O Son of Man! Many a day hath passed over thee whilst thou
hast busied thyself with thy fancies and idle imaginings. How long art thou to
slumber on thy bed? Lift up thy head from slumber, for the Sun hath risen to
the zenith, haply it may shine upon thee with the light of beauty. 
…the Qur’án was an impregnable stronghold unto the people of
Muhammad. In His days, whosoever entered therein, was shielded from the
devilish assaults, the menacing darts, the soul-devouring doubts, and
blasphemous whisperings of the enemy. Upon him was also bestowed a portion of
the everlasting and goodly fruits—the fruits of wisdom, from the divine Tree.
To him was given to drink the incorruptible waters of the river of knowledge,
and to taste the wine of the mysteries of divine Unity.
Be not dismayed, O peoples of the world, when the day star
of My beauty is set, and the heaven of My tabernacle is concealed from your
eyes. Arise to further My Cause, and to exalt My Word amongst men. We are with
you at all times, and shall strengthen you through the power of truth. We are
truly almighty. Whoso hath recognized Me, will arise and serve Me with such
determination that the powers of earth and heaven shall be unable to defeat his
purpose.
…O my friend, it behooveth Us to exert the highest endeavour
to attain unto that City, [“City of Certitude”] and, by the grace of God and
His loving-kindness, rend asunder the “veils of glory”; so that, with
inflexible steadfastness, we may sacrifice our drooping souls in the path of
the New Beloved. We should with tearful eyes, fervently and repeatedly, implore
Him to grant us the favour of that grace. That city is none other than the Word
of God revealed in every age and dispensation. In the days of Moses it was the
Pentateuch; in the days of Jesus the Gospel; in the days of Muḥammad the
Messenger of God the Qur’án; in this day the Bayán; and in the dispensation of
Him Whom God will make manifest His own Book—the Book unto which all the Books
of former Dispensations must needs be referred, the Book which standeth amongst
them all transcendent and supreme. In these cities spiritual sustenance is
bountifully provided, and incorruptible delights have been ordained. The food
they bestow is the bread of heaven, and the Spirit they impart is God’s
imperishable blessing. Upon detached souls they bestow the gift of Unity,
enrich the destitute, and offer the cup of knowledge unto them who wander in
the wilderness of ignorance. All the guidance, the blessings, the learning, the
understanding, the faith, and certitude, conferred upon all that is in heaven
and on earth, are hidden and treasured within these Cities.
They that valiantly labour in quest of God’s will, when once
they have renounced all else but Him, will be so attached and wedded to that
City [“City of Certitude”] that a moment’s separation from it would to them be
unthinkable. They will hearken unto infallible proofs from the Hyacinth of that
assembly, and receive the surest testimonies from the beauty of its Rose and
the melody of its Nightingale. Once in about a thousand years shall this City
be renewed and re-adorned.
The world’s equilibrium hath been upset through the
vibrating influence of this most great, this new World Order. Mankind’s ordered
life hath been revolutionized through the agency of this unique, this wondrous
System—the like of which mortal eyes have never witnessed.
Only when the lamp of search, of earnest striving, of
longing desire, of passionate devotion, of fervid love, of rapture, and
ecstasy, is kindled within the seeker’s heart, and the breeze of His
loving-kindness is wafted upon his soul, will the darkness of error be dispelled,
the mists of doubts and misgivings be dissipated, and the lights of knowledge
and certitude envelop his being. At that hour will the mystic Herald, bearing
the joyful tidings of the Spirit, shine forth from the City of God resplendent
as the morn, and, through the trumpet-blast of knowledge, will awaken the
heart, the soul, and the spirit from the slumber of negligence. Then will the
manifold favours and outpouring grace of the holy and everlasting Spirit confer
such new life upon the seeker that he will find himself endowed with a new eye,
a new ear, a new heart, and a new mind. He will contemplate the manifest signs
of the universe, and will penetrate the hidden mysteries of the soul. Gazing
with the eye of God, he will perceive within every atom a door that leadeth him
to the stations of absolute certitude. He will discover in all things the
mysteries of divine Revelation and the evidences of an everlasting
manifestation.
Say: This is the infallible Balance which the Hand of God is
holding, in which all who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth are
weighed, and their fate determined, if ye be of them that believe and recognize
this truth. Say: Through it the poor have been enriched, the learned
enlightened, and the seekers enabled to ascend unto the presence of God.
Beware, lest ye make it a cause of dissension amongst you. Be ye as firmly
settled as the immovable mountain in the Cause of your Lord, the Mighty, the
Loving.
Know thou, O fruit of My Tree, that the decrees of the
Sovereign Ordainer, as related to fate and predestination, are of two kinds.
Both are to be obeyed and accepted. The one is irrevocable, the other is, as
termed by men, impending. To the former all must unreservedly submit, inasmuch
as it is fixed and settled. God, however, is able to alter or repeal it. As the
harm that must result from such a change will be greater than if the decree had
remained unaltered, all, therefore, should willingly acquiesce in what God hath
willed and confidently abide by the same.
