The Birth of the Abhá Beauty was at the hour of dawn on the
second day of the month of Muharram, [1] the first day of which marketh the
Birth of His Herald. These two days are accounted as one in the sight of God. 
O Muhammad! The Ancient of Days hath turned His countenance
towards thee, making mention of thee, and exhorting the people of God to
educate their children. Should a father neglect this most weighty commandment
laid down in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas by the Pen of the Eternal King, he shall forfeit
rights of fatherhood, and be accounted guilty before God. Well is it with him
who imprinteth on his heart the admonitions of the Lord, and steadfastly
cleaveth unto them. God, in truth, enjoineth on His servants what shall assist
and profit them, and enable them to draw nigh unto Him. He is the Ordainer, the
Everlasting.
The world is in travail, and its agitation waxeth day by
day. Its face is turned towards waywardness and unbelief. Such shall be its
plight, that to disclose it now would not be meet and seemly. Its perversity
will long continue. And when the appointed hour is come, there shall suddenly
appear that which shall cause the limbs of mankind to quake. Then, and only
then, will the Divine Standard be unfurled, and the Nightingale of Paradise
warble its melody.
Say: He is not to be numbered with the people of Bahá who
followeth his mundane desires, or fixeth his heart on things of the earth. He
is My true follower who, if he come to a valley of pure gold, will pass
straight through it aloof as a cloud, and will neither turn back, nor pause.
Such a man is, assuredly, of Me. From his garment the Concourse on high can
inhale the fragrance of sanctity.... And if he met the fairest and most comely
of women, he would not feel his heart seduced by the least shadow of desire for
her beauty. Such an one, indeed, is the creation of spotless chastity. Thus
instructeth you the Pen of the Ancient of Days, as bidden by your Lord, the
Almighty, the All-Bountiful.
A just king is the shadow of God on earth. All should seek shelter under the shadow of
his justice, and rest in the shade of his favour. This is not a matter which is either specific
or limited in its scope, that it might be restricted to one or another person,
inasmuch as the shadow telleth of the One Who casteth it. God, glorified be His remembrance, hath
called Himself the Lord of the worlds, for He hath nurtured and still nurtureth
everyone. Glorified be, then, His grace
that hath preceded all created things, and His mercy that hath surpassed the
worlds.
Thus it is that whatsoever be their utterance, whether it
pertain to the realm of Divinity, Lordship, Prophethood, Messengership,
Guardianship, Apostleship or Servitude, all is true, beyond the shadow of a
doubt. Therefore, these sayings which We have quoted in support of Our argument
must be attentively considered, that the divergent utterances of the
Manifestations of the Unseen and Daysprings of Holiness may cease to agitate
the soul and perplex the mind.
One of the signs of the maturity of the world is that no one
will accept to bear the weight of kingship. Kingship will remain with none
willing to bear alone its weight. That day will be the day whereon wisdom will
be manifested among mankind. Only in order to proclaim the Cause of God and
spread abroad His Faith will anyone be willing to bear this grievous weight.
Well is it with him who, for love of God and His Cause, and for the sake of God
and for the purpose of proclaiming His Faith, will expose himself unto this
great danger, and will accept this toil and trouble.
O members of parliaments throughout the world! Select ye a
single language for the use of all on earth, and adopt ye likewise a common
script. God, verily, maketh plain for you that which shall profit you and
enable you to be independent of others. He, of a truth, is the Most Bountiful,
the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. This will be the cause of unity, could ye
but comprehend it, and the greatest instrument for promoting harmony and
civilization, would that ye might understand!
