# Baha'u'llah in His Own Words

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> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Peter Terry, Baha'u'llah in His Own Words, bahai-library.com.
> ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
> 
> BAHA’U’LLAH
> IN
> HIS
> OWN
> WORDS
> 
> Peter Terry
> Compiler and Commentator
> 
> Volume IV, Bahá’í Studies Series
> 
> Original compilation of texts related to
> Bahá’u’lláh found in the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh,
> with supplementary texts written by the Báb,
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi, and other authors.
> 
> Passages from the Writings of the Báb are in some
> cases presented in the compiler’s rendering of
> their French translation by A.L.M. Nicolas,
> originally published circa 1900-1911.
> 
> Published by Lulu Publications 2008
> 
> Copyright © 2008 by Peter Terry
> 
> All rights reserved under International and Pan-
> American Copyright Conventions.
> 
> ISBN: 978-0-557-05821-1
> 
> Table of Contents
> Foreword……………………………………………………..7
> 
> Introduction………………………………………………….8
> 
> His Previous Embodiments……………………………….21
> 
> His Pre-Existence………………………………………….23
> 
> His Identity with the Báb………………………………….24
> 
> On His Station……………………………………………...26
> 
> Call to Mind His Sufferings……………………………….26
> 
> He consented to suffer for our sake……………………….39
> 
> Overview of His Exiles...…………………………………..40
> 
> WHERE AND WHEN
> 
> His Birth as Mírzá Husayn ‘Alí
> (November 12, 1817)……………………………………….43
> 
> His Childhood
> (1817-1835)………………………………………………….46
> 
> His Adult Life in Tihrán
> (1835-1850)………………………........................................48
> 
> In Mázindarán……………………………………………..52
> 
> Badasht
> (c. June 23–July 15, 1848)…………………………………..54
> 
> Níyálá
> (c. July 17, 1848)……………………………………………57
> 
> Ámul
> (c. August, 1848)……………………………………………57
> 
> Sarí
> (c. August, 1848)…………………………………………….61
> 
> The Persecution of the Bábís
> (1845-1852)…………………………………………………..61
> 
> Martyrdom of the Báb
> (July 9, 1850)………………………………………………...64
> 
> Visit to ‘Atabat
> (1850-1851)…………………………………………………..65
> 
> Lavásán
> (1851-August 1852)………………………………………….65
> 
> Attempt on the Life of the Sháh
> (August 15, 1852)……………………………………………66
> 
> In the Síyáh Chál
> (August 1852-January 1853)………………………………..66
> 
> Journey from Tihrán to Baghdád
> (January 12-April 8, 1853)…………………………………..76
> 
> In Baghdád
> (April 8, 1853-April 10, 1854)……………………………….77
> 
> In Kurdistán
> (April 11, 1854-March 19, 1856)…………………………….83
> 
> In Baghdád
> (March 19, 1856-April 22, 1863)……………………………85
> 
> In the Najíbíyyih Garden
> (April 22-May 2, 1863)……………………………………..99
> 
> Journey from Baghdád to Constantinople (Istanbul)
> (May 3-August 16, 1863)…………………………………...104
> 
> In Constantinople
> (August 16-December 1863)………………………………105
> 
> In the Court of the Sultán
> (December 1863)………..…………………………………113
> 
> Journey from Constantinople to Adrianople (Edirne)
> (December ?-12, 1863).…………….………………………115
> 
> In Adrianople
> (December 12, 1863-August 12, 1868)……………………..117
> 
> Journey from Adrianople to Gallipoli
> (August 12-16, 1868)………………………………………..121
> 
> In Gallipoli
> (August 18-21, 1868)……………………………………….123
> 
> In the Most Great Prison in ‘Akká
> (August 31, 1868-October, 1870)………………………..…125
> 
> In private residences in ‘Akká
> (October, 1870-June 1877)…………………………………134
> 
> In Mazra’ih, house of ‘Abdu’lláh Páshá
> (June 1877-September 1879)………………………………137
> 
> In Bahjí, house of Udi Khammar
> (September 1879-May 29, 1892)..………………………….138
> 
> Visits to the Garden of Ridván
> (1877-1892)…………………………………………………138
> 
> Four visits to Haifa
> (1890-1891)..………………………………………………..139
> 
> His ascension
> (May 29, 1892)..…………………………………………….141
> 
> ABOUT PEOPLE
> 
> ……………………………..……………………………….144
> 
> ABOUT PLACES
> 
> ……..……………………………………………………….185
> 
> Endnotes…………………………………………………...188
> 
> FOREWORD
> 
> The compiler/editor of this volume has used various
> orthographical devices in order to highlight what he considers to
> be notable numbers, letters, words, phrases and passages found
> in the collected texts. These devices are not integral to the text,
> nor were they featured in the published editions consulted in
> preparation for this volume. Quotation marks, square brackets,
> bold or italic typeface which have been employed within quoted
> words, phrases or passages are among such devices. While the
> words written by Bahá’u’lláh are cited without quotation marks,
> His utterances as reported by others are distinguished from His
> Writings with quotation marks. All citations have been carefully
> checked, but some errors may yet be found by vigilant readers.
