Hast thou [‘Álí Páshá, the Ottoman Prime Minister] imagined
thyself capable of extinguishing the fire which God hath kindled in the heart
of creation? Nay, by Him Who is the Eternal Truth, couldst thou but know it.
Rather, on account of what thy hands have wrought, it blazed higher and burned
more fiercely. Erelong will it encompass the earth and all that dwell therein. Thus hath it been decreed by God, and the powers of earth and heaven are unable
to thwart His purpose.
- Baha’u’llah (From Súriy-i-Ra’ís, addressed to ‘Álí Páshá,
the Ottoman Prime Minister, [referred to here as Ra’ís (Chief or Ruler)]; ‘The
Summons of the Lord of Hosts’)
