of His Lord, the All-Merciful, have not been diffused, is indeed unworthy
of the station of man. He, verily, is of them that have followed their own
desires, and shall erelong find himself in grievous loss. Doth it behove
you to relate yourselves to Him Who is the God of mercy, and yet commit
the things which the Evil One hath committed? Nay, by the Beauty of Him
Who is the All-Glorified! could ye but know it. Purge your hearts from
love of the world, and your tongues from calumny, and your limbs from
whatsoever may withhold you from drawing nigh unto God, the Mighty, the
All-Praised. Say: By the world is meant that which turneth you aside from
Him Who is the Dawning-Place of Revelation, and inclineth you unto that
which is unprofitable unto you. Verily, the thing that deterreth you, in
this day, from God is worldliness in its essence. Eschew it, and approach
the Most Sublime Vision, this shining and resplendent Seat. Blessed is he
who alloweth nothing whatsoever to intervene between him and his Lord. No
harm, assuredly, can befall him if he partaketh with justice of the
benefits of this world, inasmuch as We have created all things for such of
Our servants as truly believe in God.
147 Should your words, O people, be at variance with your deeds, what then
shall distinguish you from those who profess their faith in the Lord,
their God, and yet, when He came down to them overshadowed with clouds,
rejected Him and waxed proud before God, the Incomparable, the Omniscient?
Shed not the blood of anyone, O people, neither judge ye anyone unjustly.
Thus have ye been commanded by Him Who knoweth, Who is informed of all.
They that commit disorders in the land after it hath been well ordered,
these indeed have outstepped the bounds that have been set in the Book.
Wretched shall be the abode of the transgressors!
148 God hath prescribed unto everyone the duty of teaching His Cause.
Whoever ariseth to discharge this duty, must needs, ere he proclaimeth His
Message, adorn himself with the ornament of an upright and praiseworthy
character, so that his words may attract the hearts of such as are
receptive to his call. Without it, he can never hope to influence his
hearers. Thus doth God instruct you. He, verily, is the Ever-Forgiving,
the Most Compassionate.
149 They who exhort others unto justice, while themselves committing
iniquity, stand accused of falsehood by the inmates of the Kingdom and by
those who circle round the throne of their Lord, the Almighty, the
Beneficent, for that which their tongues have uttered. Commit not, O
people, that which dishonoureth your name and the fair name of the Cause
of God amongst men. Beware lest ye approach that which your minds abhor.
Fear God and follow not in the footsteps of them that are gone astray.
Deal not treacherously with the substance of your neighbour. Be ye
trustworthy on earth, and withhold not from the poor the things given unto
you by God through His grace. He, verily, will bestow upon you the double
of what ye possess. He, in truth, is the All-Bounteous, the Most Generous.
150 Say: We have ordained that our Cause be taught through the power of
utterance. Beware lest ye dispute idly with anyone. Whoso ariseth wholly
for the sake of his Lord to teach His Cause, the Holy Spirit shall
strengthen him and inspire him with that which will illumine the heart of
the world, how much more the hearts of those who seek Him. O people of
Baha! Subdue the citadels of men's hearts with the swords of wisdom and of
utterance. They that dispute, as prompted by their desires, are indeed
wrapped in a palpable veil. Say: The sword of wisdom is hotter than summer
heat, and sharper than blades of steel, if ye do but understand. Draw it
forth in My name and through the power of My might, and conquer then with
it the cities of the hearts of them that have secluded themselves in the
stronghold of their corrupt desires. Thus biddeth you the Pen of the
All-Glorious, whilst seated beneath the swords of the wayward.
151 If ye become aware of a sin committed by another, conceal it, that God
may conceal your own sin. He, verily, is the Concealer, the Lord of grace
abounding. O ye rich ones on earth! If ye encounter one who is poor, treat
him not disdainfully. Reflect upon that whereof ye were created. Every one
of you was created of a sorry germ.(18) It behoveth you to observe
truthfulness, whereby your temples shall be adorned, your names uplifted,
your stations exalted amidst men, and a mighty recompense assured for you
before God.
152 Give ear, O peoples of the earth, unto that which the Pen of the Lord
of all nations commandeth you. Know ye of a certainty that the
Dispensations of the past have attained their highest, their final
consummation in the Law that hath branched out from this Most Great Ocean.