> Please report these without delay to the compiler/editor so that
> he can correct these blemishes in the Second Edition.
> 
> As monarchs, emperors, pontiffs and justices of the courts are
> addressed with honorific titles such as His Majesty, His
> Eminence, His Honor and the like, so also Bahá’u’lláh, the
> principal Author of this work, the Báb (also referenced here) and
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the interpreter appointed by Bahá’u’lláh for the
> elucidation of His teachings and writings, are addressed with a
> capitalized male pronoun. This usage does not assume that the
> reader is a believer any more than referring to Her Majesty the
> Queen of England or His Eminence the Pope presupposes that
> the writer or reader is a British subject or a Roman Catholic.
> What it conveys is a measure of respect for these persons who
> are more highly revered by some than kings or emperors,
> pontiffs or priests. Indeed, as Professor Edward Granville
> Browne wrote of his first meeting with Bahá’u’lláh, “No need to
> ask in whose presence I stood, as I bowed myself before one
> who is the object of a devotion and love which kings might envy
> and emperors sigh for in vain.”1 It is in honor of such reverence
> that this convention has been followed in reference to the
> persons aforementioned, as well as to Muhammad and Jesus and
> other objects of enduring adoration.
> 
> INTRODUCTION
> 
> We perceive our actions, our thoughts and feelings from the
> inside out, through self-knowledge, and others perceive those
> same actions, and discern those thoughts and feelings from the
> outside in, what we will characterize as other-knowledge. Both
> processes may employ intuition, observation, analysis,
> correlation and synthesis. But the process of perceiving oneself
> is inaccessible to anyone but oneself, and vice versa—the
> processes are not reversible. It can be argued, sometimes
> persuasively, that the other-knowledge is superior to self-knowledge,
> because the other-knowledge is less likely to be distorted by the
> desires, fears and other controlling thoughts and feelings of the
> individual, what is often called subjectivity, but which comprises
> the many practices whereby the individual paints a picture of
> their own self that corresponds to what they want to see, what
> they want to believe, rather than objectively what exists. The
> claim is that other-knowledge is not subjective in this way, because
> the other has no wish to distort or manipulate the self-image of
> the individual, and that therefore the other-knowledge is objective,
> or if not entirely objective then more objective than selfknowledge. Others have pointed out that inasmuch as each
> individual is inclined to manipulate knowledge in such a way as
> to support and promote their self-image, that therefore there is
> no objectivity, that there is intra-subjectivity.
> 
> On the microcosmic scale, marriage counseling affords some
> insights into these two processes of self-knowledge and otherknowledge, and the degree to which both may be incomplete but
> that the ultimate resolution of the two kinds of knowledge
> depends upon the commitment of the communicating persons,
> the self and the other, to honor and trust the experience of each
> other, and to construct a bridge or weave a network of shared
> perceptions that will permit them to understand one another. In
> any attempt to truly comprehend another human being, we must
> transcend both our self-knowledge and our other-knowledge, and
> engage in a coalescence of the two with that other. Without
> discovering and valuing points of agreement between our selfknowledge and the other-knowledge, we cannot be in a loving
> relationship, we cannot collaborate…we are isolated atoms
> 
> floating in space and time and unable to form molecules, let
> alone compounds and organisms.
> 
> We have been speaking of the knowledge that human beings
> have of one another. Our knowledge of other realities which are
> not as complicated as the human reality is quite different.
