When it [human soul] leaveth the body, however, it will
evince such ascendancy, and reveal such influence as no force on earth can
equal. Every pure, every refined and sanctified soul will be endowed with
tremendous power, and shall rejoice with exceeding gladness. 
Know thou that the soul of man is exalted above, and is
independent of all infirmities of body or mind. That a sick person showeth
signs of weakness is due to the hindrances that interpose themselves between
his soul and his body, for the soul itself remaineth unaffected by any bodily
ailments. Consider the light of the lamp. Though an external object may
interfere with its radiance, the light itself continueth to shine with
undiminished power. In like manner, every malady afflicting the body of man is
an impediment that preventeth the soul from manifesting its inherent might and
power.
Be united, O kings of the earth, for thereby will the
tempest of discord be stilled amongst you, and your peoples find rest, if ye be
of them that comprehend. Should any one
among you take up arms against another, rise ye all against him, for this is
naught but manifest justice. Thus did We
exhort you in the Tablet sent down aforetime, [1] and We admonish you once
again to follow that which hath been revealed by Him Who is the Almighty, the
All-Wise. Should anyone seek refuge with
you, extend unto him your protection and betray him not. Thus doth the Pen of the Most High counsel
you, as bidden by Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.
Were man to study with deep insight God’s holy Words and
ponder them in his heart, he will surely realize that their one aim is to so
unite the world that the divers peoples on earth may be regarded even as one
soul, that the seal of “Unto God is all dominion” may be stamped upon the tablet
of every heart and that the splendors of loving kindness, of grace and mercy
may be shed upon all mankind.
God has ever regarded the hearts of His servants, and this too
by reason of His most great favor, that perchance mortal souls may be cleansed
and sanctified from earthly states and may attain unto the everlasting places.
But that Real King is in Himself sufficient unto Himself and independent of
all; neither does any advantage accrue to Him from the love of contingent
beings, nor does any hurt befall Him from their hatred. All earthly places
appear through Him and unto him return, and God singly and alone abides in His
own place which is holy above space and time, mention and utterance, sign,
description and definition, height and depth. And no one knows this save Him
and whosoever has knowledge of the Book.
Attract the hearts of men, through the call of Him, the one
alone Beloved. Say: This is the Voice of God, if ye do but hearken. This is the
Dayspring of the Revelation of God, did ye but know it. This is the
Dawning-Place of the Cause of God, were ye to recognize it. This is the Source
of the commandment of God, did ye but judge it fairly. This is the manifest and
hidden Secret; would that ye might perceive it. O peoples of the world! Cast
away, in My name that transcendeth all other names, the things ye possess, and
immerse yourselves in this Ocean in whose depths lay hidden the pearls of
wisdom and of utterance, an ocean that surgeth in My name, the All-Merciful.
Thus instructeth you He with Whom is the Mother Book.
The Best-Beloved is come. In His right hand is the sealed
Wine of His name. Happy is the man that turneth unto Him, and drinketh his
fill, and exclaimeth: “Praise be to Thee, O Revealer of the signs of God!” By
the righteousness of the Almighty! Every hidden thing hath been manifested
through the power of truth. All the favours of God have been sent down, as a
token of His grace. The waters of everlasting life have, in their fullness,
been proffered unto men. Every single cup hath been borne round by the hand of
the Well-Beloved. Draw near, and tarry not, though it be for one short moment.
This is the Day whereon naught can be seen except the
splendours of the Light that shineth from the face of Thy Lord, the Gracious,
the Most Bountiful. Verily, We have caused every soul to expire by virtue of
Our irresistible and all-subduing sovereignty. We have, then, called into being
a new creation, as a token of Our grace unto men. I am, verily, the
All-Bountiful, the Ancient of Days.
The Divine Springtime is come, O Most Exalted Pen, for the
Festival of the All-Merciful is fast approaching. Bestir thyself, and magnify,
before the entire creation, the name of God, and celebrate His praise, in such
wise that all created things may be regenerated and made new. Speak, and hold
not thy peace. The day-star of blissfulness shineth above the horizon of Our
name, the Blissful, inasmuch as the kingdom of the names of God hath been
adorned with the ornament of the name of thy Lord, the Creator of the heavens.