Haste ye thereunto at Our behest. We, verily, ordain as We please. Regard
ye the world as a man's body, which is afflicted with divers ailments, and
the recovery of which dependeth upon the harmonizing of all of its
component elements. Gather ye around that which We have prescribed unto
you, and walk not in the ways of such as create dissension.
153 All feasts have attained their consummation in the two Most Great
Festivals, and in two other Festivals that fall on the twin days--the first
of the Most Great Festivals being those days whereon God shed the
effulgent glory of His most excellent Names upon all who are in heaven and
on earth, and the second being that day on which We raised up the One Who
announced unto the people the glad tidings of this Great Announcement.(19)
Thus hath it been set down in the Book by Him Who is the Mighty, the
Powerful. On other than these four consummate days, engage ye in your
daily occupations, and withhold yourselves not from the pursuit of your
trades and crafts. Thus hath the command been issued and the law gone
forth from Him Who is your Lord, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
154 Say: O concourse of priests and monks! Eat ye of that which God hath
made lawful unto you and do not shun meat. God hath, as a token of His
grace, granted you leave to partake thereof save during a brief period.
He, verily, is the Mighty, the Beneficent. Forsake all that ye possess and
hold fast unto that which God hath purposed. This is that which profiteth
you, if ye be of them that comprehend. We have ordained a fast of nineteen
days in the most temperate of the seasons, and have in this resplendent
and luminous Dispensation relieved you from more than this. Thus have We
set forth and made clear unto you that which ye are bidden to observe,
that ye may follow the commandments of God and be united in that which the
Almighty, the All-Wise, hath appointed unto you. He Who is your Lord, the
All-Merciful, cherisheth in His heart the desire of beholding the entire
human race as one soul and one body. Haste ye to win your share of God's
good grace and mercy in this Day that eclipseth all other created Days.
How great the felicity that awaiteth the man that forsaketh all he hath in
a desire to obtain the things of God! Such a man, We testify, is among
God's blessed ones.
155 O King! Bear thou witness unto that which God hath Himself and for
Himself borne witness ere the creation of earth and heaven, that there is
none other God but Me, the One, the Single, the Most Exalted, the
Incomparable, the Inaccessible. Arise with the utmost steadfastness in the
Cause of thy Lord, the All-Glorious. Thus hast thou been instructed in
this wondrous Tablet. We, verily, have desired naught for thee save that
which is better for thee than all that is on earth. Unto this testify all
created things and beyond them this perspicuous Book.
156 Meditate on the world and the state of its people. He, for Whose sake
the world was called into being, hath been imprisoned in the most desolate
of cities,(20) by reason of that which the hands of the wayward have
wrought. From the horizon of His prison-city He summoneth mankind unto the
Dayspring of God, the Exalted, the Great. Exultest thou over the treasures
thou dost possess, knowing they shall perish? Rejoicest thou in that thou
rulest a span of earth, when the whole world, in the estimation of the
people of Baha, is worth as much as the black in the eye of a dead ant?
Abandon it unto such as have set their affections upon it, and turn thou
unto Him Who is the Desire of the world. Whither are gone the proud and
their palaces? Gaze thou into their tombs, that thou mayest profit by this
example, inasmuch as We made it a lesson unto every beholder. Were the
breezes of Revelation to seize thee, thou wouldst flee the world, and turn
unto the Kingdom, and wouldst expend all thou possessest, that thou mayest
draw nigh unto this sublime Vision.
157 We behold the generality of mankind worshipping names and exposing
themselves, as thou dost witness, to dire perils in the mere hope of
perpetuating their names, whilst every perceiving soul testifieth that
after death one's name shall avail him nothing except insofar as it
beareth a relationship unto God, the Almighty, the All-Praised. Thus have
their vain imaginings taken hold of them in requital for that which their
hands have wrought. Consider the pettiness of men's minds. They seek with
utmost exertion that which profiteth them not, and yet wert thou to ask of
them: "Is there any advantage in that which ye desire?", thou wouldst find
them sorely perplexed. Were a fair-minded soul to be found, he would
reply: "Nay, by the Lord of the worlds!" Such is the condition of the
people and of that which they possess. Leave them in their folly and turn
thy sight unto God. This is in truth that which beseemeth thee. Hearken
then unto the counsel of thy Lord, and say: Lauded art Thou, O God of all
who are in heaven and on earth!