O concourse of earth and heaven! This is that first night,
[Birth of the Báb] which God hath made to be a sign of that second night,
[Birth of Baha’u’llah’] whereon was born He Whom no praise can befittingly
extol and no attribute describe. Well is it with him who reflecteth upon them
both: Verily, he will find their outer reality to correspond to their inner
essence, and will become acquainted with the divine mysteries that lie
enshrined in this Revelation, a Revelation through which the foundations of
misbelief have been shaken, the idols of superstition have been shattered, and
the banner hath been unfurled which proclaimeth, “No God is there but Him, the
Powerful, the Exalted, the Incomparable, the Protector, the Mighty, the
Inaccessible.”
Blessed art thou, O night [Birth of the Báb]! For through
thee was born the Day of God, a Day which We have ordained to be the lamp of salvation
unto the denizens of the cities of names, the chalice of victory unto the
champions of the arenas of eternity, and the dawning-place of joy and
exultation unto all creation.
In the name of the One born on this day, Him Whom God hath
made to be the Herald of His name, the Almighty, the All-Loving!
This is the night [Birth of Baha’u’llah] wherein the limbs
of Jibt were made to tremble, and the Most Great Idol fell upon the dust, and
the foundations of iniquity were shattered, and Manát lamented in its inmost being,
and the back of ‘Uzzá was broken and its face blackened;[1] for the Morn of
divine Revelation hath dawned, and there hath appeared that which hath solaced
the eyes of glory and majesty, and beyond them the eyes of all the Prophets and
Messengers of God. All glory, then, to this Dawn which hath broken above the
dayspring of effulgent glory!
This is the night [Birth of Baha’u’llah] round which have
circled the Nights of Power, [Cf. Qur’án, súrih 97] wherein the angels and the
Spirit have come down bearing cups filled at the streams of Paradise, the night
wherein Heaven itself was adorned with the ornament of God, the Almighty, the
All-Gracious, the Most Bountiful, wherein every created thing was brought to
life, and all the peoples of the earth were surrounded by His grace. All joy to
the concourse of the Spirit for this manifest and resplendent bounty!
This is the night [Birth of Baha’u’llah] wherein the doors
of Paradise were flung open and the gates of Hell were shut fast, the night
wherein the paradise of the All-Merciful was unveiled in the midmost heart of
creation, the breezes of God were wafted from the retreats of forgiveness, and
the Last Hour ushered in through the power of truth, could ye but know it. All
joy to this night through which all days have been suffused with light, though
none can apprehend this save those that are endued with certitude and
discernment!
O concourse of the seen and the unseen! Rejoice with
exceeding gladness in your hearts and souls, for the night hath come for the
harvesting of the ages and the gathering up of past cycles, the night wherein
all days and nights were called into being and the time preordained for this
Revelation was fulfilled at the behest of Him Who is the Lord of might and
power. All joy to the Concourse on high at the appearance of so glorious, so
wondrous a Spirit!
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!”
…know thou of a certainty that these Luminaries
[Manifestations & Chosen Ones of God] of heavenly majesty, though their
dwelling be in the dust, yet their true habitation is the seat of glory in the
realms above. Though bereft of all earthly possessions, yet they soar in the
realms of immeasurable riches. And whilst sore tried in the grip of the enemy,
they are seated on the right hand of power and celestial dominion. Amidst the
darkness of their abasement there shineth upon them the light of unfading
glory, and upon their helplessness are showered the tokens of an invincible
sovereignty.
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.
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.
And now, ponder this in thine heart: Were sovereignty to
mean earthly sovereignty and worldly dominion, were it to imply the subjection
and external allegiance of all the peoples and kindreds of the earth—whereby
His loved ones should be exalted and be made to live in peace, and His enemies
be abased and tormented—such form of sovereignty would not be true of God
Himself, the Source of all dominion, Whose majesty and power all things
testify. For, dost thou not witness how the generality of mankind is under the
sway of His enemies? Have they not all turned away from the path of His good-pleasure?
Have they not done that which He hath forbidden, and left undone, nay
repudiated and opposed, those things which He hath commanded? Have not His
friends ever been the victims of the tyranny of His foes? All these things are
more obvious than even the splendour of the noon-tide sun.