Arise before the nations of the earth, and arm thyself with the power of this
Most Great Name, and be not of those who tarry.
Today the friends of God must appear in such wise among
God’s servants that by their actions they may lead all unto the pleasure of the
Lord of Glory. I swear by the Sun of the Horizon of Holiness that the friends
of God never have regarded nor will regard the earth or its transitory riches.
…today victory neither has been nor will ever be opposition
to any one, nor strife with any person; but rather what is well-pleasing is
that the cities of men’s hearts, which are under the dominion of the hosts of
selfishness and lust, should be subdued by the sword of wisdom and of
exhortation. Every one, then, who desires victory must first subdue the city of
his own heart with the sword of spiritual truth and of the Word, and must
protect it from remembering aught beside God; afterwards, let him turn his
efforts toward the citadel of the hearts of others.
It has been known that God, glorious is His mention, is
sanctified from the world and what is therein, and that the meaning of victory
is not this, that anyone should fight or strive with another. The Lord of “He
doeth what he willeth” has committed the kingdom of creation, both land and
sea, into the hand of kings, and they are the manifestations of the divine
power according to the degrees of their ranks; verily, He is the potent, the
sovereign. But that which God, glorious is His mention, has desired for himself
is the hearts of His servants which are treasuries of praise and love of the
Lord and stores of divine knowledge and wisdom.
The friends of God must be adorned with the ornament of
justice, equity, kindness and love. As they do not allow themselves to be the
object of cruelty and transgression, in like manner they should not allow such
tyranny to visit the handmaidens of God. He, verily, speaketh the truth and
commandeth that which benefitteth His servants and handmaidens. He is the
Protector of all in this world and the next.
O rulers of the earth! Be reconciled among yourselves, that
ye may need no more armaments save in a measure to safeguard your territories
and dominions. Beware lest ye disregard the counsel of the All-Knowing, the
Faithful.
The eye of My loving-kindness weepeth sore over you,
[“leaders of religion”] inasmuch as ye have failed to recognize the One upon
Whom ye have been calling in the daytime and in the night season, at even and
at morn. Advance, O people, with snow-white faces and radiant hearts, unto the
blest and crimson Spot, wherein the Tree beyond which there is no passing is
calling: ‘Verily, there is none other God beside Me, the Omnipotent Protector,
the Self-Subsisting!’
God testifieth to the unity of His Godhood and to the
singleness of His own Being. On the throne of eternity, from the inaccessible
heights of His station, His tongue proclaimeth that there is none other God but
Him. He Himself, independently of all else, hath ever been a witness unto His
own oneness, the revealer of His own nature, the glorifier of His own essence.
He, verily, is the All-Powerful, the Almighty, the Beauteous.
O ye leaders of religion in Persia! Who is the man amongst
you that can rival Me in vision or insight? Where is he to be found that dareth
to claim to be My equal in utterance or wisdom? No, by My Lord, the
All-Merciful! All on the earth shall pass away; and this is the face of your
Lord, the Almighty, the Well-Beloved.
The world passeth away, and that which is everlasting is the
love of God. God willing, thou shalt circumambulate the True One in every world
of His worlds and shalt be free from all else save Him....
O peoples of the world! He Who is the Most Great Name is
come, on the part of the Ancient King, and hath announced unto men this
Revelation which lay hid in His knowledge, and was preserved in the treasury of
His protection, and was written down by the Most Sublime Pen in the Books of
God, the Lord of Lords.
O Son of Beauty! By My spirit and by My favor! By My mercy
and by My beauty! All that I have revealed unto thee with the tongue of power,
and have written for thee with the pen of might, hath been in accordance with
thy capacity and understanding, not with My state and the melody of My voice.
O kings of the earth! We see you increasing every year your
expenditures, and laying the burden thereof on your subjects. This, verily, is
wholly and grossly unjust. Fear the sighs and tears of this Wronged One, and
lay not excessive burdens on your peoples. Do not rob them to rear palaces for
yourselves; nay rather choose for them that which ye choose for yourselves.
