Today the friends of God must appear in such wise among
God’s servants that by their actions they may lead all unto the pleasure of the
Lord of Glory. I swear by the Sun of the Horizon of Holiness that the friends
of God never have regarded nor will regard the earth or its transitory riches. 
…today victory neither has been nor will ever be opposition
to any one, nor strife with any person; but rather what is well-pleasing is
that the cities of men’s hearts, which are under the dominion of the hosts of
selfishness and lust, should be subdued by the sword of wisdom and of
exhortation. Every one, then, who desires victory must first subdue the city of
his own heart with the sword of spiritual truth and of the Word, and must
protect it from remembering aught beside God; afterwards, let him turn his
efforts toward the citadel of the hearts of others.
It has been known that God, glorious is His mention, is
sanctified from the world and what is therein, and that the meaning of victory
is not this, that anyone should fight or strive with another. The Lord of “He
doeth what he willeth” has committed the kingdom of creation, both land and
sea, into the hand of kings, and they are the manifestations of the divine
power according to the degrees of their ranks; verily, He is the potent, the
sovereign. But that which God, glorious is His mention, has desired for himself
is the hearts of His servants which are treasuries of praise and love of the
Lord and stores of divine knowledge and wisdom.
The friends of God must be adorned with the ornament of
justice, equity, kindness and love. As they do not allow themselves to be the
object of cruelty and transgression, in like manner they should not allow such
tyranny to visit the handmaidens of God. He, verily, speaketh the truth and
commandeth that which benefitteth His servants and handmaidens. He is the
Protector of all in this world and the next.
O rulers of the earth! Be reconciled among yourselves, that
ye may need no more armaments save in a measure to safeguard your territories
and dominions. Beware lest ye disregard the counsel of the All-Knowing, the
Faithful.
The eye of My loving-kindness weepeth sore over you,
[“leaders of religion”] inasmuch as ye have failed to recognize the One upon
Whom ye have been calling in the daytime and in the night season, at even and
at morn. Advance, O people, with snow-white faces and radiant hearts, unto the
blest and crimson Spot, wherein the Tree beyond which there is no passing is
calling: ‘Verily, there is none other God beside Me, the Omnipotent Protector,
the Self-Subsisting!’
God testifieth to the unity of His Godhood and to the
singleness of His own Being. On the throne of eternity, from the inaccessible
heights of His station, His tongue proclaimeth that there is none other God but
Him. He Himself, independently of all else, hath ever been a witness unto His
own oneness, the revealer of His own nature, the glorifier of His own essence.
He, verily, is the All-Powerful, the Almighty, the Beauteous.
O ye leaders of religion in Persia! Who is the man amongst
you that can rival Me in vision or insight? Where is he to be found that dareth
to claim to be My equal in utterance or wisdom? No, by My Lord, the
All-Merciful! All on the earth shall pass away; and this is the face of your
Lord, the Almighty, the Well-Beloved.
The world passeth away, and that which is everlasting is the
love of God. God willing, thou shalt circumambulate the True One in every world
of His worlds and shalt be free from all else save Him....
O peoples of the world! He Who is the Most Great Name is
come, on the part of the Ancient King, and hath announced unto men this
Revelation which lay hid in His knowledge, and was preserved in the treasury of
His protection, and was written down by the Most Sublime Pen in the Books of
God, the Lord of Lords.
O Son of Beauty! By My spirit and by My favor! By My mercy
and by My beauty! All that I have revealed unto thee with the tongue of power,
and have written for thee with the pen of might, hath been in accordance with
thy capacity and understanding, not with My state and the melody of My voice.
O kings of the earth! We see you increasing every year your
expenditures, and laying the burden thereof on your subjects. This, verily, is
wholly and grossly unjust. Fear the sighs and tears of this Wronged One, and
lay not excessive burdens on your peoples. Do not rob them to rear palaces for
yourselves; nay rather choose for them that which ye choose for yourselves.
Thus We unfold to your eyes that which profiteth you, if ye but perceive. Your
people are your treasures. Beware lest your rule violate the commandments of
God, and ye deliver your wards to the hands of the robber. By them ye rule, by
their means ye subsist, by their aid ye conquer. Yet, how disdainfully ye look
upon them! How strange, how very strange! .