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá2 wrote and spoke on this theme many times. In
> one of these expositions we read:
> 
> When thou dost carefully consider this matter, thou wilt see that a
> lower plane can never comprehend a higher. The mineral kingdom, for
> example, which is lower, is precluded from comprehending the vegetable
> kingdom; for the mineral, any such understanding would be utterly
> impossible. In the same way, no matter how far the vegetable kingdom may
> develop, it will achieve no conception of the animal kingdom, and any such
> comprehension at its level would be unthinkable, for the animal occupieth a
> plane higher than that of the vegetable: this tree cannot conceive of hearing
> and sight. And the animal kingdom, no matter how far it may evolve, can
> never become aware of the reality of the intellect, which discovereth the inner
> essence of all things, and comprehendeth those realities which cannot be seen;
> for the human plane as compared with that of the animal is very high. And
> although these beings all co-exist in the contingent world, in each case the
> difference in their stations precludeth their grasp of the whole; for no lower
> degree can understand a higher, such comprehension being impossible.
> The higher plane, however, understandeth the lower. The animal,
> for instance, comprehendeth the mineral and vegetable, the human
> understandeth the planes of the animal, vegetable and mineral. But the
> mineral cannot possibly understand the realms of man. And
> notwithstanding the fact that all these entities co-exist in the phenomenal
> world, even so, no lower degree can ever comprehend a higher.3
> 
> This principle applies to our incapacity to understand a station
> or plane of existence that is higher than our own, “for no lower
> degree can understand a higher, such comprehension being
> impossible”. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá continues to make that very point:
> 
> Then how could it be possible for a contingent reality, that is, man,
> to understand the nature of that pre-existent Essence, the Divine Being?
> The difference in station between man and the Divine Reality is thousands
> upon thousands of times greater than the difference between vegetable and
> 
> animal. And that which a human being would conjure up in his mind is but
> the fanciful image of his human condition, it doth not encompass God's
> reality but rather is encompassed by it. That is, man graspeth his own
> illusory conceptions, but the Reality of Divinity can never be grasped: It,
> Itself, encompasseth all created things, and all created things are in Its grasp.
> That Divinity which man doth imagine for himself existeth only in his
> mind, not in truth.4
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh sets forth the same principle, and delineates even
> further the boundaries on human understanding in this passage:
> 
> Wert thou to ponder in thine heart, from now until the end that
> hath no end, and with all the concentrated intelligence and understanding
> which the greatest minds have attained in the past or will attain in the
> future, this divinely ordained and subtle Reality [the rational faculty], this
> sign of the revelation of the All-Abiding, All-Glorious God, thou wilt fail
> to comprehend its mystery or to appraise its virtue. Having recognized thy
> powerlessness to attain to an adequate understanding of that Reality which
> abideth within thee, thou wilt readily admit the futility of such efforts as may
> be attempted by thee, or by any of the created things, to fathom the mystery of
> the Living God, the Day Star of unfading glory, the Ancient of everlasting
> days. This confession of helplessness which mature contemplation must
> eventually impel every mind to make is in itself the acme of human
> understanding, and marketh the culmination of man's development.5
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh indicates that the human soul, the rational faculty is
> beyond our comprehension, how much moreso the reality of
> God:
> 
> All that the sages and mystics have said or written have never
> exceeded, nor can they ever hope to exceed, the limitations to which man's
> finite mind hath been strictly subjected. To whatever heights the mind of the
> most exalted of men may soar, however great the depths which the detached
> and understanding heart can penetrate, such mind and heart can never
> transcend that which is the creature of their own conceptions and the product
> of their own thoughts. The meditations of the profoundest thinker, the
> devotions of the holiest of saints, the highest expressions of praise from either
> human pen or tongue, are but a reflection of that which hath been created
> within themselves, through the revelation of the Lord, their God. Whoever
> pondereth this truth in his heart will readily admit that there are certain
> 
> limits which no human being can possibly transgress. Every attempt which,
> from the beginning that hath no beginning, hath been made to visualize and
> know God is limited by the exigencies of His own creation -- a creation
> which He, through the operation of His own Will and for the purposes of
> none other but His own Self, hath called into being. Immeasurably exalted
> is He above the strivings of human mind to grasp His Essence, or of human
> tongue to describe His mystery. No tie of direct intercourse can ever bind
> Him to the things He hath created, nor can the most abstruse and most
> remote allusions of His creatures do justice to His being. Through His
> world-pervading Will He hath brought into being all created things. He is
> and hath ever been veiled in the ancient eternity of His own exalted and
> indivisible Essence, and will everlastingly continue to remain concealed in
> His inaccessible majesty and glory. All that is in heaven and all that is in
> the earth have come to exist at His bidding, and by His Will all have
> stepped out of utter nothingness into the realm of being. How can, therefore,
> the creature which the Word of God hath fashioned comprehend the nature
> of Him Who is the Ancient of Days?6
> 
> This might induce some souls to embrace agnosticism and
> believe themselves thereby to be adhering faithfully to the
> principles set forth in these discourses. However Bahá’u’lláh
> does not leave us to our own devices at this critical juncture.