Thus We unfold to your eyes that which profiteth you, if ye but perceive. Your
people are your treasures. Beware lest your rule violate the commandments of
God, and ye deliver your wards to the hands of the robber. By them ye rule, by
their means ye subsist, by their aid ye conquer. Yet, how disdainfully ye look
upon them! How strange, how very strange! .
O concourse of rulers and divines! Incline your ears unto
the Voice calling from the horizon of Akká. Verily, it aideth you to proceed
aright, and draweth you nigh unto Him, and directeth your steps towards the
station which God hath made the Dayspring of His Revelation and the
Dawning-Place of His splendors.
Time and again have We, for the sake of God, admonished the
distinguished divines, and summoned them unto the Most Sublime Horizon, that
perchance they might, in the days of His Revelation, obtain their portion of
the ocean of the utterance of Him Who is the Desire of the world, and remain
not utterly deprived thereof.
O Children of the Divine and Invisible Essence! Ye shall be
hindered from loving Me and souls shall be perturbed as they make mention of
Me. For minds cannot grasp Me nor hearts contain Me.
O ye rulers of the earth!
Wherefore have ye clouded the radiance of the Sun, and caused it to
cease from shining? Hearken unto the
counsel given you by the Pen of the Most High, that haply both ye and the poor
may attain unto tranquillity and peace.
We beseech God to assist the kings of the earth to establish peace on
earth. He, verily, doth what He willeth.
All should know, and in this regard attain the splendours of
the sun of certitude, and be illumined thereby: Women and men have been and
will always be equal in the sight of God. The Dawning-Place of the Light of God
sheddeth its radiance upon all with the same effulgence. Verily God created
women for men, and men for women. The most beloved of people before God are the
most steadfast and those who have surpassed others in their love for God,
exalted be His glory....
Steadfastness in the Cause is mentioned in the Tablets and
set forth by the Pen of the Ancient of Days. Render thanks to the Beloved of
the world that thou hast set thy heart on Him and art uttering His praise. Many
a man hath in this day been deprived of making mention of the All-Sufficing
Lord and of recognizing His truth; and many a woman hath fixed her gaze upon
the Horizon of the Most High, and hath adorned herself with the garb of the
love of the Desire of the world. This is God's grace which He bestoweth upon
whomsoever He pleaseth. By the Day-Star of ancient mysteries! The sweet-scented
fragrance of every breath breathed in the love of God is wafted in the court of
the presence of the Lord of Revelation. The reward of no good deed is or ever
will be lost. Blessed art thou, doubly blessed art thou! Thou art reckoned
amongst those handmaidens whose love for their kin hath not prevented them from
attaining the shores of the Sea of Grace and Mercy. God willing, thou shalt
rest eternally neath the shade of the favours of the All-Merciful and shalt be
assured of His bounties. Engage in the praise of the True One and rejoice in
His loving-kindness.
Be fair in your judgment. Every good thing is of God, and
every evil thing is from yourselves. Will ye not comprehend? This same truth
hath been revealed in all the Scriptures, if ye be of them that understand.
Every act ye meditate is as clear to Him as is that act when already
accomplished. There is none other God besides Him. His is all creation and its
empire. All stands revealed before Him; all is recorded in His holy and hidden
Tablets. This fore-knowledge of God, however, should not be regarded as having
caused the actions of men, just as your own previous knowledge that a certain
event is to occur, or your desire that it should happen, is not and can never
be the reason for its occurrence.
Emerge from behind the veil, by the leave of thy Lord, the
All-Glorious, the Most Powerful, and seize, before the eyes of those who are in
the heavens and those who are on the earth, the Chalice of Immortality, in the
name of thy Lord, the Inaccessible, the Most High, and quaff thy fill, and be
not of them that tarry. I swear by God! The moment thou touchest the Cup with
thy lips, the Concourse on high will acclaim thee saying, “Drink with healthy
relish, O man that hast truly believed in God!” and the inhabitants of the
Cities of Immortality will cry out, “Joy be to thee, O thou that hast drained
the Cup of His love!” and the Tongue of Grandeur will hail thee, “Great is the
blessedness that awaiteth thee, O My servant, for thou hast attained unto that
which none hath attained, except such as have detached themselves from all that
is in the heavens and all that is on the earth, and who are the emblems of true
detachment.”
