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.
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.