Every conqueror is but a serf whom Thy [God’s] hand hath
subjected, and the richest of the rich is as destitute before the immensity of
Thy wealth. The noblest of nobles is humbled when faced with the manifestations
of Thy glory, and the mightiest of potentates is a mere abject one when
confronted with the compelling evidences of Thine authority. 
Tear asunder, O my God, the veil of vain imaginings that
hath obscured the vision of Thy people, that all may haste towards Thee, may
tread the path of Thy pleasure, and walk in the ways of Thy Faith. We are, O my
God, Thy servants and Thy bondsmen. Thou art sufficient unto us so that we can
dispense with the world and all that is therein. We are wholly satisfied with
all that hath befallen us in Thy path, and exclaim: “Praised be Thou, in Whose
hand are the realms of revelation and of creation, and all the kingdoms of
earth and heaven!”
I beseech Thee, [God] therefore, by Thyself and by Them
[Manifestations of God], to send down, from the right hand of the throne of Thy
grace, upon all that dwell on earth, that which shall wash them from the stain
of their trespasses against Thee, and cause them to become wholly devoted to
Thy Self, O Thou in Whose hand is the source of all gifts, that they may all arise
to serve Thy Cause, and may detach themselves entirely from all except Thee.
Thou art the Almighty, the All-Glorious, the Unrestrained.
Cling firmly to obligatory prayer and fasting. Verily, the
religion of God is like unto heaven; fasting is its sun, and obligatory prayer
is its moon. In truth, they are the pillars of religion whereby the righteous
are distinguished from those who transgress His commandments. We entreat God,
exalted and glorified be He, that He may graciously enable all to observe that
which He hath revealed in His Ancient Book.
Facing in the direction of the Qiblih is a fixed requirement
for the recitation of obligatory prayer, but for other prayers and devotions
one may follow what the merciful Lord hath revealed in the Qur’án: “Whichever
way ye turn, there is the face of God.”
Verily, I say, fasting is the supreme remedy and the most
great healing for the disease of self and passion.
These are, O my Lord, the days in which Thou hast bidden Thy
servants to observe the fast. Blessed is he that observeth the fast wholly for
Thy sake and with absolute detachment from all things except Thee. Assist me
and assist them, O my Lord, to obey Thee and to keep Thy precepts.
We, verily, have set forth all things in Our Book, as a
token of grace unto those who have believed in God, the Almighty, the
Protector, the Self-Subsisting. And We have ordained obligatory prayer and
fasting so that all may by these means draw nigh unto God, the Most Powerful,
the Well-Beloved. We have written down these two laws and expounded every
irrevocable decree. We have forbidden men from following whatsoever might cause
them to stray from the Truth, and have commanded them to observe that which will
draw them nearer unto Him Who is the Almighty, the All-Loving. Say: Observe ye
the commandments of God for love of His beauty, and be not of those who follow
in the ways of the abject and foolish.
Know thou that religion is as heaven; and fasting and
obligatory prayer are its sun and its moon. We entreat God, exalted and
glorified be He, to graciously aid everyone who acteth according to His will
and good-pleasure.
O people of the world! We have enjoined upon you fasting
during a brief period, and at its close have designated for you Naw-Ruz as a
feast. Thus hath the Day-Star of Utterance shone forth above the horizon of the
Book as decreed by Him Who is the Lord of the beginning and the end. … The traveller, the ailing, those who are with
child or giving suck, are not bound by the Fast; they have been exempted by God
as a token of His grace. He, verily, is the Almighty, the Most Generous.
This is, O my God, the first of the days on which Thou hast
bidden Thy loved ones to observe the Fast. I ask of Thee by Thy Self and by him
who hath fasted out of love for Thee and for Thy good-pleasure - and not out of
self and desire, nor out of fear of Thy wrath - and by Thy most excellent names
and august attributes, to purify Thy servants from the love of aught except
Thee and to draw them nigh unto the Dawning-Place of the lights of Thy
countenance and the Seat of the throne of Thy oneness. Illumine their hearts, O
my God, with the light of Thy knowledge and brighten their faces with the rays
of the Daystar that shineth from the horizon of Thy Will. Potent art Thou to do
what pleaseth Thee. No God is there but Thee, the All-Glorious, Whose help is
implored by all men.