Czar Alexander II
158 O Czar of Russia! Incline thine ear unto the voice of God, the King,
the Holy, and turn thou unto Paradise, the Spot wherein abideth He Who,
among the Concourse on high, beareth the most excellent titles, and Who,
in the kingdom of creation, is called by the name of God, the Effulgent,
the All-Glorious. Beware lest thy desire deter thee from turning towards
the face of thy Lord, the Compassionate, the Most Merciful. We, verily,
have heard the thing for which thou didst supplicate thy Lord, whilst
secretly communing with Him. Wherefore, the breeze of My loving-kindness
wafted forth, and the sea of My mercy surged, and We answered thee in
truth. Thy Lord, verily, is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. Whilst I lay
chained and fettered in the prison, one of thy ministers extended Me his
aid. Wherefore hath God ordained for thee a station which the knowledge of
none can comprehend except His knowledge. Beware lest thou barter away
this sublime station. Thy Lord, verily, doeth what He willeth. What He
pleaseth will God abrogate or confirm, and with Him is the knowledge of
all things in a Guarded Tablet.
159 Beware lest thy sovereignty withhold thee from Him Who is the Supreme
Sovereign. He, verily, is come with His Kingdom, and all the atoms cry
aloud: "Lo! The Lord is come in His great majesty!" He Who is the Father
is come, and the Son, in the holy vale, crieth out: "Here am I, here am I,
O Lord, My God!", whilst Sinai circleth round the House, and the Burning
Bush calleth aloud: "The All-Bounteous is come mounted upon the clouds!
Blessed is he that draweth nigh unto Him, and woe betide them that are far
away."
160 Arise thou amongst men in the name of this all-compelling Cause, and
summon, then, the nations unto God, the Exalted, the Great. Be thou not of
them who called upon God by one of His names, but who, when He Who is the
Object of all names appeared, denied Him and turned aside from Him, and,
in the end, pronounced sentence against Him with manifest injustice.
Consider and call thou to mind the days whereon the Spirit of God
appeared, and Herod gave judgement against Him. God, however, aided Him
with the hosts of the unseen, and protected Him with truth, and sent Him
down unto another land, according to His promise. He, verily, ordaineth
what He pleaseth. Thy Lord truly preserveth whom He willeth, be he in the
midst of the seas, or in the maw of the serpent, or beneath the sword of
the oppressor.
161 Blessed be the king whom the veils of glory have not deterred from
turning unto the Dayspring of beauty and who hath forsaken his all in his
desire to obtain the things of God. He, indeed, is accounted in the sight
of God as the most excellent of men, and is extolled by the inmates of
paradise and them that circle morn and eve round the Throne on high.
162 Again I say: Hearken unto My voice that calleth from My prison, that
it may acquaint thee with the things that have befallen My Beauty, at the
hands of them that are the manifestations of My glory, and that thou
mayest perceive how great hath been My patience, notwithstanding My might,
and how immense My forbearance, notwithstanding My power. By My life!
Couldst thou but know the things sent down by My Pen, and discover the
treasures of My Cause, and the pearls of My mysteries which lie hid in the
seas of My names and in the goblets of My words, thou wouldst, in thy love
for My name, and in thy longing for My glorious and sublime Kingdom, lay
down thy life in My path. Know thou that though My body be beneath the
swords of My foes, and My limbs be beset with incalculable afflictions,
yet My spirit is filled with a gladness with which all the joys of the
earth can never compare.
163 Set thine heart towards Him Who is the Point of adoration for the
world, and say: "O peoples of the earth! Have ye denied the One in Whose
path He Who came with the truth, bearing the announcement of your Lord,
the Exalted, the Great, suffered martyrdom?" Say: This is an Announcement
whereat the hearts of the Prophets and Messengers have rejoiced. This is
the One Whom the heart of the world remembereth, and is promised in the
Books of God, the Mighty, the All-Wise. The hands of the Messengers were,
in their desire to meet Me, upraised towards God, the Mighty, the
Glorified. Unto this testifieth that which hath been sent down in the
sacred Scriptures by Him Who is the Lord of might and power.
164 Some lamented in their separation from Me, others endured hardships in
My path, and still others laid down their lives for the sake of My Beauty,
could ye but know it. Say: I, verily, have not sought to extol Mine own
Self, but rather God Himself, were ye to judge fairly. Naught can be seen
in Me except God and His Cause, could ye but perceive it. I am the One
Whom the tongue of Isaiah hath extolled, the One with Whose name both the
Torah and the Evangel were adorned. Thus hath it been decreed in the
Scriptures of thy Lord, the Most Merciful. He, verily, hath borne witness
unto Me, as I bear witness unto Him. And God testifieth to the truth of My
words.