O concourse of rulers and divines! Incline your ears unto
the Voice calling from the horizon of Akká. Verily, it aideth you to proceed
aright, and draweth you nigh unto Him, and directeth your steps towards the
station which God hath made the Dayspring of His Revelation and the
Dawning-Place of His splendors.
Time and again have We, for the sake of God, admonished the
distinguished divines, and summoned them unto the Most Sublime Horizon, that
perchance they might, in the days of His Revelation, obtain their portion of
the ocean of the utterance of Him Who is the Desire of the world, and remain
not utterly deprived thereof.
O Children of the Divine and Invisible Essence! Ye shall be
hindered from loving Me and souls shall be perturbed as they make mention of
Me. For minds cannot grasp Me nor hearts contain Me.
O ye rulers of the earth!
Wherefore have ye clouded the radiance of the Sun, and caused it to
cease from shining? Hearken unto the
counsel given you by the Pen of the Most High, that haply both ye and the poor
may attain unto tranquillity and peace.
We beseech God to assist the kings of the earth to establish peace on
earth. He, verily, doth what He willeth.
All should know, and in this regard attain the splendours of
the sun of certitude, and be illumined thereby: Women and men have been and
will always be equal in the sight of God. The Dawning-Place of the Light of God
sheddeth its radiance upon all with the same effulgence. Verily God created
women for men, and men for women. The most beloved of people before God are the
most steadfast and those who have surpassed others in their love for God,
exalted be His glory....
Steadfastness in the Cause is mentioned in the Tablets and
set forth by the Pen of the Ancient of Days. Render thanks to the Beloved of
the world that thou hast set thy heart on Him and art uttering His praise. Many
a man hath in this day been deprived of making mention of the All-Sufficing
Lord and of recognizing His truth; and many a woman hath fixed her gaze upon
the Horizon of the Most High, and hath adorned herself with the garb of the
love of the Desire of the world. This is God's grace which He bestoweth upon
whomsoever He pleaseth. By the Day-Star of ancient mysteries! The sweet-scented
fragrance of every breath breathed in the love of God is wafted in the court of
the presence of the Lord of Revelation. The reward of no good deed is or ever
will be lost. Blessed art thou, doubly blessed art thou! Thou art reckoned
amongst those handmaidens whose love for their kin hath not prevented them from
attaining the shores of the Sea of Grace and Mercy. God willing, thou shalt
rest eternally neath the shade of the favours of the All-Merciful and shalt be
assured of His bounties. Engage in the praise of the True One and rejoice in
His loving-kindness.
Be fair in your judgment. Every good thing is of God, and
every evil thing is from yourselves. Will ye not comprehend? This same truth
hath been revealed in all the Scriptures, if ye be of them that understand.
Every act ye meditate is as clear to Him as is that act when already
accomplished. There is none other God besides Him. His is all creation and its
empire. All stands revealed before Him; all is recorded in His holy and hidden
Tablets. This fore-knowledge of God, however, should not be regarded as having
caused the actions of men, just as your own previous knowledge that a certain
event is to occur, or your desire that it should happen, is not and can never
be the reason for its occurrence.
Emerge from behind the veil, by the leave of thy Lord, the
All-Glorious, the Most Powerful, and seize, before the eyes of those who are in
the heavens and those who are on the earth, the Chalice of Immortality, in the
name of thy Lord, the Inaccessible, the Most High, and quaff thy fill, and be
not of them that tarry. I swear by God! The moment thou touchest the Cup with
thy lips, the Concourse on high will acclaim thee saying, “Drink with healthy
relish, O man that hast truly believed in God!” and the inhabitants of the
Cities of Immortality will cry out, “Joy be to thee, O thou that hast drained
the Cup of His love!” and the Tongue of Grandeur will hail thee, “Great is the
blessedness that awaiteth thee, O My servant, for thou hast attained unto that
which none hath attained, except such as have detached themselves from all that
is in the heavens and all that is on the earth, and who are the emblems of true
detachment.”