O My Servant! Thou art even as a finely tempered sword
concealed in the darkness of its sheath and its value hidden from the
artificer’s knowledge. Wherefore come forth from the sheath of self and desire
that thy worth may be made resplendent and manifest unto all the world. 
O My brother! When a true seeker determineth to take the
step of search in the path leading unto the knowledge of the Ancient of Days he
must… at all times, put his trust in God, must renounce the peoples of the
earth, must detach himself from the world of dust, and cleave unto Him Who is
the Lord of Lords. He must never seek to exalt himself above any one, must wash
away from the tablet of his heart every trace of pride and vain-glory, must
cling unto patience and resignation, observe silence and refrain from idle
talk. For the tongue is a smoldering fire, and excess of speech a deadly
poison. Material fire consumeth the body, whereas the fire of the tongue
devoureth both heart and soul. The force of the former lasteth but for a time,
whilst the effects of the latter endureth a century.
Time hath passed, and we all remain confined in these
barracks, notwithstanding that during the five years we dwelt in Adrianople,
all its inhabitants, whether learned or ignorant, rich or poor, bore witness to
the purity and sanctity of these servants. At the time this Youth was departing
from Adrianople, one of the loved ones of God attempted to take his own life,
so unbearable to him was the sight of this Wronged One in the hands of His
oppressors. During the journey we were thrice compelled to change ships, and it
is evident how much the children suffered as a result. Upon disembarking, four
of the believers were separated and prevented from accompanying Us. As this
Youth was leaving, one of the four, named ‘Abdu’l-Ghaffár, cast himself into
the sea, and no one knoweth what befell him thereafter.
O Lord my God! Whensoever I attempt to unloose my tongue to
extol the wondrous expressions of Thy transcendent oneness, or to open my lips
to disclose the mystic gems of Thine incomparable handiwork wherewith Thou hast
inspired me, I am compelled to recognize that all things sing Thy praise and
glorify Thy remembrance—a remembrance which hath so pervaded the heavens and
the earth that all things proclaim, in their very being, the wondrous
testimonies of Thine exalted praise and bear witness to the marvellous tokens
of Thy transcendent unity. Wherefore am I ashamed, as are all who mention Thee,
to approach the exalted heights of Thy remembrance, and am powerless, as are
all who extol Thee, to ascend unto the lofty summits of Thy praise.
Persevere thou in helping His Cause through the
strengthening power of the hosts of wisdom and utterance. Thus hath it been
decreed by God, the Gracious, the All-Praised. Blessed is the believer who hath
in this Day embraced the Truth and the man of fixed resolve whom the hosts of
tyranny have been powerless to affright.
Thy letter was presented before this Wronged One and in
thine honour have We revealed this Tablet from which the fragrance of the
gracious favour of thy Lord, the Compassionate, the Bountiful, is diffused. We
beseech God to make thee as a banner upraised in the city of His remembrance,
and to exalt thy station in this Cause—a Cause beneath whose shadow the sincere
ones of God shall behold the peoples and kindreds of the earth seeking shelter.
Verily, thy Lord knoweth and informeth. Moreover We entreat Him to nourish thee
with the best of what hath been treasured in His Book. He is in truth the One
Who doth hear and answer the call.
O people! I swear by the one true God! This is the Ocean out
of which all Seas have proceeded, and with which every one of them will
ultimately be united. From Him all the Suns have been generated, and unto Him
they will all return. Through His potency the Trees of Divine Revelation have
yielded their fruits, every one of which hath been sent down in the form of a
Prophet, bearing a Message to God’s creatures in each of the worlds whose
number God, alone, in His all-encompassing knowledge, can reckon. This He hath
accomplished through the agency of but one Letter of His Word, revealed by His
Pen—a Pen moved by His directing Finger—His Finger itself sustained by the
power of God’s Truth.
Say: Fear ye God, then observe equity in your judgement of
this Great Announcement before which, as soon as it shone forth, every
momentous announcement bowed low in adoration. Say: O concourse of the foolish!
If ye reject Him, by what evidence can ye prove your allegiance to the former
Messengers of God or vindicate your belief in that which He hath sent down from
His mighty and exalted Kingdom? What benefit do your possessions bestow upon
you? What protection can your treasures afford you? None, I swear by the Spirit
of God that pervadeth all that are in the heavens and on the earth. Cast away
that which ye have put together with the hands of idle fancy and vain
imaginings and take fast hold of the Book of God which hath been sent down by
virtue of His all-compelling and inviolable authority.
It behoveth the loved ones of God to occupy themselves under
all circumstances with that which is conducive to the edification of human
souls, the advancement of the world of being, and the exaltation of the Word of
God, the realization of which dependeth upon the deliberations of the trustees
of the House of Justice. Well is it with them that strive to render service to
the world of humanity. The influence of these souls will lead the world from
hardship to comfort, from poverty to wealth, and from abasement to glory.
The episode of Sinai hath been re-enacted in this Revelation
and He Who conversed upon the Mount is calling aloud: Verily, the Desired One
is come, seated upon the throne of certitude, could ye but perceive it. He hath
admonished all men to observe that which is conducive to the exaltation of the
Cause of God and will guide mankind unto His Straight Path.
…heard ye [kings of the earth] not that which hath been
recorded in the Gospel concerning those “which were born, not of blood, nor of
the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” [John 1:13]—that is,
those who have been made manifest through the power of God? Wherefore it becometh evident that one may
well be manifested in the world of creation who is truly of God, the Almighty,
the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. How is it then that when word reached you of Our
Cause, ye failed to inquire from Our own lips, that ye might distinguish truth
from falsehood, discover Our aim and purpose, and learn of the afflictions
which We have suffered at the hands of an evil and wayward generation?