In the Name of Him Who hath been promised in the Books of
God, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed! The days of fasting have arrived
wherein those servants who circle round Thy throne and have attained Thy
presence have fasted. Say: O God of names and creator of heaven and earth! I
beg of Thee by Thy Name, the All-Glorious, to accept the fast of those who have
fasted for love of Thee and for the sake of Thy good-pleasure and have carried
out what Thou hast bidden them in Thy Books and Tablets.
No goodly deed was or will ever be lost, for benevolent acts
are treasures preserved with God for the benefit of those who act.
The benefits accruing from benevolent works shall fall to
the individuals concerned. In such matters only a word would suffice. Should
anyone offer Huquq with utmost joy and radiance, manifesting a spirit of
resignation and content, his offering shall be acceptable before God, otherwise
He can dispense with all the peoples of the earth ... Well is it with them that
have fulfilled that which is prescribed in the Book of God. It is incumbent upon
everyone to observe that which God hath purposed, for whatsoever hath been set
forth in the Book by the Pen of Glory is an effective means for the purging,
the purification and sanctification of the souls of men and the source of
prosperity and blessing. Happy are they that have observed His commandments.
Great God! In this glorious Dispensation the treasures laid
up by kings and queens are not worthy of mention, nor will they be acceptable
in the presence of God. However, a grain of mustard offered by His loved ones
will be extolled in the exalted court of His holiness and invested with the
ornament of His acceptance. Immeasurably exalted is His bounty, immeasurably
glorified is His majesty. And yet, when an offering was adorned with the glory
of His acceptance and reported by Jinab-i-Amin, twice that amount was ordered
to be paid out to the poor and the needy. Unto this beareth witness every
fair-minded man of insight, and those that are truthful and trustworthy.
Let the days in excess of the months be placed before the
month of fasting. We have ordained that these, amid all nights and days, shall
be the manifestations of the letter Ha, and thus they have not been bounded by
the limits of the year and its months. It behoveth the people of Baha,
throughout these days, to provide good cheer for themselves, their kindred and,
beyond them, the poor and needy, and with joy and exultation to hail and
glorify their Lord, to sing His praise and magnify His Name.
Having barred the way that leadeth unto Thee, [God] Thou hast, by
virtue of Thine authority and through the potency of Thy will, called into
being Them Who are the Manifestations of Thy Self, and hast entrusted Them with
Thy message unto Thy people, and caused Them to become the Day-Springs of Thine
inspiration, the Exponents of Thy Revelation, the Treasuries of Thy Knowledge
and the Repositories of Thy Faith, that all men may, through Them, turn their
faces towards Thee, and may draw nigh unto the kingdom of Thy Revelation and
the heaven of Thy grace.
Know thou that every created thing is a sign of the
revelation of God. Each, according to its capacity, is, and will ever remain, a
token of the Almighty. Inasmuch as He, the sovereign Lord of all, hath willed
to reveal His sovereignty in the kingdom of names and attributes, each and
every created thing hath, through the act of the Divine Will, been made a sign
of His glory. So pervasive and general is this revelation that nothing
whatsoever in the whole universe can be discovered that doth not reflect His splendor.
O Oppressors on Earth! Withdraw your hands from tyranny, for
I have pledged Myself not to forgive any man’s injustice. This is My covenant
which I have irrevocably decreed in the preserved tablet and sealed with My
seal.
Be ye warned, O men of understanding. It ill beseemeth the
station of man to commit tyranny; rather it behoveth him to observe equity and
be attired with the raiment of justice under all conditions.