed and snow-white Spot, beyond the Everlasting City; "Verily,
there is none other God but Me, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Merciful!"
We, in truth, have sent Him Whom We aided with the Holy Spirit that He may
announce unto you this Light that hath shone forth from the horizon of the
Will of your Lord, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious, and Whose signs
have been revealed in the West. Set your faces towards Him on this Day
which God hath exalted above all other days, and whereon the All-Merciful
hath shed the splendour of His effulgent glory upon all who are in heaven
and all who are on earth. Arise thou to serve God and help His Cause. He,
verily, will assist thee with the hosts of the seen and unseen, and will
set thee king over all that whereon the sun riseth. Thy Lord, in truth, is
the All-Powerful, the Almighty.
134 The breezes of the Most Merciful have passed over all created things;
happy the man that hath discovered their fragrance, and set himself
towards them with a sound heart. Attire thy temple with the ornament of My
Name, and thy tongue with remembrance of Me, and thine heart with love for
Me, the Almighty, the Most High. We have desired for thee naught except
that which is better for thee than what thou dost possess and all the
treasures of the earth. Thy Lord, verily, is knowing, informed of all.
Arise, in My Name, amongst My servants, and say: "O ye peoples of the
earth! Turn yourselves towards Him Who hath turned towards you. He,
verily, is the Face of God amongst you, and His Testimony and His Guide
unto you. He hath come to you with signs which none can produce." The
voice of the Burning Bush is raised in the midmost heart of the world, and
the Holy Spirit calleth aloud among the nations: "Lo, the Desired One is
come with manifest dominion!"
135 O King! The stars of the heaven of knowledge have fallen, they who
seek to establish the truth of My Cause through the things they possess,
and who make mention of God in My Name. And yet, when I came unto them in
My glory, they turned aside. They, indeed, are of the fallen. This is,
truly, that which the Spirit of God hath announced, when He came with
truth unto you, He with Whom the Jewish doctors disputed, till at last
they perpetrated what hath made the Holy Spirit to lament, and the tears
of them that have near access to God to flow. Consider how a Pharisee who
had worshipped God for seventy years repudiated the Son when He appeared,
whereas one who had committed adultery gained admittance into the Kingdom.
Thus doth the Pen admonish thee as bidden by the Eternal King, that thou
mayest be apprised of what came to pass aforetime and be reckoned in this
day among them that truly believe.
136 Say: O concourse of monks! Seclude not yourselves in your churches and
cloisters. Come ye out of them by My leave, and busy, then, yourselves
with what will profit you and others. Thus commandeth you He Who is the
Lord of the Day of Reckoning. Seclude yourselves in the stronghold of My
love. This, truly, is the seclusion that befitteth you, could ye but know
it. He that secludeth himself in his house is indeed as one dead. It
behoveth man to show forth that which will benefit mankind. He that
bringeth forth no fruit is fit for the fire. Thus admonisheth you your
Lord; He, verily, is the Mighty, the Bountiful. Enter ye into wedlock,
that after you another may arise in your stead. We, verily, have forbidden
you lechery, and not that which is conducive to fidelity. Have ye clung
unto the promptings of your nature, and cast behind your backs the
statutes of God? Fear ye God, and be not of the foolish. But for man, who,
on My earth, would remember Me, and how could My attributes and My names
be revealed? Reflect, and be not of them that have shut themselves out as
by a veil from Him, and were of those that are fast asleep. He that
married not could find no place wherein to abide, nor where to lay His
head, by reason of what the hands of the treacherous had wrought. His
holiness consisted not in the things ye have believed and imagined, but
rather in the things which belong unto Us. Ask, that ye may be made aware
of His station which hath been exalted above the vain imaginings of all
the peoples of the earth. Blessed are they that understand.
137 O King! We heard the words thou didst utter in answer to the Czar of
Russia, concerning the decision made regarding the war.(15) Thy Lord,
verily, knoweth, is informed of all. Thou didst say: "I lay asleep upon my
couch, when the cry of the oppressed, who were drowned in the Black Sea,
wakened me." This is what We heard thee say, and, verily, thy Lord is
witness unto what I say. We testify that that which wakened thee was not
their cry but the promptings of thine own passions, for We tested thee,
and found thee wanting. Comprehend the meaning of My words, and be thou of
the discerning. It is not Our wish to address thee words of condemnation,
out of regard for the dignity We conferred upon thee in this mortal life.
We, verily, have chosen courtesy, and made it the true mark of such as are
nigh unto Him. Courtesy is, in truth, a raiment which fitteth all men,
whether young or old. Well is it with him that adorneth his temple
therewith, and woe unto him who is deprived of this great bounty. Hadst
thou been sincere in thy words, thou wouldst have not cast behind thy back
the Book of God, when it was sent unto thee by Him Who is the Almighty,
the All-Wise. We have proved thee through it, and found thee other than
that which thou didst profess. Arise, and make amends for that which
escaped thee. Erelong the world and all that thou possessest will perish,
and the kingdom will remain unto God, thy Lord and the Lord of thy fathers
of old. It behoveth thee not to conduct thine affairs according to the
dictates of thy desires. Fear the sighs of this Wronged One, and shield
Him from the darts of such as act unjustly.
