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.
O Son of Man! The light hath shone on thee from the horizon
of the sacred Mount and the spirit of enlightenment hath breathed in the Sinai
of thy heart. Wherefore, free thyself from the veils of idle fancies and enter
into My court, that thou mayest be fit for everlasting life and worthy to meet
Me. Thus may death not come upon thee, neither weariness nor trouble.
The peoples of the world are fast asleep. Were they to wake
from their slumber, they would hasten with eagerness unto God, the All-Knowing,
the All-Wise. They would cast away everything they possess, be it all the
treasures of the earth, that their Lord may remember them to the extent of
addressing to them but one word. Such is the instruction given you by Him Who
holdeth the knowledge of things hidden, in a Tablet which the eye of creation
hath not seen, and which is revealed to none except His own Self, the
omnipotent protector of all worlds. So bewildered are they in the drunkenness
of their evil desires, that they are powerless to recognize the Lord of all
being, Whose voice calleth aloud from every direction: “There is none other God
but Me, the Mighty, the All-Wise.”
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.