O Living Temple! We,
verily, have made Thee a mirror unto the kingdom of names, that Thou mayest be,
amidst all mankind, a sign of My sovereignty, a herald unto My presence, a
summoner unto My beauty, and a guide unto My straight and perspicuous
Path. We have exalted Thy Name among Our
servants as a bounty from Our presence. I, verily, am the All-Bountiful, the Ancient of Days. We have, moreover, adorned Thee with the
ornament of Our own Self, and have imparted unto Thee Our Word, that Thou
mayest ordain in this contingent world whatsoever Thou willest and accomplish
whatsoever Thou pleasest. We have
destined for Thee all the good of the heavens and of the earth, and decreed
that none may attain unto a portion thereof unless he entereth beneath Thy
shadow, as bidden by Thy Lord, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. We have conferred upon Thee the Staff of
authority and the Writ of judgement, that Thou mayest test the wisdom of every
command. We have caused the oceans of
inner meaning and explanation to surge from Thy heart in remembrance of Thy
Lord, the God of mercy, that Thou mayest render thanks and praise unto Him and
be of those who are truly thankful. We
have singled Thee out from amongst all Our creatures, and have appointed Thee
as the Manifestation of Our own Self unto all who are in the heavens and on the
earth.
(Baha'u'llah, ‘Suriy-i-Haykal, ‘The Summons of the Lord of Hosts’)