138 For what thou hast done, thy kingdom shall be thrown into confusion,
and thine empire shall pass from thine hands, as a punishment for that
which thou hast wrought.(16) Then wilt thou know how thou hast plainly
erred. Commotions shall seize all the people in that land, unless thou
arisest to help this Cause, and followest Him Who is the Spirit of God in
this, the Straight Path. Hath thy pomp made thee proud? By My Life! It
shall not endure; nay, it shall soon pass away, unless thou holdest fast
to this firm Cord. We see abasement hastening after thee, whilst thou art
of the heedless. It behoveth thee when thou hearest His Voice calling from
the seat of glory to cast away all that thou possessest, and cry out:
"Here am I, O Lord of all that is in heaven and all that is on earth!"
139 O King! We were in 'Iraq, when the hour of parting arrived. At the
bidding of the King of Islam(17) We set Our steps in his direction. Upon
Our arrival, there befell Us at the hands of the malicious that which the
books of the world can never adequately recount. Thereupon the inmates of
Paradise, and they that dwell within the retreats of holiness, lamented;
and yet the people are wrapped in a thick veil! Say: Do ye cavil at Him
Who hath come unto you bearing the clear evidence of God and His proof,
the testimony of God and His signs? These things are not from Himself;
nay, rather they proceed from the One Who hath raised Him up, sent Him
forth through the power of truth, and made Him to be a lamp unto all
mankind.
140 More grievous became Our plight from day to day, nay, from hour to
hour, until they took Us forth from Our prison and made Us, with glaring
injustice, enter the Most Great Prison. And if anyone ask them: "For what
crime were they imprisoned?", they would answer and say: "They, verily,
sought to supplant the Faith with a new religion!" If that which is
ancient be what ye prefer, wherefore, then, have ye discarded that which
hath been set down in the Torah and the Evangel? Clear it up, O men! By My
life! There is no place for you to flee to in this day. If this be My
crime, then Muhammad, the Apostle of God, committed it before Me, and
before Him He Who was the Spirit of God, and yet earlier He Who conversed
with God. And if My sin be this, that I have exalted the Word of God and
revealed His Cause, then indeed am I the greatest of sinners! Such a sin I
will not barter for the kingdoms of earth and heaven.
141 Upon Our arrival at this Prison, We purposed to transmit to the kings
the messages of their Lord, the Mighty, the All-Praised. Though We have
transmitted to them, in several Tablets, that which We were commanded, yet
We do it once again as a token of God's grace. Perchance they may
recognize the Lord, Who hath come down in the clouds with manifest
sovereignty.
142 As My tribulations multiplied, so did My love for God and for His
Cause increase, in such wise that all that befell Me from the hosts of the
wayward was powerless to deter Me from My purpose. Should they hide Me
away in the depths of the earth, yet would they find Me riding aloft on
the clouds, and calling out unto God, the Lord of strength and of might. I
have offered Myself up in the way of God, and I yearn after tribulations
in My love for Him, and for the sake of His good pleasure. Unto this bear
witness the woes which now afflict Me, the like of which no other man hath
suffered. Every single hair of Mine head calleth out that which the
Burning Bush uttered on Sinai, and each vein of My body invoketh God and
saith: "O would I had been severed in Thy path, so that the world might be
quickened, and all its peoples be united!" Thus hath it been decreed by
Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.
143 Know of a truth that your subjects are God's trust amongst you. Watch
ye, therefore, over them as ye watch over your own selves. Beware that ye
allow not wolves to become the shepherds of the fold, or pride and conceit
to deter you from turning unto the poor and the desolate. Wert thou to
quaff the mystic Wine of everlasting life from the chalice of the words of
thy Lord, the All-Merciful, thou wouldst be enabled to forsake all that
thou dost possess and to proclaim My Name before all mankind. Cleanse then
thy soul with the waters of detachment. Verily, this is the Remembrance
that hath shone forth above the horizon of creation, which shall purge thy
soul from the dross of the world. Abandon thy palaces to the people of the
graves, and thine empire to whosoever desireth it, and turn, then, unto
the Kingdom. This, verily, is what God hath chosen for thee, wert thou of
them that turn unto Him. They that have failed to turn unto the
Countenance of God in this Revelation are indeed bereft of life. They move
as bidden by their own selfish desires, and are in truth accounted among
the dead. Shouldst thou desire to bear the weight of thy dominion, bear it
then to aid the Cause of thy Lord. Glorified be this station which whoever
attaineth thereunto hath attained unto all good that proceedeth from Him
Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
144 Arise thou, in My name, above the horizon of renunciation, and set,
then, thy face towards the Kingdom, at the bidding of thy Lord, the Lord
of strength and of might. Through the power of My sovereignty stand before
the inhabitants of the world and say: "O people! The Day is come, and the
fragrances of God have been wafted over the whole of creation. They that
have turned away from His Face are the helpless victims of their corrupt
inclinations. They are indeed of them that have gone astray."
145 Adorn the body of Thy kingdom with the raiment of My name, and arise,
then, to teach My Cause. Better is this for thee than that which thou
possessest. God will, thereby, exalt thy name among all the kings. Potent
is He over all things. Walk thou amongst men in the name of God, and by
the power of His might, that thou mayest show forth His signs amidst the
peoples of the earth. Burn thou brightly with the flame of this undying
Fire which the All-Merciful hath ignited in the midmost heart of creation,
that through thee the heat of His love may be kindled within the hearts of
His favoured ones. Follow in My way and enrapture the hearts of men
through remembrance of Me, the Almighty, the Most Exalted.