O ye that are the exponents of generosity and the
manifestations thereof! Be generous unto them whom ye find in manifest poverty.
O ye that are possessed of riches! Take heed lest outward appearance deter you
from benevolent deeds in the path of God, the Lord of all mankind. 
Be a treasure to the poor, an admonisher to the rich, an
answerer of the cry of the needy, a preserver of the sanctity of thy pledge.
My God, my Fire and my Light! The days which Thou hast named
the Ayyam-i-Ha (the Days of Ha, Intercalary days) in Thy Book have begun, O
Thou Who art the King of names, and the fast which Thy most exalted Pen hath
enjoined unto all who are in the kingdom of Thy creation to observe is
approaching. I entreat Thee, O my Lord, by these days and by all such as have
during that period clung to the cord of Thy commandments, and laid hold on the
handle of Thy precepts, to grant that unto every soul may be assigned a place
within the precincts of Thy court, and a seat at the revelation of the
splendors of the light of Thy countenance.
Blessed is he who loves the world simply for the sake of the
Face of his Generous Lord. With perfect compassion and mercy have we aided and
directed the people of the world to that whereby their souls shall be profited.
The signs of God shine as manifest and resplendent as the
sun amidst the works of His creatures. Whatsoever proceedeth from Him is apart,
and will always remain distinguished, from the inventions of men. From the
Source of His knowledge countless Luminaries of learning and wisdom have risen,
and out of the Paradise of His Pen the breath of the All-Merciful hath
continually been wafted to the hearts and souls of men. Happy are they that
have recognized this truth.
If, in the Day when all the peoples of the earth will be
gathered together, any man should, whilst standing in the presence of God, be
asked: “Wherefore hast thou disbelieved in My Beauty and turned away from My
Self,” and if such a man should reply and say: “Inasmuch as all men have erred,
and none hath been found willing to turn his face to the Truth, I, too,
following their example, have grievously failed to recognize the Beauty of the
Eternal,” such a plea will, assuredly, be rejected. For the faith of no man can
be conditioned by any one except himself.
…every man hath been, and will continue to be, able of
himself to appreciate the Beauty of God, the Glorified. Had he not been endowed
with such a capacity, how could he be called to account for his failure?
…the moment the word expressing My attribute “The
Omniscient” issueth forth from My mouth, every created thing will, according to
its capacity and limitations, be invested with the power to unfold the
knowledge of the most marvelous sciences, and will be empowered to manifest
them in the course of time at the bidding of Him Who is the Almighty, the
All-Knowing. Know thou of a certainty that the Revelation of every other Name
is accompanied by a similar manifestation of Divine power. Every single letter
proceeding out of the mouth of God is indeed a mother letter, and every word
uttered by Him Who is the Well Spring of Divine Revelation is a mother word,
and His Tablet a Mother Tablet. Well is it with them that apprehend this truth.
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.
Every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God is
endowed with such potency as can instill new life into every human frame, if ye
be of them that comprehend this truth. All the wondrous works ye behold in this
world have been manifested through the operation of His supreme and most
exalted Will, His wondrous and inflexible Purpose. Through the mere revelation
of the word “Fashioner,” issuing forth from His lips and proclaiming His
attribute to mankind, such power is released as can generate, through
successive ages, all the manifold arts which the hands of man can produce.
This, verily, is a certain truth. No sooner is this resplendent word uttered,
than its animating energies, stirring within all created things, give birth to
the means and instruments whereby such arts can be produced and perfected. All
the wondrous achievements ye now witness are the direct consequences of the
Revelation of this Name. In the days to come, ye will, verily, behold things of
which ye have never heard before. Thus hath it been decreed in the Tablets of
God, and none can comprehend it except them whose sight is sharp.
We behold it, [the world] 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.
The Pen of the Most High has recorded: "Fear of God is
the greatest commander that can render the Cause of God victorious, and the
hosts which best befit this commander have ever been and are an upright
character and pure and goodly deeds."
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.
Consider the people and the things they have wrought in My
days. We revealed unto one of the rulers that which overpowereth all the
dwellers of the earth, and requested him to bring Us face to face with the
learned men of this age, that We might set forth for him the testimony of God,
His proofs, His glory and His majesty; and naught did We intend thereby but the
highest good. However, he committed that which hath caused the inmates of the
cities of justice and equity to lament. Thus hath judgement been given between
Me and him. Verily thy Lord is the Ordainer, the All-Informed. In such
circumstances as thou seest, how can the Celestial Bird soar into the
atmosphere of divine mysteries when its wings have been battered with the
stones of idle fancy and bitter hatred, and it is cast into a prison built of
unyielding stone? By the righteousness of God! The people have perpetrated a
grievous injustice.