> Having stated that we cannot know God in Himself, Bahá’u’lláh
> nevertheless affirms that the very purpose for which we have
> been created is “to know and recognize the one true God”7, “to know
> God”8, “to know Him and to love Him”9, “to know Thee and to worship
> Thee”10, “to know his Creator and to attain His Presence”11, “know Him,
> Who is the Compassionate, the All-Merciful”12, “to know Thee and to
> serve Thy Cause”13, “to serve Me, to glorify My Word and to proclaim My
> Cause”14, “to remember Thee, to glorify Thee, and to aid Thy Cause.”15
> 
> Are we dealing with some kind of Catch-22, a puzzle that cannot
> be assembled, a labyrinth that cannot be exited, a riddle that
> cannot be solved? Is this meant to drive us to distraction, to
> force us to transcend rational thought, to seek answers in
> entirely different quarters, or to stop seeking answers altogether?
> Not at all…Bahá’u’lláh does not abandon us at this juncture
> either.
> 
> How are we to know and recognize, attain the presence,
> worship, serve and proclaim the Cause, glorify the Word,
> remember, glorify and aid God? Inasmuch as we cannot know
> Him directly, how else could we possibly know Him?
> Bahá’u’lláh gives the answer:
> 
> The source of all learning is the knowledge of God, exalted be His
> Glory, and this cannot be attained save through the knowledge of His
> Divine Manifestation.16
> 
> The door of the knowledge of the Ancient of Days being thus closed
> in the face of all beings, the Source of infinite grace, according to His saying,
> "His grace hath transcended all things; My grace hath encompassed them
> all," hath caused those luminous Gems of Holiness to appear out of the
> realm of the spirit, in the noble form of the human temple, and be made
> manifest unto all men, that they may impart unto the world the mysteries of
> the unchangeable Being, and tell of the subtleties of His imperishable
> Essence.17
> 
> Know thou of a certainty that the Unseen can in no wise incarnate
> His Essence and reveal it unto men. He is, and hath ever been, immensely
> exalted beyond all that can either be recounted or perceived. From His
> retreat of glory His voice is ever proclaiming: "Verily, I am God; there is
> none other God besides Me, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. I have
> manifested Myself unto men, and have sent down Him Who is the Day
> Spring of the signs of My Revelation. Through Him I have caused all
> creation to testify that there is none other God except Him, the
> Incomparable, the All-Informed, the All-Wise." He Who is everlastingly
> hidden from the eyes of men can never be known except through His
> Manifestation, and His Manifestation can adduce no greater proof of the
> truth of His Mission than the proof of His own Person.18
> 
> The door of the knowledge of the Ancient Being hath ever been,
> and will continue for ever to be, closed in the face of men. No man's
> understanding shall ever gain access unto His holy court. As a token of His
> mercy, however, and as a proof of His loving-kindness, He hath manifested
> unto men the Day Stars of His divine guidance, the Symbols of His divine
> unity, and hath ordained the knowledge of these sanctified Beings to be
> identical with the knowledge of His own Self. Whoso recognizeth them hath
> recognized God. Whoso hearkeneth to their call, hath hearkened to the
> 
> Voice of God, and whoso testifieth to the truth of their Revelation, hath
> testified to the truth of God Himself. Whoso turneth away from them, hath
> turned away from God, and whoso disbelieveth in them, hath disbelieved in
> God. Every one of them is the Way of God that connecteth this world with
> the realms above, and the Standard of His Truth unto every one in the
> kingdoms of earth and heaven. They are the Manifestations of God amidst
> men, the evidences of His Truth, and the signs of His glory.19
> 
> And since there can be no tie of direct intercourse to bind the one
> true God with His creation, and no resemblance whatever can exist between
> the transient and the Eternal, the contingent and the Absolute, He hath
> ordained that in every age and dispensation a pure and stainless Soul be
> made manifest in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. Unto this subtle, this
> mysterious and ethereal Being He hath assigned a twofold nature; the