By the righteousness of God! These are the days in which God
hath proved the hearts of the entire company of His Messengers and Prophets,
and beyond them those that stand guard over His sacred and inviolable
Sanctuary, the inmates of the celestial Pavilion and dwellers of the Tabernacle
of Glory.
To whatever place We may be banished, however great the
tribulation We may suffer, they who are the people of God must, with fixed
resolve and perfect confidence, keep their eyes directed towards the Day Spring
of Glory, and be busied in whatever may be conducive to the betterment of the
world and the education of its peoples. All that hath befallen Us in the past
hath advanced the interests of Our Revelation and blazoned its fame; and all
that may befall Us in the future will have a like result. Cling ye, with your
inmost hearts, to the Cause of God, a Cause that hath been sent down by Him Who
is the Ordainer, the All-Wise. We have, with the utmost kindliness and mercy,
summoned and directed all peoples and nations to that which shall truly profit
them.
O My brother! When a true seeker determineth to take the
step of search in the path leading unto the knowledge of the Ancient of Days,
he must, before all else, cleanse his heart, which is the seat of the
revelation of the inner mysteries of God, from the obscuring dust of all
acquired knowledge, and the allusions of the embodiments of satanic fancy. He
must purge his breast, which is the sanctuary of the abiding love of the
Beloved, of every defilement, and sanctify his soul from all that pertaineth to
water and clay, from all shadowy and ephemeral attachments. He must so cleanse
his heart that no remnant of either love or hate may linger therein, lest that
love blindly incline him to error, or that hate repel him away from the truth.
Even as thou dost witness in this Day how most of the people, because of such
love and hate, are bereft of the immortal Face, have strayed far from the
Embodiments of the Divine mysteries, and, shepherdless, are roaming through the
wilderness of oblivion and error.
Glorified, immeasurably glorified art Thou, in Whose hands
is the empire of whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on earth, Thou,
Who through but one word of Thy mouth, caused all things to expire and dissolve
asunder, and Who, by yet another word, caused whatever had been separated to be
combined and reunited! Magnified be Thy name, O Thou Who hast power over all
that are in the heavens and all that are on earth, Whose dominion embraceth
whatsoever is in the heaven of Thy Revelation and the kingdom of Thy creation.
None can equal Thee in Thy created realms; none can compare with Thee in the
universe Thou hast fashioned. The mind of no one hath comprehended Thee, and
the aspiration of no soul hath reached Thee. I swear by Thy might! Were any one
to soar, on whatever wings, as long as Thine own Being endureth, throughout the
immensity of Thy knowledge, he would still be powerless to transgress the
bounds which the contingent world hath set for him. How can, then, such a man
aspire to wing his flight into the atmosphere of Thy most exalted presence?
Examine Our Cause, [“O kings of the earth”] inquire into the
things that have befallen Us, and decide justly between Us and Our enemies, and
be ye of them that act equitably towards their neighbour. If ye stay not the hand of the oppressor, if
ye fail to safeguard the rights of the downtrodden, what right have ye then to
vaunt yourselves among men? What is it
of which ye can rightly boast? Is it on
your food and your drink that ye pride yourselves, on the riches ye lay up in
your treasuries, on the diversity and the cost of the ornaments with which ye
deck yourselves? If true glory were to
consist in the possession of such perishable things, then the earth on which ye
walk must needs vaunt itself over you, because it supplieth you, and bestoweth
upon you, these very things, by the decree of the Almighty. In its bowels are contained, according to
what God hath ordained, all that ye possess.
From it, as a sign of His mercy, ye derive your riches. Behold then your state, the thing in which ye
glory! Would that ye could perceive
it!
Take heed lest the deeds wrought by the embodiments of idle
fancy sadden you or the acts committed by every wayward oppressor grieve you.
Seize ye the chalice of constancy through the power of His Name, quaff then
therefrom by virtue of the sovereignty of God, the Powerful, the Omnipotent.
Thus hath the Day-Star of My tender compassion and loving-kindness shone forth
above the horizon of this Tablet that ye may render thanks unto your Lord, the
Almighty, the All-Bountiful.
Lay not aside the fear of God, O kings of the earth, and
beware that ye transgress not the bounds which the Almighty hath fixed. Observe the injunctions laid upon you in His
Book, and take good heed not to overstep their limits. Be vigilant, that ye may not do injustice to
anyone, be it to the extent of a grain of mustard seed. Tread ye the path of justice, for this,
verily, is the straight path.
O Children of Negligence and Passion! Ye have suffered My
enemy to enter My house and have cast out My friend, for ye have enshrined the
love of another than Me in your hearts. Give ear to the sayings of the Friend
and turn towards His paradise. Worldly friends, seeking their own good, appear
to love one the other, whereas the true Friend hath loved and doth love you for
your own sakes; indeed He hath suffered for your guidance countless
afflictions. Be not disloyal to such a Friend, nay rather hasten unto Him. Such
is the daystar of the word of truth and faithfulness, that hath dawned above
the horizon of the pen of the Lord of all names. Open your ears that ye may
hearken unto the word of God, the Help in peril, the Self-existent.
By Thy glory! Were all the peoples of the earth to join
together to harm a single one of the people of Bahá, they would find themselves
powerless, for all that they see as harming Thy chosen ones is as light unto
them and as fire unto Thine enemies. Were it not for the confinement, in the
Most Great Prison, of Him Who is the Exponent of Thy transcendent sovereignty,
how would Thy Cause have been promulgated, Thy sovereignty manifested, Thy
might proclaimed, and the truth of Thy signs established? Would that I Myself
had borne all the tribulations of the world, out of love for Thee and for Thy
creatures!