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.
Verily God will raise up Him Whom God shall make manifest,
and after Him Whomsoever He willeth, even as He hath raised up prophets before
the Point of the Bayán. He in truth hath power over all things.
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.
Grant, O my God, that I may not be reckoned among those
whose ears are deaf, whose eyes are blind, whose tongues are speechless and
whose hearts have failed to comprehend. Deliver me, O Lord, from the fire of
ignorance and of selfish desire, suffer me to be admitted into the precincts of
Thy transcendent mercy and send down upon me that which Thou hast ordained for
Thy chosen ones. Potent art Thou to do what Thou willest. Verily Thou art the
Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
Muhammad… as the end of His mission drew nigh, spoke these
words: “Verily, I leave amongst you My twin weighty testimonies: The Book of
God and My Family.” Although many traditions had been revealed by that Source
of Prophethood and Mine of divine Guidance, yet He mentioned only that Book,
thereby appointing it as the mightiest instrument and surest testimony for the
seekers; a guide for the people until the Day of Resurrection.
Abandon me not to myself, O my Lord, nor deprive me of
recognizing Him Who is the Manifestation of Thine Own Self, nor account me with
such as have turned away from Thy holy presence. Number me, O my God, with
those who are privileged to fix their gaze upon Thy Beauty and who take such
delight therein that they would not exchange a single moment thereof with the
sovereignty of the kingdom of heavens and earth or with the entire realm of
creation.
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.
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.
O Son of Man! My eternity is My creation, I have created it
for thee. Make it the garment of thy temple. My unity is My handiwork; I have
wrought it for thee; clothe thyself therewith, that thou mayest be to all
eternity the revelation of My everlasting being.
All the things that people required in connection with the
Revelation of Muhammad and His laws were to be found revealed and manifest in
that Ridván of resplendent glory. That Book [the Qur’an] constitutes an abiding
testimony to its people after Muhammad, inasmuch as its decrees are
indisputable, and its promise unfailing. All have been enjoined to follow the
precepts of that Book until “the year sixty” —the year of the advent of God’s
wondrous Manifestation. That Book is the Book which unfailingly leadeth the
seeker unto the Ridván of the divine Presence, and causeth him that hath
forsaken his country and is treading the seeker’s path to enter the Tabernacle
of everlasting reunion. Its guidance can never err, its testimony no other
testimony can excel. All other traditions, all other books and records, are
bereft of such distinction, inasmuch as both the traditions and they that have
spoken them are confirmed and proven solely by the text of that Book. Moreover,
the traditions themselves grievously differ, and their obscurities are
manifold.
…in the Qur’án He saith: “Of what ask they of one another?
Of the Great Announcement.” This is the Announcement, the greatness of which
hath been mentioned in most of the Books of old and of more recent times. This
is the Announcement that hath caused the limbs of mankind to quake, except such
as God, the Protector, the Helper, the Succorer, hath willed to exempt. Men
have indeed with their own eyes witnessed how all men and all things have been
thrown into confusion and been sore perplexed, save those whom God hath chosen
to exempt.
O Shaykh! Great is the Cause, and great the Announcement!
Patiently and calmly ponder thou upon the resplendent signs and the sublime
words, and all that hath been revealed in these days, that haply thou mayest
fathom the mysteries that are hid in the Books, and mayest strive to guide His
servants. Hearken with thine inner ear unto the Voice of Jeremiah, Who saith:
“Oh, for great is that Day, and it hath no equal.” Wert thou to observe with
the eye of fairness, thou wouldst perceive the greatness of the Day. Incline
thine ear unto the Voice of this All-Knowing Counsellor, and suffer not thyself
to be deprived of the mercy that hath surpassed all created things, visible and
invisible. Lend an ear unto the song of David. He saith: “Who will bring me
into the Strong City?” The Strong City is Akká, which hath been named the Most
Great Prison, and which possesseth a fortress and mighty ramparts.
Hearken unto the melodies of the Gospel with the ear of
fairness. He saith—glorified be His utterance—prophesying the things that are
to come: “But of that Day and Hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of
heaven, nor the Son, but the Father.” By Father in this connection is meant
God—exalted be His glory. He, verily, is the True Educator, and the Spiritual
Teacher.
We pray God to aid His servants to return unto Him, and beg
forgiveness for the things they committed in this vain life. He, verily, is the
Forgiving, the Pardoner, the All-Merciful.