165 Say: The Books have been sent down for naught but My remembrance.
Whosoever is receptive to their call shall perceive therefrom the sweet
fragrances of My name and My praise; and he who hath unstopped the ear of
his inmost heart shall hear from every word thereof: "The True One is
come! He indeed is the beloved of the worlds!"
166 It is for the sake of God alone that My tongue counselleth you and
that My pen moveth to make mention of you, for neither can the malice and
denial of all who dwell on earth harm Me, nor the allegiance of the entire
creation profit Me. We, verily, exhort you unto that which We were
commanded, and desire naught from you except that ye draw nigh unto what
shall profit you in both this world and the world to come. Say: Will ye
slay Him Who summoneth you unto life everlasting? Fear ye God, and follow
not every contumacious oppressor.
167 O proud ones of the earth! Do ye believe yourselves to be abiding in
palaces whilst He Who is the King of Revelation resideth in the most
desolate of abodes? Nay, by My life! In tombs do ye dwell, could ye but
perceive it. Verily, he who faileth, in these days, to be stirred by the
breeze of God is accounted among the dead in the sight of Him Who is the
Lord of all names and attributes. Arise, then, from the tombs of self and
desire and turn unto the Kingdom of God, the Possessor of the Throne on
high and of earth below, that ye may behold that which ye were promised
aforetime by your Lord, the All-Knowing.
168 Think ye that the things ye possess shall profit you? Soon others will
possess them and ye will return unto the dust with none to help or succour
you. What advantage is there in a life that can be overtaken by death, or
in an existence that is doomed to extinction, or in a prosperity that is
subject to change? Cast away the things that ye possess and set your faces
toward the favours of God which have been sent down in this wondrous Name.
169 Thus doth the Pen of the Most High warble unto thee its melodies by
the leave of thy Lord, the All-Glorious. When thou hast heard and recited
them, say: "Praise be unto Thee, O Lord of all the worlds, inasmuch as
Thou hast made mention of me through the tongue of Him Who is the
Manifestation of Thy Self at a time when He was confined in the Most Great
Prison, that the whole world might attain unto true liberty."
170 Blessed be the king whose sovereignty hath withheld him not from his
Sovereign, and who hath turned unto God with his heart. He, verily, is
accounted of those that have attained unto that which God, the Mighty, the
All-Wise, hath willed. Erelong will such a one find himself numbered with
the monarchs of the realms of the Kingdom. Thy Lord is, in truth, potent
over all things. He giveth what He willeth to whomsoever He willeth, and
withholdeth what He pleaseth from whomsoever He willeth. He, verily, is
the All-Powerful, the Almighty.
Queen Victoria
171 O Queen in London! Incline thine ear unto the voice of thy Lord, the
Lord of all mankind, calling from the Divine Lote-Tree: Verily, no God is
there but Me, the Almighty, the All-Wise! Cast away all that is on earth,
and attire the head of thy kingdom with the crown of the remembrance of
thy Lord, the All-Glorious. He, in truth, hath come unto the world in His
most great glory, and all that hath been mentioned in the Gospel hath been
fulfilled. The land of Syria hath been honoured by the footsteps of its
Lord, the Lord of all men, and north and south are both inebriated with
the wine of His presence. Blessed is the man that hath inhaled the
fragrance of the Most Merciful, and turned unto the Dawning-Place of His
Beauty, in this resplendent Dawn. The Mosque of Aqsa vibrateth through the
breezes of its Lord, the All-Glorious, whilst Batha(21) trembleth at the
voice of God, the Exalted, the Most High. Whereupon every single stone of
them celebrateth the praise of the Lord, through this Great Name.
172 Lay aside thy desire, and set then thine heart towards thy Lord, the
Ancient of Days. We make mention of thee for the sake of God, and desire
that thy name may be exalted through thy remembrance of God, the Creator
of earth and heaven. He, verily, is witness unto that which I say. We have
been informed that thou hast forbidden the trading in slaves, both men and
women. This, verily, is what God hath enjoined in this wondrous
Revelation. God hath, truly, destined a reward for thee, because of this.
