Rejoice with great joy, O Land of Tá (Tihrán), for God hath
made thee the dayspring of His light, inasmuch as within thee was born the
Manifestation of His glory. Be thou glad for this name that hath been conferred
upon thee—a name through which the Daystar of grace hath shed its splendor,
through which both earth and heaven have been illumined. 
The source of courage and power is the promotion of the Word
of God, and steadfastness in His Love.
O King! Wert thou to
incline thine ear unto the shrill of the Pen of Glory and the cooing of the
Dove of Eternity which, on the branches of the Lote-Tree beyond which there is
no passing, uttereth praises to God, the Maker of all names and Creator of earth
and heaven, thou wouldst attain unto a station from which thou wouldst behold
in the world of being naught save the effulgence of the Adored One, and wouldst
regard thy sovereignty as the most contemptible of thy possessions, abandoning
it to whosoever might desire it, and setting thy face toward the Horizon aglow
with the light of His countenance. Neither wouldst thou ever be willing to bear the burden of dominion save
for the purpose of helping thy Lord, the Exalted, the Most High. Then would the Concourse on high bless
thee. O how excellent is this most
sublime station, couldst thou ascend thereunto through the power of a
sovereignty recognized as derived from the Name of God!
The essence of detachment is for man to turn his face
towards the courts of the Lord, to enter His Presence, behold His Countenance,
and stand as witness before Him.
The essence of belief in Divine unity consisteth in
regarding Him Who is the Manifestation of God and Him Who is the invisible, the
inaccessible, the unknowable Essence as one and the same. By this is meant that
whatever pertaineth to the former, all His acts and doings, whatever He
ordaineth or forbiddeth, should be considered, in all their aspects, and under
all circumstances, and without any reservation, as identical with the Will of
God Himself. This is the loftiest station to which a true believer in the unity
of God can ever hope to attain. Blessed is the man that reacheth this station,
and is of them that are steadfast in their belief.
QUESTION: Should antipathy develop between a couple after
the Marriage Verses have been read and the dowry paid, may divorce take place
without observance of the year of patience?
True reliance is for the servant to pursue his profession
and calling in this world, to hold fast unto the Lord, to seek naught but His
grace, inasmuch as in His Hands is the destiny of all His servants.
QUESTION: Which is to take precedence: the Huqúqu’lláh, the
debts of the deceased or the cost of the funeral and burial?
Some, deluded by their idle fancies, have conceived all
created things as associates and partners of God, and imagined themselves to be
the exponents of His unity. By Him Who is the one true God! Such men have been,
and will continue to remain, the victims of blind imitation, and are to be
numbered with them that have restricted and limited the conception of God.
Regard thou the one true God as One Who is apart from, and
immeasurably exalted above, all created things. The whole universe reflecteth
His glory, while He is Himself independent of, and transcendeth His creatures.
This is the true meaning of Divine unity. He Who is the Eternal Truth is the
one Power Who exerciseth undisputed sovereignty over the world of being, Whose
image is reflected in the mirror of the entire creation. All existence is
dependent upon Him, and from Him is derived the source of the sustenance of all
things. This is what is meant by Divine unity; this is its fundamental
principle.
Look upon this Youth, O King, with the eyes of justice;
judge thou, then, with truth concerning what hath befallen Him. Of a verity,
God hath made thee His shadow amongst men, and the sign of His power unto all
that dwell on earth. Judge thou between Us and them that have wronged Us
without proof and without an enlightening Book. They that surround thee love
thee for their own sakes, whereas this Youth loveth thee for thine own sake,
and hath had no desire except to draw thee nigh unto the seat of grace, and to
turn thee toward the right hand of justice. Thy Lord beareth witness unto that
which I declare.
Wert thou [the Ottoman emperor] to incline thine ear unto My
speech and observe My counsel, God would exalt thee to so eminent a position
that the designs of no man on the whole earth could ever touch or hurt thee.
Observe, O king, with thine inmost heart and with thy whole being, the precepts
of God, and walk not in the paths of the oppressor. Seize thou, and hold firmly
within the grasp of thy might, the reins of the affairs of thy people, and
examine in person whatever pertaineth unto them. Let nothing escape thee, for
therein lieth the highest good.
…in this Dispensation, not one amongst the renowned divines,
in the grasp of whose authority were held the reins of the people, hath
embraced the Faith. Nay, they have striven against it with such animosity and
determination that no ear hath heard and no eye hath seen the like.
It would be wholly untrue to maintain that this faculty [the
rational faculty in a human being] is the same as the power of vision, inasmuch
as the power of vision is derived from it and acteth in dependence upon it. It
would, likewise, be idle to contend that this faculty can be identified with
the sense of hearing, as the sense of hearing receiveth from the rational
faculty the requisite energy for performing its functions.
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 thine head from slumber, for the Sun hath risen to
the zenith; haply it may shine upon thee with the light of beauty.
The highest faculties which the learned have possessed, and
whatsoever truths they, in their search after the gems of Thy [God’s]
knowledge, have discovered; the brightest realities with which the wise have
been endowed, and whatever secrets they, in their attempts to fathom the
mysteries of Thy wisdom, have unraveled, have all been created through the
generative power of the Spirit that was breathed into the Pen which Thy hands
have fashioned. How, then, can the thing which Thy Pen hath created be capable
of comprehending those treasures of Thy Faith with which, as decreed by Thee,
that Pen hath been invested? How can it ever know of the Fingers that grasp Thy
Pen, and of Thy merciful favors with which it hath been endowed? How can it,
already unable to reach this station, be made aware of the existence of Thy
Hand that controlleth the Fingers of Thy might? How can it attain unto the
comprehension of the nature of Thy Will that animateth the movement of Thy
Hand?
The source of all glory is acceptance of whatsoever the Lord
hath bestowed, and contentment with that which God hath ordained.
Glory be to Thee, O my God! The power of Thy might beareth
me witness! I can have no doubt that should the holy breaths of Thy
loving-kindness and the breeze of Thy bountiful favor cease, for less than the
twinkling of an eye, to breathe over all created things, the entire creation
would perish, and all that are in heaven and on earth would be reduced to utter
nothingness. Magnified, therefore, be the marvelous evidences of Thy
transcendent power! Magnified be the potency of Thine exalted might! Magnified
be the majesty of Thine all-encompassing greatness, and the energizing
influence of Thy will!
O King!... I was indeed as one dead when His behest was
uttered. The hand of the will of thy
Lord, the Compassionate, the Merciful, transformed Me. Can anyone speak forth of his own accord that
for which all men, both high and low, will protest against him? Nay, by Him Who taught the Pen the eternal
mysteries, save him whom the grace of the Almighty, the All-Powerful, hath
strengthened.
…I bear witness with my soul, my spirit, my entire being,
that should They Who are the Day-Springs of Thy [God’s] most holy unity and the
Manifestations of Thy transcendent oneness be able to soar so long as Thine own
sovereignty endureth and Thine all-compelling authority can last, they will
fail in the end to attain unto even the precincts of the court wherein Thou
didst reveal the effulgence of but one of Thy most mighty Names. Glorified,
glorified be, therefore, Thy wondrous majesty. Glorified, glorified be Thine
unattainable loftiness. Glorified, glorified be the préeminence of Thy kingship
and the sublimity of Thine authority and power.