Describing the people of Bahá, the Most Sublime Pen hath
sent down these words: “These, verily, are men who if they come to cities of
pure gold will consider them not; and if they meet the fairest and most comely
of women will turn aside.” Thus hath it been sent down by the Most Sublime Pen
for the people of Bahá, on the part of Him Who is the Counsellor, the
Omniscient. 
In the estimation of men of insight whatsoever befalleth in
the path of God is manifest glory and a supreme attainment. Already We have
said: “Glory to Thee, O my God! But for the tribulations which are sustained in
Thy path, how could Thy true lovers be recognized; and were it not for the
trials which are borne for love of Thee, how could the station of such as yearn
for Thee be revealed?”
O Son of Being! Busy not thyself with this world, for with
fire We test the gold, and with gold We test Our servants.
In the concluding passages of the Tablet to His Majesty the
Emperor of Paris (Napoleon III) these exalted words have been revealed:
“Exultest thou over the treasures thou dost possess, knowing they shall perish?
Rejoicest thou in that thou rulest a span of earth, when the whole world, in
the estimation of the people of Bahá, is worth as much as the black in the eye
of a dead ant? Abandon it unto such as have set their affections upon it, and
turn thou unto Him Who is the Desire of the world.”
O Son of Man! For everything there is a sign. The sign of
love is fortitude under My decree and patience under My trials.
And it came to pass that on a certain day a needy man came
to visit this Soul, craving for the ocean of His knowledge. While conversing
with him, mention was made concerning the signs of the Day of Judgment,
Resurrection, Revival, and Reckoning. He urged Us to explain how, in this
wondrous Dispensation, the peoples of the world were brought to a reckoning,
when none were made aware of it. Thereupon, We imparted unto him, according to
the measure of his capacity and understanding, certain truths of Science and ancient
Wisdom. We then asked him saying: “Hast thou not read the Qur’án, and art thou
not aware of this blessed verse: ‘On that day shall neither man nor spirit be
asked of his Sin?’ Dost thou not realize
that by ‘asking’ is not meant asking by tongue or speech, even as the verse
itself doth indicate and prove? For afterward it is said: ‘By their countenance
shall the sinners be known, and they shall be seized by their forelocks and
their feet.’”
This is the day which God hath announced through the tongue
of His Apostle. [Muhammad] …This is the day whereon He Who is the Dayspring of
Revelation hath come with clear tokens which none can number. This is the day
whereon every man endued with perception hath discovered the fragrance of the
breeze of the All-Merciful in the world of creation, and every man of insight
hath hastened unto the living waters of the mercy of his Lord, the King of
Kings.
O Son of Man! For everything there is a sign. The sign of
love is fortitude under My decree and patience under My trials.
O heedless one! [1] Rely not on thy glory, and thy power.
Thou art even as the last trace of sunlight upon the mountain-top. Soon will it
fade away as decreed by God, the All-Possessing, the Most High. Thy glory and
the glory of such as are like thee have been taken away, and this verily is
what hath been ordained by the One with Whom is the Mother Tablet. Where is he
to be found who contended with God, and whither is gone he that gainsaid His signs,
and turned aside from His sovereignty? Where are they who have slain His chosen
ones and spilt the blood of His holy ones? Reflect, that haply thou mayest
perceive the breaths of thine acts, O foolish doubter! Because of you the
Apostle (Muhammad) lamented, and the Chaste One (Fátimih) cried out, and the
countries were laid waste, and darkness fell upon all regions. O concourse of
divines! Because of you the people were abased, and the banner of Islám was
hauled down, and its mighty throne subverted. Every time a man of discernment
hath sought to hold fast unto that which would exalt Islám, ye raised a clamor,
and thereby was he deterred from achieving his purpose, while the land remained
fallen in clear ruin.
O ye loved ones of God! Drink your fill from the wellspring
of wisdom, and soar ye in the atmosphere of wisdom, and speak forth with wisdom
and eloquence. Thus biddeth you your Lord, the Almighty, the All-Knowing.
O thou who art gone astray! If thou hast any doubt
concerning Our conduct, know thou that We bear witness unto that whereunto God
hath Himself borne witness ere the creation of the heavens and of the earth,
that there is none other God but Him, the Almighty, the All-Bounteous. We
testify that He is One in His Essence, One in His Attributes. He hath none to
equal Him in the whole universe, nor any partner in all creation. He hath sent
forth His Messengers, and sent down His Books, that they may announce unto His
creatures the Straight Path.
Gracious God! So great is the folly and perversity of the
people, that they have turned their face toward their own thoughts and desires,
and have turned their back upon the knowledge and will of God—hallowed and
glorified be His name!
I sorrow not for the burden of My imprisonment. Neither do I
grieve over My abasement, or the tribulation I suffer at the hands of Mine
enemies. By My life! They are My glory, a glory wherewith God hath adorned His
own Self. Would that ye know it!
It hath been enjoined upon you to purify your means of
sustenance and other such things through payment of Zakát.[Tithes] Thus hath
it been prescribed in this exalted Tablet by Him Who is the Revealer of verses.
We shall, if it be God’s will and purpose, set forth erelong the measure of its
assessment. He, verily, expoundeth whatsoever He desireth by virtue of His own
knowledge, and He, of a truth, is Omniscient and All-Wise.
The Lord hath decreed, moreover, that the deceased should be
enfolded in five sheets of silk or cotton. For those whose means are limited a
single sheet of either fabric will suffice. Thus hath it been ordained by Him
Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. It is forbidden you to transport the
body of the deceased a greater distance than one hour’s journey from the city;
rather should it be interred, with radiance and serenity, in a nearby place.
The Lord hath decreed that the dead should be interred in
coffins made of crystal, of hard, resistant stone, or of wood that is both fine
and durable, and that graven rings should be placed upon their fingers. He,
verily, is the Supreme Ordainer, the One apprised of all.
Certain ones among both commoners and nobles have objected
that this wronged One is neither a member of the ecclesiastical order nor a
descendant of the Prophet. Say: O ye that claim to be just! Reflect a little
while, and ye shall recognize how infinitely exalted is His present state above
the station ye claim He should possess. The Will of the Almighty hath decreed
that out of a house wholly devoid of all that the divines, the doctors, the
sages, and scholars commonly possess His Cause should proceed and be made
manifest.
Lay not aside the fear of God, O ye the learned of the
world, and judge fairly the Cause of this unlettered One to Whom all the Books
of God, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting, have testified. ...Will not the
dread of Divine displeasure, the fear of Him Who hath no peer or equal, arouse
you? He Whom the world hath wronged hath, at no time, associated with you, hath
never studied your writings, nor participated in any of your disputations. The
garb He weareth, His flowing locks, His headdress, attest the truth of His
words. How long will ye persist in your injustice? Witness the habitation in
which He, Who is the incarnation of justice, hath been forced to dwell. Open
your eyes, and, beholding His plight, meditate diligently upon that which your
hands have wrought, that haply ye may not be deprived of the light of His
Divine utterance, nor remain bereft of your share of the ocean of His
knowledge.