That one indeed is a man who, today, dedicateth himself to
the service of the entire human race. The Great Being saith: Blessed and happy
is he that ariseth to promote the best interests of the peoples and kindreds of
the earth. In another passage He hath proclaimed: It is not for him to pride
himself who loveth his own country, but rather for him who loveth the whole
world. The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens. 
The day is approaching when all the peoples of the world
will have adopted one universal language and one common script. When this is
achieved, to whatsoever city a man may journey, it shall be as if he were
entering his own home. These things are obligatory and absolutely essential. It
is incumbent upon every man of insight and understanding to strive to translate
that which hath been written into reality and action....
Though afflicted with countless tribulations, which We have
suffered at the hands of Our enemies, We have proclaimed unto all the rulers of
the earth what God hath willed to proclaim, that all nations may know that no
manner of affliction can deter the Pen of the Ancient of Days from achieving
its purpose. His Pen moveth by the leave of God, Who fashioneth the crumbling
and rotten bones.
Twenty years have passed, O kings [“of Christendom”], during
which We have, each day, tasted the agony of a fresh tribulation. No one of
them that were before Us hath endured the things We have endured. Would that ye
could perceive it! They that rose up against Us have put us to death, have shed
our blood, have plundered our property, and violated our honor. Though aware of
most of our afflictions, ye, nevertheless, have failed to stay the hand of the
aggressor. For is it not your clear duty to restrain the tyranny of the
oppressor, and to deal equitably with your subjects, that your high sense of
justice may be fully demonstrated to all mankind?
Ye [1] perpetrate every day a fresh injustice, and treat Me
as ye treated Me in times past, though I never attempted to meddle with your
affairs. At no time have I opposed you, neither have I rebelled against your
laws. Behold how ye have, at the last, made Me a prisoner in this far-off land!
Know for a certainty, however, that whatever your hands or the hands of the
infidels have wrought will never, as they never did of old, change the Cause of
God or alter His ways.
O MY handmaiden, O My leaf! Render thou thanks unto the
Best-Beloved of the world for having attained this boundless grace at a time
when the world's learned and most distinguished men have remained deprived
thereof. We have designated thee 'a leaf' that thou mayest, like unto leaves,
be stirred by the gentle wind of the Will of God -- exalted be His glory --
even as the leaves of the trees are stirred by onrushing winds. Yield thou
thanks unto thy Lord by virtue of this brilliant utterance. Wert thou to
perceive the sweetness of the title 'O My handmaiden' thou wouldst find thyself
detached from all mankind, devoutly engaged day and night in communion with Him
Who is the sole Desire of the world.
O Thou who art the chosen one among women! He is God;
glorified is the splendour of His light.
[provisional translation approved by the Baha'i World Center]
Praise be to Thee, to Whom the tongues of all created things
have, from eternity, called, and yet failed to attain the heaven of Thine
eternal holiness and grandeur. The eyes of all beings have been opened to
behold the beauty of Thy radiant countenance, yet none hath succeeded in gazing
on the brightness of the light of Thy face. The hands of them that are nigh
unto Thee have, ever since the foundation of Thy glorious sovereignty and the
establishment of Thy holy dominion, been raised suppliantly towards Thee, yet
no one hath been able to touch the hem of the robe that clotheth Thy Divine and
sovereign Essence. And yet none can deny that Thou hast ever been, through the
wonders of Thy generosity and bounty, supreme over all things, art powerful to
do all things, and art nearer unto all things than they are unto themselves.
Through the movement of Our Pen of Glory We have, at the
bidding of the Omnipotent Ordainer, breathed a new life into every human frame,
and instilled into every word a fresh potency. All created things proclaim the
evidences of this worldwide regeneration.
And when Thou didst purpose to demonstrate the power of Thy
sovereign might, and to glorify Thy word, and to guide the steps of Thy people,
Thou didst raise up from among Thy creatures One of Thy servants, Whom Thou
didst send forth with the signs of Thy sovereignty, and Whom Thou didst endue
with the clear tokens of Thy oneness, that He might fulfill Thy testimony unto
all created things, and perfect Thy proof before all men.
The Great Being, wishing to reveal the prerequisites of the
peace and tranquillity of the world and the advancement of its peoples, hath
written: The time must come when the imperative necessity for the holding of a
vast, an all-embracing assemblage of men will be universally realized. The
rulers and kings of the earth must needs attend it, and, participating in its
deliberations, must consider such ways and means as will lay the foundations of
the world’s Great Peace amongst men. Such a peace demandeth that the Great
Powers should resolve, for the sake of the tranquillity of the peoples of the
earth, to be fully reconciled among themselves. Should any king take up arms
against another, all should unitedly arise and prevent him. If this be done,
the nations of the world will no longer require any armaments, except for the
purpose of preserving the security of their realms and of maintaining internal
order within their territories. This will ensure the peace and composure of
every people, government and nation. We fain would hope that the kings and
rulers of the earth, the mirrors of the gracious and almighty name of God, may
attain unto this station, and shield mankind from the onslaught of tyranny.