> physical, pertaining to the world of matter, and the spiritual, which is born
> of the substance of God Himself. He hath, moreover, conferred upon Him a
> double station. The first station, which is related to His innermost reality,
> representeth Him as One Whose voice is the voice of God Himself. To this
> testifieth the tradition: "Manifold and mysterious is My relationship with
> God. I am He, Himself, and He is I, Myself, except that I am that I am,
> and He is that He is." And in like manner, the words: "Arise, O
> Muhammad, for lo, the Lover and the Beloved are joined together and made
> one in Thee." He similarly saith: "There is no distinction whatsoever
> between Thee and Them, except that They are Thy Servants." The second
> station is the human station, exemplified by the following verses: "I am but
> a man like you." "Say, praise be to my Lord! Am I more than a man, an
> apostle?" These Essences of Detachment, these resplendent Realities are the
> channels of God's all-pervasive grace. Led by the light of unfailing guidance,
> and invested with supreme sovereignty, They are commissioned to use the
> inspiration of Their words, the effusions of Their infallible grace and the
> sanctifying breeze of Their Revelation for the cleansing of every longing heart
> and receptive spirit from the dross and dust of earthly cares and limitations.
> Then, and only then, will the Trust of God, latent in the reality of man,
> emerge, as resplendent as the rising Orb of Divine Revelation, from behind
> the veil of concealment, and implant the ensign of its revealed glory upon the
> summits of men's hearts.20
> 
> The Person of the Manifestation hath ever been the representative
> and mouthpiece of God. He, in truth, is the Day Spring of God's most
> excellent Titles, and the Dawning-Place of His exalted Attributes. If any be
> 
> set up by His side as peers, if they be regarded as identical with His Person,
> how can it, then, be maintained that the Divine Being is One and
> Incomparable, that His Essence is indivisible and peerless? Meditate on that
> which We have, through the power of truth, revealed unto thee, and be thou
> of them that comprehend its meaning.21
> 
> The purpose of God in creating man hath been, and will ever be, to
> enable him to know his Creator and to attain His Presence. To this most
> excellent aim, this supreme objective, all the heavenly Books and the
> divinely-revealed and weighty Scriptures unequivocally bear witness. Whoso
> hath recognized the Day Spring of Divine guidance and entered His holy
> court hath drawn nigh unto God and attained His Presence, a Presence
> which is the real Paradise, and of which the loftiest mansions of heaven are
> but a symbol. Such a man hath attained the knowledge of the station of
> Him Who is "at the distance of two bows," Who standeth beyond the
> Sadratu'l-Muntahá. Whoso hath failed to recognize Him will have
> condemned himself to the misery of remoteness, a remoteness which is naught
> but utter nothingness and the essence of the nethermost fire. Such will be his
> fate, though to outward seeming he may occupy the earth's loftiest seats and
> be established upon its most exalted throne.22
> 
> The essence of belief in Divine unity consisteth in regarding Him
> Who is the Manifestation of God and Him Who is the invisible, the
> inaccessible, the unknowable Essence as one and the same. By this is meant
> that whatever pertaineth to the former, all His acts and doings, whatever He
> ordaineth or forbiddeth, should be considered, in all their aspects, and under
> all circumstances, and without any reservation, as identical with the Will of
> God Himself. This is the loftiest station to which a true believer in the unity
> of God can ever hope to attain. Blessed is the man that reacheth this station,
> and is of them that are steadfast in their belief.23
> 
> The purpose in citing all of these statements is to demonstrate
> conclusively that this is not an isolated, marginal or unparalleled
> utterance of Bahá’u’lláh; that it is, on the contrary, a fundamental
> principle of his theology which systematically educates the
> receptive soul about the realities pertaining to an authentic
> relationship with God. This is where true knowledge of God is
> to be found—through knowledge of His Manifestations.