O My servant that believest in God! By the righteousness of
the Almighty! Were I to recount to thee the tale of the things that have
befallen Me, the souls and minds of men would be incapable of sustaining its
weight. God Himself beareth Me witness. Watch over thyself, and follow not the
footsteps of these people. Meditate diligently upon the Cause of thy Lord.
Strive to know Him through His own Self and not through others. For no one else
besides Him can ever profit thee. To this all created things will testify,
couldst thou but perceive it.
Look at the world and ponder a while upon it. It unveileth
the book of its own self before thine eyes and revealeth that which the Pen of
thy Lord, the Fashioner, the All-Informed, hath inscribed therein. It will
acquaint thee with that which is within it and upon it and will give thee such
clear explanations as to make thee independent of every eloquent expounder.
O people! I have revealed Myself for His [Baha’u’llah’s]
Manifestation, and have caused My Book, the Bayán, to descend upon you for no
other purpose except to establish the truth of His Cause. Fear ye God, and
contend not with Him as the people of the Qur’án have contended with Me. At
whatever time ye hear of Him, hasten ye towards Him, and cleave ye to whatsoever
He may reveal unto you. Naught else besides Him can ever profit you, no, not
though ye produce from first to last the testimonies of all those who were
before you.
Walk thou high above the world of being through the power of
the Most Great Name, that thou mayest become aware of the immemorial mysteries
and be acquainted with that wherewith no one is acquainted. Verily, thy Lord is
the Helper, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. Be thou as a throbbing artery,
pulsating in the body of the entire creation, that through the heat generated
by this motion there may appear that which will quicken the hearts of those who
hesitate.
Make thou mention of this Day and magnify that which hath
appeared therein. It will in truth suffice all mankind… It behoveth thee to
speak forth in such wise as to set the hearts of true believers ablaze and
cause their bodies to soar.
Whoso firmly believeth today in the rebirth of man and is
fully conscious that God, the Most Exalted, wieldeth supreme ascendancy and
absolute authority over this new creation, verily such a man is reckoned with
them that are endued with insight in this most great Revelation. Unto this
beareth witness every discerning believer.
That which hath been in existence had existed before, but
not in the form thou seest today. The world of existence came into being
through the heat generated from the interaction between the active force and
that which is its recipient. These two are the same, yet they are different.
Thus doth the Great Announcement inform thee about this glorious structure.
Such as communicate the generating influence and such as receive its impact are
indeed created through the irresistible Word of God which is the Cause of the
entire creation, while all else besides His Word are but the creatures and the
effects thereof. Verily thy Lord is the Expounder, the All-Wise.
As regards thine assertions about the beginning of creation,
this is a matter on which conceptions vary by reason of the divergences in
men’s thoughts and opinions. Wert thou to assert that it hath ever existed and
shall continue to exist, it would be true; or wert thou to affirm the same
concept as is mentioned in the sacred Scriptures, no doubt would there be about
it, for it hath been revealed by God, the Lord of the worlds. Indeed He was a
hidden treasure. This is a station that can never be described nor even alluded
to. And in the station of ‘I did wish to make Myself known’, God was, and His
creation had ever existed beneath His shelter from the beginning that hath no
beginning, apart from its being preceded by a Firstness which cannot be
regarded as firstness and originated by a Cause inscrutable even unto all men
of learning.
Praise be to Thee, O my God, that Thou hast ordained this
day [Naw-Ruz] as a festival unto the favoured among Thy servants and the
sincere among Thy loved ones. Thou hast called this day by that Name whereby
all created things have been subdued and the breezes of Thy Revelation have
been wafted between earth and heaven, a Name through which all that hath been
recorded in Thy Holy Books and Sacred Scriptures hath been made manifest, and
which Thy Messengers and Thy Chosen Ones have foretold, that all men might be
made ready to behold Thee, to turn towards the ocean of Thy reunion, to stand
before the seat of Thy throne, and to hear Thy wondrous call from the Dayspring
of Thine invisible Self and the Dawning-Place of Thine Essence.
