O ye loved ones of God! Drink your fill from the wellspring
of wisdom, and soar ye in the atmosphere of wisdom, and speak forth with wisdom
and eloquence. Thus biddeth you your Lord, the Almighty, the All-Knowing. 
O thou who art gone astray! If thou hast any doubt
concerning Our conduct, know thou that We bear witness unto that whereunto God
hath Himself borne witness ere the creation of the heavens and of the earth,
that there is none other God but Him, the Almighty, the All-Bounteous. We
testify that He is One in His Essence, One in His Attributes. He hath none to
equal Him in the whole universe, nor any partner in all creation. He hath sent
forth His Messengers, and sent down His Books, that they may announce unto His
creatures the Straight Path.
Gracious God! So great is the folly and perversity of the
people, that they have turned their face toward their own thoughts and desires,
and have turned their back upon the knowledge and will of God—hallowed and
glorified be His name!
I sorrow not for the burden of My imprisonment. Neither do I
grieve over My abasement, or the tribulation I suffer at the hands of Mine
enemies. By My life! They are My glory, a glory wherewith God hath adorned His
own Self. Would that ye know it!
It hath been enjoined upon you to purify your means of
sustenance and other such things through payment of Zakát.[Tithes] Thus hath
it been prescribed in this exalted Tablet by Him Who is the Revealer of verses.
We shall, if it be God’s will and purpose, set forth erelong the measure of its
assessment. He, verily, expoundeth whatsoever He desireth by virtue of His own
knowledge, and He, of a truth, is Omniscient and All-Wise.
The Lord hath decreed, moreover, that the deceased should be
enfolded in five sheets of silk or cotton. For those whose means are limited a
single sheet of either fabric will suffice. Thus hath it been ordained by Him
Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. It is forbidden you to transport the
body of the deceased a greater distance than one hour’s journey from the city;
rather should it be interred, with radiance and serenity, in a nearby place.
The Lord hath decreed that the dead should be interred in
coffins made of crystal, of hard, resistant stone, or of wood that is both fine
and durable, and that graven rings should be placed upon their fingers. He,
verily, is the Supreme Ordainer, the One apprised of all.
Certain ones among both commoners and nobles have objected
that this wronged One is neither a member of the ecclesiastical order nor a
descendant of the Prophet. Say: O ye that claim to be just! Reflect a little
while, and ye shall recognize how infinitely exalted is His present state above
the station ye claim He should possess. The Will of the Almighty hath decreed
that out of a house wholly devoid of all that the divines, the doctors, the
sages, and scholars commonly possess His Cause should proceed and be made
manifest.
Lay not aside the fear of God, O ye the learned of the
world, and judge fairly the Cause of this unlettered One to Whom all the Books
of God, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting, have testified. ...Will not the
dread of Divine displeasure, the fear of Him Who hath no peer or equal, arouse
you? He Whom the world hath wronged hath, at no time, associated with you, hath
never studied your writings, nor participated in any of your disputations. The
garb He weareth, His flowing locks, His headdress, attest the truth of His
words. How long will ye persist in your injustice? Witness the habitation in
which He, Who is the incarnation of justice, hath been forced to dwell. Open
your eyes, and, beholding His plight, meditate diligently upon that which your
hands have wrought, that haply ye may not be deprived of the light of His
Divine utterance, nor remain bereft of your share of the ocean of His
knowledge.
This is a Day, the Light of which Thou hast sanctified above
the sun and its effulgence. Thou hast called it "The Day of God!"
Nothing is to be seen therein but Thy Supreme Self, and naught is to be
remembered save Thy sweetest Name. Wherefore, when He appeared, the foundations
of nations trembled, the learned were bewildered and the wise men were
confounded, save those who came near unto Thee, took from the hand of Favor the
pure wine of Thy Inspiration, and drank in Thy Name, saying: "Praise be unto Thee, O Desire of the nations! Praise
be to Thee, O Beloved of the hearts of the yearning!"
…by “Resurrection” is meant the rise of the Manifestation of
God to proclaim His Cause, and by “attainment unto the divine Presence” is
meant attainment unto the presence of His Beauty in the person of His
Manifestation. For verily, “No vision taketh in Him, but He taketh in all
vision.” (Qur’an 6:103)
Occupy thyself, during these fleeting days of thy life, with
such deeds as will diffuse the fragrance of Divine good pleasure, and will be
adorned with the ornament of His acceptance.
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!
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?
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.
Happy is the man who hath recognized Thee, and discovered
the sweetness of Thy fragrance, and set himself towards Thy kingdom, and tasted
of the things that have been perfected therein by Thy grace and favor. Great is
the blessedness of him who hath acknowledged Thy most excellent majesty, and
whom the veils that have shut out the nations from Thee have not hindered from
directing his eyes towards Thee, O Thou Who art the King of eternity and the
Quickener of every moldering bone! Blessed, also, is he that hath inhaled Thy
sweet savors, and been carried away by Thine utterances in Thy days. Blessed,
moreover, be the man that hath turned unto Thee, and woe betide him that hath
turned his back upon Thee.
Praise be unto Thee, O Lord my God! This is that Day among
Thy Days and that Hour among Thy blessed Hours which Thou hast reserved for
Thine own Self, related to Thine own Being, and exalted in station, that Thy
Name may endure and Thy sovereignty be made manifest. Thou hast made this Day
to be the source of all days, inasmuch as Thou hast showered upon it the
revelations of the Throne of Thy majesty and the signs of Thy transcendent
favour. Thou hast created it anew, at this time, in the most excellent form in
this ancient Temple, so that on this Day, and by its grace, all the dwellers of
earth and heaven might be raised again to life and, unbeknownst to and
unapprehended by all, be called upon to render account regarding Thy Self.
Perchance Thy sacred and celestial blessings and Thy divine and glorious
bestowals might be completed therein, that they may testify to the creation of
all things on the Day of Thy presence and to the appearance of Thy days and the
dawning of the Sun of Thy beauty.
Praise be to Thee, O my God, that Thou hast ordained this
day [Naw-Ruz] as a festival unto the favoured among Thy servants and the
sincere among Thy loved ones. Thou hast called this day by that Name whereby
all created things have been subdued and the breezes of Thy Revelation have
been wafted between earth and heaven, a Name through which all that hath been
recorded in Thy Holy Books and Sacred Scriptures hath been made manifest, and
which Thy Messengers and Thy Chosen Ones have foretold, that all men might be
made ready to behold Thee, to turn towards the ocean of Thy reunion, to stand
before the seat of Thy throne, and to hear Thy wondrous call from the Dayspring
of Thine invisible Self and the Dawning-Place of Thine Essence.