> 
> According to the principle set forth earlier, where the lower
> station cannot comprehend the higher station, how then are
> human beings to attain to the knowledge of the Manifestations?
> The difference between the self-perception of the Manifestation
> of God, and the other-perception of His actions, and
> discernment of His thoughts and feelings by human beings is
> much more significant than we can imagine. On the one hand,
> the Manifestation is endowed with a human body during His
> earthly sojourn, and a rational soul, and these make Him seem
> human to us. Bahá’u’lláh indicates that we cannot comprehend
> the rational soul, so that leaves us with the human body of the
> Manifestation of God that is comprehensible to us. But the
> Manifestation of the God is not just endowed with a human
> body and rational soul. Bahá’u’lláh writes of the two natures of
> the Manifestation in reference to Himself: “Know verily that
> whenever this Youth turneth His eyes towards His own self, he findeth it the
> most insignificant of all creation. When He contemplates, however, the bright
> effulgences He hath been empowered to manifest, lo, that self is transfigured
> before Him into a sovereign Potency permeating the essence of all things
> visible and invisible. Glory be to Him Who, through the power of truth,
> hath sent down the Manifestation of His own Self and entrusted Him with
> His message unto all mankind.”24
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá elaborated on this dual nature and indicated that
> “The Holy Manifestations have three conditions: one, the physical condition;
> one, that of the rational soul; and one, that of the manifestation of perfection
> and of the lordly splendor.”25 “We said that the Manifestations have three
> planes. First, the physical reality, which depends upon the body; second, the
> individual reality, that is to say, the rational soul; third, the divine
> appearance, which is the divine perfections, the cause of the life of existence,
> of the education of souls, of the guidance of people, and of the enlightenment
> of the contingent world.”26 In order to come to a knowledge of
> God, it is imperative that we come to know the third condition,
> the third plane of the Manifestation of God, because it is this
> third aspect of his nature that is “the manifestation of perfection and of
> the lordly splendor…the divine appearance, which is the divine perfections,
> the cause of the life of existence, of the education of souls, of the guidance of
> people, and of the enlightenment of the contingent world.” Of what profit
> is it for us to know about the physical condition or even the
> rational soul of the Manifestation of God? Our purpose is to
> 
> attain to the knowledge of God, and we can only attain our
> purpose if we attain to the knowledge of that aspect of the
> Manifestation which manifests God. We seem to have arrived at
> another of those junctures where we could turn away and
> despair of ever discovering the truth. “Do men think when they say
> 'We believe' they shall be let alone and not be put to proof?”27
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh shows the way this time as well. He explains that we
> can only know the Manifestation of God through His revelation
> of himself to us. No matter how much we may seek to
> understand His divine nature, comprehend His manifestation of
> the names and attributes of God, we will be unable to fathom
> these mysteries, because they are beyond our ken, beyond the
> capacity of our minds, of our acquired knowledge, of our
> rational souls. He will explain, He will reveal, He will show us
> this Reality which we cannot know otherwise.
> 
> To begin with, Bahá’u’lláh sets forth the principle that we cannot
> know the Manifestation according to the words and deeds of
> mortal men:
> 
> ...man can never hope to attain unto the knowledge of the All-
> Glorious, can never quaff from the stream of divine knowledge and wisdom,
> can never enter the abode of immortality, nor partake of the cup of divine
> nearness and favour, unless and until he ceases to regard the words and deeds
> of mortal men as a standard for the true understanding and recognition of
> God and His Prophets.28
> 
> He specifically indicates that He is among the Prophets of God
> and reveals the knowledge of God in countless passages of His
> Writings, a few of which are cited here in order to demonstrate
> the point and not leave this argument open to diversion or
> criticism on this point:
> 
> Say: I, verily, have not sought to extol Mine own Self, but rather
> God Himself, were ye to judge fairly. Naught can be seen in Me except God
> and His Cause, could ye but perceive it. I am the One Whom the tongue of
> Isaiah hath extolled, the One with Whose name both the Torah and the
> Evangel were adorned. Thus hath it been decreed in the Scriptures of thy
> 
> Lord, the Most Merciful. He, verily, hath borne witness unto Me, as I bear
> witness unto Him. And God testifieth to the truth of My words.