In truth the station of this Revelation transcendeth the
station of whatever hath been manifested in the past or will be made manifest
in the future.
…I beseech Thee by Thy Name which no scroll can bear, which
no heart can imagine and no tongue can utter—a Name which will remain concealed
so long as Thine own Essence is hidden, and will be glorified so long as Thine
own Being is extolled—to unfurl, ere the present year draw to a close, the
ensigns of Thine undisputed ascendancy and triumph, that the whole creation may
be enriched by Thy wealth, and may be exalted through the ennobling influence
of Thy transcendent sovereignty, and that all may arise and promote Thy Cause.
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 wretches.
Say, were He Whom God shall make manifest to pronounce a
pious and truthful follower of the Bayán as false, it is incumbent upon you to
submit to His decree, as this hath been affirmed by God in the Bayán; verily
God is able to convert light into fire whenever He pleaseth; surely He is
potent over all things. And were He to declare a person whom ye regard alien to
the truth as being akin thereto, err not by questioning His decision in your
fancies, for He Who is the Sovereign Truth createth things through the power of
His behest. Verily God transmuteth fire into light as He willeth, and indeed
potent is He over all things.
With unswerving vision, with pure heart, and sanctified
spirit, consider attentively what God hath established as the testimony of
guidance for His people in His Book, [the Qur’an] which is recognized as
authentic by both the high and lowly. To this testimony we both, as well as all
the peoples of the world, must cling, that through its light we may know and
distinguish between truth and falsehood, guidance and error. Inasmuch as
Muhammad hath confined His testimonies to His Book and to His Family, and
whereas the latter hath passed away, there remaineth His Book only as His one
testimony amongst the people.
O my beloved! Immeasurably exalted is the celestial Melody
above the strivings of human ear to hear or mind to grasp its mystery! How can
the helpless ant step into the court of the All-Glorious?
Say: God is indeed the Maker of all things. He giveth
sustenance in plenty to whomsoever He willeth. He is the Creator, the Source of
all beings, the Fashioner, the Almighty, the Maker, the All-Wise. He is the
Bearer of the most excellent titles throughout the heavens and the earth and
whatever lieth between them. All do His bidding, and all the dwellers of earth
and heaven celebrate His praise, and unto Him shall all return.
Ages rolled away, until they attained their consummation in
this, the Lord of days, the Day whereon the Day Star of the Bayán manifested
itself above the horizon of mercy, the Day in which the Beauty of the
All-Glorious shone forth in the exalted person of ‘Alí-Muḥammad, the Báb. No
sooner did He reveal Himself, than all the people rose up against Him. By some
He was denounced as one that hath uttered slanders against God, the Almighty,
the Ancient of Days. Others regarded Him as a man smitten with madness, an
allegation which I, Myself, have heard from the lips of one of the divines.
Still others disputed His claim to be the Mouthpiece of God, and stigmatized
Him as one who had stolen and used as his the words of the Almighty, who had
perverted their meaning, and mingled them with his own. The Eye of Grandeur
weepeth sore for the things which their mouths have uttered, while they
continue to rejoice upon their seats.
Consider these days in which He Who is the Ancient Beauty
hath come in the Most Great Name, that He may quicken the world and unite its
peoples. They, however, rose up against
Him with sharpened swords, and committed that which caused the Faithful Spirit
to lament, until in the end they imprisoned Him in the most desolate of cities,
and broke the grasp of the faithful upon the hem of His robe. Were anyone to tell them: “The World Reformer
is come”, they would answer and say: “Indeed it is proven that He is a fomenter of discord!”, and this
notwithstanding that they have never associated with Him, and have perceived
that He did not seek, for one moment, to protect Himself. At all times He was at the mercy of the
wicked doers. At one time they cast Him
into prison, at another they banished Him, and at yet another hurried Him from
land to land. Thus have they pronounced
judgement against Us, and God, truly, is aware of what I say.
O Befriended Stranger! The candle of thine heart is lighted
by the hand of My power, quench it not with the contrary winds of self and
passion. The healer of all thine ills is remembrance of Me, forget it not. Make
My love thy treasure and cherish it even as thy very sight and life.