We exhort all believers to observe justice and fairness and
to show forth love and contentment. They are indeed the people of Bahá, the
companions of the Crimson Ark. Upon them be the peace of God, the Lord of all
Names, the Creator of the heavens.
As to thy question concerning interest and profit on gold
and silver: Some years ago the following passage was revealed from the heaven
of the All-Merciful in honour of the one who beareth the name of God, entitled
Zaynu’l-Muqarrabín —upon him be the glory of the Most Glorious. He—exalted be
His Word—saith: Many people stand in need of this. Because if there were no
prospect for gaining interest, the affairs of men would suffer collapse or
dislocation. One can seldom find a person who would manifest such consideration
towards his fellow-man, his countryman or towards his own brother and would
show such tender solicitude for him as to be well-disposed to grant him a loan
on benevolent terms. Therefore as a token of favour towards men We have
prescribed that interest on money should be treated like other business
transactions that are current amongst men. Thus, now that this lucid
commandment hath descended from the heaven of the Will of God, it is lawful and
proper to charge interest on money, that the people of the world may, in a
spirit of amity and fellowship and with joy and gladness, devotedly engage
themselves in magnifying the Name of Him Who is the Well-Beloved of all
mankind. Verily He ordaineth according to His Own choosing. He hath now made
interest on money lawful, even as He had made it unlawful in the past. Within
His grasp He holdeth the kingdom of authority. He doeth and ordaineth. He is in
truth the Ordainer, the All-Knowing.
May the brightness of His glory shining above the horizon of
bounty rest upon you, O people of Bahá, upon every one who standeth firm and
steadfast and upon those that are well grounded in the Faith and are endued
with true understanding.
The people of God should make the utmost endeavour that
perchance the fire of hatred and malice which smouldereth in the breasts of
kindreds and peoples may, through the living waters of utterance and the
exhortations of Him Who is the Desire of the world, be quenched and the trees
of human existence may be adorned with wondrous and excellent fruit. He is, in
truth, the Admonisher, the Compassionate, the All-Bountiful.
The Holy Tree [Sadrat] is, in a sense, the Manifestation of
the One True God, exalted be He. The Blessed Tree in the land of Za’farán
referreth to the land which is flourishing, blessed, holy and all-perfumed,
where that Tree hath been planted.
O My Servant! Purge thy heart from malice and, innocent of
envy, enter the divine court of holiness.
He [the Báb] saith—glorified be His utterance…: “This,
verily, is the thing We promised thee, ere the moment We answered thy call.
Wait thou until nine will have elapsed from the time of the Bayán. Then
exclaim: ‘Blessed, therefore, be God, the most excellent of Makers!’ Say: This,
verily, is an Announcement which none except God hath comprehended. Ye,
however, will be unaware on that day.” In the year nine this Most Great
Revelation arose and shone forth brightly above the horizon of the Will of God.
None can deny it save he who is heedless and doubteth.
O Son of Dust! The wise are they that speak not unless they
obtain a hearing, even as the cup-bearer, who proffereth not his cup till he
findeth a seeker, and the lover who crieth not out from the depths of his heart
until he gazeth upon the beauty of his beloved. Wherefore sow the seeds of
wisdom and knowledge in the pure soil of the heart, and keep them hidden, till
the hyacinths of divine wisdom spring from the heart and not from mire and
clay.
I testify that through Him [Baha’u’llah] the Pen of the Most
High was set in motion, and with His remembrance the Scriptures in the kingdom
of names were embellished. Through Him Thy [God’s] fragrances were wafted, and
the sweet smell of Thy raiment was shed abroad amongst all the dwellers of the
earth and the inmates of heaven. Thou seest and knowest full well, O my God,
how He hath been made to dwell within the most desolate of cities, so that He
may build up the hearts of Thy servants, and hath been willing to suffer the
most grievous abasement, that Thy creatures may be exalted.
I testify, O my God, that this is the Day whereon Thy
testimony hath been fulfilled, and Thy clear tokens have been manifested, and
Thine utterances have been revealed, and Thy signs have been demonstrated, and
the radiance of Thy countenance hath been diffused, and Thy proof hath been
perfected, and Thine ascendancy hath been established, and Thy mercy hath
overflowed, and the Day-Star of Thy grace hath shone forth with such brilliance
that Thou didst manifest Him Who is the Revealer of Thyself and the Treasury of
Thy wisdom and the Dawning-Place of Thy majesty and power. Thou didst establish
His covenant with every one who hath been created in the kingdoms of earth and
heaven and in the realms of revelation and of creation. Thou didst raise Him up
to such heights that the wrongs inflicted by the oppressors have been powerless
to deter Him from revealing Thy sovereignty, and the ascendancy of the wayward
hath failed to prevent Him from demonstrating Thy power and from exalting Thy
Cause.
In another connection hath the Voice of the Bayán called
aloud from the loftiest branches. He saith—blessed and glorified be He: “In the
year nine ye will attain unto all good.” On another occasion He saith: “In the
year nine ye will attain unto the Presence of God.” These melodies, uttered by
the Birds of the cities of Knowledge, conform with that which hath been sent
down by the All-Merciful in the Qur’án. Blessed are the men of insight; blessed
they that attain thereunto.