> Say: The Books have been sent down for naught but My
> remembrance. Whosoever is receptive to their call shall perceive therefrom the
> sweet fragrances of My name and My praise; and he who hath unstopped the
> ear of his inmost heart shall hear from every word thereof: "The True One is
> come! He indeed is the beloved of the worlds!"29
> 
> "Wert thou to hear with Mine ear," He also declares, "thou
> wouldst hear how ‘Alí [the Báb] bewaileth Me in the presence of the
> Glorious Companion, and how Muhammad weepeth over Me in the allhighest Horizon, and how the Spirit [Jesus] beateth Himself upon the head
> in the heaven of My decree, by reason of what hath befallen this Wronged
> One at the hands of every impious sinner."30
> 
> Say: Deliver your souls, O people, from the bondage of self, and
> purify them from all attachment to anything besides Me. Remembrance of
> Me cleanseth all things from defilement, could ye but perceive it. Say: Were
> all created things to be entirely divested of the veil of worldly vanity and
> desire, the Hand of God would in this Day clothe them, one and all, with
> the robe "He doeth whatsoever He willeth in the kingdom of creation," that
> thereby the sign of His sovereignty might be manifested in all things.
> Exalted then be He, the Sovereign Lord of all, the Almighty, the Supreme
> Protector, the All-Glorious, the Most Powerful.31
> 
> O My servants! There shineth nothing else in Mine heart except the
> unfading light of the Morn of Divine guidance, and out of My mouth
> proceedeth naught but the essence of truth, which the Lord your God hath
> revealed. Follow not, therefore, your earthly desires, and violate not the
> Covenant of God, nor break your pledge to Him. With firm determination,
> with the whole affection of your heart, and with the full force of your words,
> turn ye unto Him, and walk not in the ways of the foolish.32
> 
> In reference to Himself, Bahá’u’lláh cites the words of the Báb,
> Who writes that He cannot adequately describe Bahá’u’lláh.
> How impotent are all others if the Báb cannot do Him justice!
> 
> He Who is the Heart and Center of the Bayán hath written: "The
> germ that holdeth within itself the potentialities of the Revelation that is to
> come is endowed with a potency superior to the combined forces of all those
> 
> who follow Me." And, again, He saith: "Of all the tributes I have paid to
> Him Who is to come after Me, the greatest is this, My written confession,
> that no words of Mine can adequately describe Him, nor can any reference to
> Him in My Book, the Bayán, do justice to His Cause."33
> 
> He hath said, and His word is the truth: 'Of all the tributes I
> have paid to Him Who is to come after Me, the greatest is this, My written
> confession, that no words of Mine can adequately describe Him, nor can any
> reference to Him in My Book, the Bayán, do justice to His Cause.'
> Moreover We counsel them to observe justice, equity, honesty, piety
> and that whereby both the Word of God and their own station will be
> exalted amongst men. Verily I am the One Who exhorteth with justice.
> Unto this beareth witness He from Whose Pen rivers of mercy have flowed
> and from Whose utterance fountains of living waters have streamed forth
> unto all created things. Immeasurably exalted is this boundless grace;
> immensely blessed is this resplendent favour.34
> 
> He hath said -- and He, verily, speaketh the truth: "I have written
> down in My mention of Him these gem-like words: 'No allusion of Mine
> can allude unto Him, neither anything mentioned in the Bayán.'" And
> further, He -- exalted and glorified be He -- saith, concerning this most
> mighty Revelation, this Great Announcement: "Exalted and glorified is He
> above the power of any one to reveal Him except Himself, or the description
> of any of His creatures. I Myself am but the first servant to believe in Him
> and in His signs, and to partake of the sweet savors of His words from the
> first-fruits of the Paradise of His knowledge. Yea, by His glory! He is the
> Truth. There is none other God but Him. All have arisen at His
> bidding."35
> 
> And again, He -- exalted be He -- saith: "Look not upon Him
> with any eye except His own. For whosoever looketh upon Him with His
> eye, will recognize Him; otherwise he will be veiled from Him. Shouldst thou
> seek God and His Presence, seek thou Him and gaze upon Him." And
> likewise, He saith: "Better is it for thee to recite but one of the verses of Him
> Whom God shall make manifest than to set down the whole of the Bayan,
> for on that Day that one verse can save thee, whereas the entire Bayan
> cannot save thee."36