He, verily, will pay the doer of good his due recompense, wert thou to
follow what hath been sent unto thee by Him Who is the All-Knowing, the
All-Informed. As to him who turneth aside, and swelleth with pride, after
the clear tokens have come unto him from the Revealer of signs, his work
shall God bring to naught. He, in truth, hath power over all things. Man's
actions are acceptable after his having recognized (the Manifestation). He
that turneth aside from the True One is indeed the most veiled amongst His
creatures. Thus hath it been decreed by Him Who is the Almighty, the Most
Powerful.
173 We have also heard that thou hast entrusted the reins of counsel into
the hands of the representatives of the people. Thou, indeed, hast done
well, for thereby the foundations of the edifice of thine affairs will be
strengthened, and the hearts of all that are beneath thy shadow, whether
high or low, will be tranquillized. It behoveth them, however, to be
trustworthy among His servants, and to regard themselves as the
representatives of all that dwell on earth. This is what counselleth them,
in this Tablet, He Who is the Ruler, the All-Wise. And if any one of them
directeth himself towards the Assembly, let him turn his eyes unto the
Supreme Horizon, and say: "O my God! I ask Thee, by Thy most glorious
Name, to aid me in that which will cause the affairs of Thy servants to
prosper, and Thy cities to flourish. Thou, indeed, hast power over all
things!" Blessed is he that entereth the Assembly for the sake of God, and
judgeth between men with pure justice. He, indeed, is of the blissful.
174 O ye the elected representatives of the people in every land! Take ye
counsel together, and let your concern be only for that which profiteth
mankind and bettereth the condition thereof, if ye be of them that scan
heedfully. Regard the world as the human body which, though at its
creation whole and perfect, hath been afflicted, through various causes,
with grave disorders and maladies. Not for one day did it gain ease, nay
its sickness waxed more severe, as it fell under the treatment of ignorant
physicians, who gave full rein to their personal desires and have erred
grievously. And if, at one time, through the care of an able physician, a
member of that body was healed, the rest remained afflicted as before.
Thus informeth you the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
175 We behold it, in this day, at the mercy of rulers so drunk with pride
that they cannot discern clearly their own best advantage, much less
recognize a Revelation so bewildering and challenging as this. And
whenever any one of them hath striven to improve its condition, his motive
hath been his own gain, whether confessedly so or not; and the
unworthiness of this motive hath limited his power to heal or cure.
176 That which the Lord hath ordained as the sovereign remedy and
mightiest instrument for the healing of all the world is the union of all
its peoples in one universal Cause, one common Faith. This can in no wise
be achieved except through the power of a skilled, an all-powerful and
inspired Physician. This, verily, is the truth, and all else naught but
error. Each time that Most Mighty Instrument hath come, and that Light
shone forth from the Ancient Dayspring, He was withheld by ignorant
physicians who, even as clouds, interposed themselves between Him and the
world. It failed, therefore, to recover, and its sickness hath persisted
until this day. They indeed were powerless to protect it, or to effect a
cure, whilst He Who hath been the Manifestation of Power amongst men was
withheld from achieving His purpose, by reason of what the hands of the
ignorant physicians have wrought.
177 Consider these days in which He Who is the Ancient Beauty hath come in
the Most Great Name, that He may quicken the world and unite its peoples.
They, however, rose up against Him with sharpened swords, and committed
that which caused the Faithful Spirit to lament, until in the end they
imprisoned Him in the most desolate of cities, and broke the grasp of the
faithful upon the hem of His robe. Were anyone to tell them: "The World
Reformer is come", they would answer and say: "Indeed it is proven that He
is a fomenter of discord!", and this notwithstanding that they have never
associated with Him, and have perceived that He did not seek, for one
moment, to protect Himself. At all times He was at the mercy of the wicked
doers. At one time they cast Him into prison, at another they banished
Him, and at yet another hurried Him from land to land. Thus have they
pronounced judgement against Us, and God, truly, is aware of what I say.
Such men are reckoned by God among the most ignorant of His creatures.
They cut off their own limbs and perceive it not; they deprive themselves
of that which is best for them, and know it not. They are even as a young
child who can distinguish neither the mischief-maker from the reformer nor
the wicked from the righteous. We behold them in this Day wrapt in a
palpable veil.
178 O ye rulers of the earth! Wherefore have ye clouded the radiance of
the Sun, and caused it to cease from shining? Hearken unto the counsel
given you by the Pen of the Most High, that haply both ye and the poor may
attain unto tranquillity and peace. We beseech God to assist the kings of
the earth to establish peace on earth. He, verily, doth what He willeth.