O Son of My Handmaid! Quaff from the tongue of the merciful
the stream of divine mystery, and behold from the dayspring of divine utterance
the unveiled splendor of the daystar of wisdom. Sow the seeds of My divine
wisdom in the pure soil of the heart, and water them with the waters of
certitude, that the hyacinths of knowledge and wisdom may spring up fresh and
green from the holy city of the heart.
Though this world be fraught with deception and deceit, yet
it continually warneth all men of their impending extinction. The death of the
father proclaimeth to the son that he, too, shall pass away. Would that the
inhabitants of the world who have amassed riches for themselves and have
strayed far from the True One might know who will eventually lay hand on their
treasures; but, by the life of Bahá, no one knoweth this save God, exalted be
His glory.
Glory and abasement, riches and poverty, tranquillity and
tribulation, all will pass away, and all the peoples of the earth will erelong
be laid to rest in their tombs. It behoveth therefore every man of insight to
fix his gaze upon the goal of eternity, that perchance by the grace of Him Who
is the Ancient King he may attain unto the immortal Kingdom and abide beneath
the shade of the Tree of His Revelation.
Even if this Lifegiver and World Reformer be in thine [1]
estimation guilty of sedition and strife, what crime could have been committed
by a group of women, children, and suckling mothers that they should be thus
afflicted with the scourge of thine anger and wrath? No faith or religion hath
ever held children responsible. The Pen of divine Command hath exempted them,
yet the fire of thy tyranny and oppression encompasseth all. If thou bearest
allegiance to any faith or religion, then thou shouldst know that, according to
all the heavenly Books and all the divinely inspired and weighty Scriptures,
children are not to be held accountable. Aside from this, not even those who
disbelieve in God have perpetrated such unseemly acts. Since from every thing
an effect becometh manifest, a fact that none can deny save those who are
bereft of reason and understanding, it is certain that the sighs of these
children and the cries of these wronged ones will have their due consequence.
Reflect a while, and consider how they who are the loved
ones of God must conduct themselves, and to what heights they must soar.
Beseech thou, at all times, thy Lord, the God of Mercy, to aid them to do what
He willeth. He, verily, is the Most Powerful, the All-Glorious, the All-Knowing.
The imprisonment inflicted on this wronged One, O Dhabíh,
did to Him no harm nor can it ever do so; nor can the loss of all His earthly
goods, His exile, or even His martyrdom and outward humiliation, do Him any
hurt. That which can hurt Him are the evil deeds which the beloved of God
commit, and which they impute to Him Who is the Sovereign Truth. This is the
affliction from which I suffer, and to this He, Himself, Who is potent over all
things, beareth Me witness. That which hath sorely hurt Me are the claims which
the people of the Bayán are advancing every day. Some have proclaimed their
allegiance to one of My Branches (Sons), while others have asserted
independently their claims, and acted after their own desires.
The Tongue of Grandeur saith: By Myself that speaketh the
truth! In this most mighty Revelation all the Dispensations of the past have
attained their highest and final consummation. Whoso layeth claim to a
Revelation after Him, such a man is assuredly a lying impostor. We pray God
that He may graciously assist him to retract and repudiate such claim. Should
he repent, God will no doubt forgive him. If, however, he persisteth in his
error, God will assuredly send down one who will deal mercilessly with him. He,
verily, is the Almighty, the Most Powerful.
Behold how the people of the Bayán have utterly failed to
recognize that the sole object of whatsoever My Previous Manifestation and
Harbinger of My Beauty hath revealed hath been My Revelation and the
proclamation of My Cause. Never—and to this He Who is the Sovereign Truth
beareth Me witness—would He have, but for Me, pronounced what He did pronounce.
Witness how this foolish people have treated the Cause of Him Who is the
All-Possessing, the Inaccessible, as a play and pastime! Their hearts devise
each day a new device, and their fancy leadeth them to seek a fresh retreat. If
what they say be true, how then can the stability of the Cause of thy Lord be
ensured? Ponder this in thine heart, and be thou of them who are sharp-sighted,
who scan heedfully, who are steadfast in their purpose and confident in their
belief. Such should be thy certitude that if all mankind were to advance such
claims as no man hath ever advanced, or any mind conceived, thou wouldst
completely ignore them, wouldst cast them from thee, and would set thy face
towards Him Who is the Object of the adoration of all worlds.