It is incumbent upon every man of insight and understanding
to strive to translate that which hath been written into reality and action.... 
In these days how few are those who abide by the standard
laid down in the Qur’án. Nay, nowhere are they to be found, except such as God
hath willed. Should there be, however, such a person, his righteous deeds would
prove of no avail unto him, if he hath failed to follow the standard revealed
in the Bayán; even as the pious deeds of the Christian monks profited them not,
inasmuch as at the time of the manifestation of the Apostle of God—may the
blessings of God rest upon Him—they contented themselves with the standard set
forth in the Gospel.
O Ye Sons of Spirit! Ye are My treasury, for in you I have
treasured the pearls of My mysteries and the gems of My knowledge. Guard them
from the strangers amidst My servants and from the ungodly amongst My people.
There hath branched from the Sadratu’l-Muntahá this sacred
and glorious Being, this Branch of Holiness; well is it with him that hath
sought His shelter and abideth beneath His shadow. Verily the Limb of the Law
of God hath sprung forth from this Root which God hath firmly implanted in the
Ground of His Will, and Whose Branch hath been so uplifted as to encompass the
whole of creation. Magnified be He, therefore, for this sublime, this blessed,
this mighty, this exalted Handiwork!
O Shaykh! Tell the people of the Bayán: “Ponder ye these
blessed words. He saith: ‘The whole of the Bayán is only a leaf amongst the
leaves of His Paradise.’ Be fair, O people, and be not of such as are accounted
as lost in the Book of God, the Lord of the worlds.” The blessed Lote-Tree
standeth, in this day, before thy face, laden with heavenly, with new and
wondrous fruits. Gaze on it, detached from all else save it. Thus hath the
Tongue of might and power spoken at this Spot which God hath adorned with the
footsteps of His Most Great Name and Mighty Announcement.
He [‘Abdu’l-Baha] is the Trust of God amongst you, His
charge within you, His manifestation unto you and His appearance among His
favoured servants...
We have made Thee [‘Abdu’l-Baha] a shelter for all mankind,
a shield unto all who are in heaven and on earth, a stronghold for whosoever
hath believed in God, the Incomparable, the All-Knowing.
Render thanks unto God, O people, for His [‘Abdu’l-Baha]
appearance; for verily He is the most great Favour unto you, the most perfect
bounty upon you; and through Him every mouldering bone is quickened
If the learned and worldly-wise men of this age were to
allow mankind to inhale the fragrance of fellowship and love, every
understanding heart would apprehend the meaning of true liberty, and discover
the secret of undisturbed peace and absolute composure. Were the earth to
attain this station and be illumined with its light it could then be truly said
of it: ‘Thou shall see in it no hollows or rising hills.’ [Qur’án 20:106]
True loss is for him whose days have been spent in utter
ignorance of his self.
The heights which, through the most gracious favor of God,
mortal man can attain in this Day are as yet unrevealed to his sight. The world
of being hath never had, nor doth it yet possess, the capacity for such a
revelation. The day, however, is approaching when the potentialities of so
great a favor will, by virtue of His behest, be manifested unto men.
If any man were to meditate on that which the Scriptures,
sent down from the heaven of God’s holy Will, have revealed, he would readily
recognize that their purpose is that all men shall be regarded as one soul, so
that the seal bearing the words ‘The Kingdom shall be God’s’ may be stamped on
every heart, and the light of Divine bounty, of grace, and mercy may envelop
all mankind. The One true God, exalted be His glory, hath wished nothing for
Himself. The allegiance of mankind profiteth Him not, neither doth its
perversity harm Him. The Bird of the Realm of Utterance voiceth continually
this call: ‘All things have I willed for thee, and thee, too, for thine own
sake.’
The Great Being saith: Regard man as a mine rich in gems of
inestimable value. Education can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures, and
enable mankind to benefit therefrom.
The essence of abasement is to pass out from under the
shadow of the Merciful and seek the shelter of the Evil One.
The betterment of the world can be accomplished through pure
and goodly deeds, through commendable and seemly conduct.
God, the True One, beareth Me witness, and every atom in
existence is moved to testify that such means as lead to the elevation, the
advancement, the education, the protection and the regeneration of the peoples
of the earth have been clearly set forth by Us and are revealed in the Holy
Books and Tablets by the Pen of Glory.
Know verily that the essence of justice and the source
thereof are both embodied in the ordinances prescribed by Him Who is the
Manifestation of the Self of God amongst men, if ye be of them that recognize
this truth. He doth verily incarnate the highest, the infallible standard of
justice unto all creation. Were His law to be such as to strike terror into the
hearts of all that are in heaven and on earth, that law is naught but manifest
justice. The fears and agitation which the revelation of this law provokes in
men’s hearts should indeed be likened to the cries of the suckling babe weaned
from his mother’s milk, if ye be of them that perceive. Were men to discover
the motivating purpose of God’s Revelation, they would assuredly cast away
their fears, and, with hearts filled with gratitude, rejoice with exceeding gladness.
By the glory of Thy might, O my God! Wert Thou to set me
king over Thy realms, and to establish me upon the throne of Thy sovereignty,
and to deliver, through Thy power, the reins of the entire creation into my
hands, and wert Thou to cause me, though it be for less than a moment, to be
occupied with these things and be oblivious of the wondrous memories associated
with Thy most mighty, most perfect, and most exalted Name, my soul would still
remain unsatisfied, and the pangs of my heart unstilled. Nay, I would, in that
very state, recognize myself as the poorest of the poor, and the most wretched
of the wretched.
Say: This is the Dawn whereat the cohorts of the concourse
of Paradise and the hosts of the angels of holiness descended from heaven,
amongst whom was the One Who was lifted up on the breezes of the Beauty of God,
the Most Glorious, unto the ranks of the most exalted Concourse. Borne on these
same breezes, yet another company of angels descended, each bearing aloft a
chalice of everlasting life and proffering it unto them that circle in
adoration round the Spot wherein the Ancient Being hath established Himself
upon the throne of His all-glorious and most bounteous Name. All joy to such as
have attained His presence, gazed upon His beauty, hearkened unto His melodies,
and been quickened by the Word that hath issued forth from His sacred and
exalted, His glorious and resplendent lips!
This is the Dawn whereat was born He [Baha’u’llah] Who
begetteth not and Who is not begotten. Well is it with him that immerseth
himself beneath the ocean of inner meaning that surgeth within this utterance
and discovereth the pearls of knowledge and wisdom that lie hid in the words of
God, the King, the Exalted, the Mighty, the Powerful. All glory to him who
apprehendeth the truth and is reckoned with them that are endued with
discernment!