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh did not leave unidentified the perceptual orientation
> required to attain to knowledge of the Manifestation, and
> 
> through Him the knowledge of God—on the contrary, His
> Writings specifically indicate that we must see Him through His
> eyes, hear Him through His ears, and not through our own if we
> are to attain our objective and purpose:
> 
> Open Thou, O my Lord, mine eyes and the eyes of all them that
> have sought Thee, that we may recognize Thee with Thine own eyes. This is
> Thy bidding given us in the Book sent down by Thee unto Him Whom
> Thou hast chosen by Thy behest, Whom Thou hast singled out for Thy favor
> above all Thy creatures, Whom Thou hast been pleased to invest with Thy
> sovereignty, and Whom Thou hast specially favored and entrusted with Thy
> Message unto Thy people. Praised be Thou, therefore, O my God, inasmuch
> as Thou hast graciously enabled us to recognize Him and to acknowledge
> whatsoever hath been sent down unto Him, and conferred upon us the honor
> of attaining the presence of the One Whom Thou didst promise in Thy Book
> and in Thy Tablets.37
> 
> God is My witness, O people! I was asleep on My couch, when lo,
> the Breeze of God wafting over Me roused Me from My slumber. His
> quickening Spirit revived Me, and My tongue was unloosed to voice His
> Call. Accuse Me not of having transgressed against God. Behold Me, not
> with your eyes but with Mine. Thus admonisheth you He Who is the
> Gracious, the All-Knowing. Think ye, O people, that I hold within My
> grasp the control of God's ultimate Will and Purpose? Far be it from Me to
> advance such claim. To this I testify before God, the Almighty, the Exalted,
> the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. Had the ultimate destiny of God's Faith
> been in Mine hands, I would have never consented, even though for one
> moment, to manifest Myself unto you, nor would I have allowed one word to
> fall from My lips. Of this God Himself is, verily, a witness.38
> 
> 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.39
> 
> If it be your wish, O people, to know God and to discover the
> greatness of His might, look, then, upon Me with Mine own eyes, and not
> with the eyes of any one besides Me. Ye will, otherwise, be never capable of
> recognizing Me, though ye ponder My Cause as long as My Kingdom
> endureth, and meditate upon all created things throughout the eternity of
> God, the Sovereign Lord of all, the Omnipotent, the Ever-Abiding, the All-
> 
> Wise. Thus have We manifested the truth of Our Revelation, that haply the
> people may be roused from their heedlessness, and be of them that
> understand.40
> 
> Beware, beware lest thou behave like unto the people of the Bayán.
> For indeed they erred grievously, misguided the people, ignored the Covenant
> of God and His Testament and joined partners with Him, the One, the
> Incomparable, the All-Knowing. Verily they failed to recognize the Point of
> the Bayán, for had they recognized Him they would not have rejected His
> manifestation in this luminous and resplendent Being. And since they fixed
> their eyes on names, therefore when He replaced His Name 'the Most
> Exalted' by 'the Most Glorious' their eyes were dimmed. They have failed to
> recognize Him in these days and are reckoned with those that perish. Indeed,
> had they known Him through His own Self or by virtue of that which He
> hath revealed, they would not have repudiated Him when He appeared in
> this glorious and incomparable Name, which God hath ordained to be the
> Sword of His Revelation between heaven and earth, and through which truth
> is separated from error, even from now until the Day when mankind shall
> stand before the Lord of the worlds.41
> 
> Thou hast surely quaffed from the ocean of Mine utterance and
> hast witnessed the effulgent splendour of the orb of My wisdom. Thou hast
> also heard the sayings of the infidels who neither are acquainted with the
> fundamentals of the Faith, nor have tasted this choice Wine whose seal hath
> been broken through the power of My Name, the Help in Peril, the Self-
> Subsisting. Beseech thou God that the believers who are endued with true
> understanding may be graciously enabled to do that which is pleasing unto
> Him.
> How strange that despite this ringing Call, despite the appearance
> of this most wondrous Revelation, We notice that men, for the most part,
> have fixed their hearts on the vanities of the world and are sorely dismayed
> and troubled by reason of prevailing doubts and evil suggestions. Say: This is
> the Day of God Himself; fear ye God and be not of them that have
> disbelieved in Him. Cast the idle tales behind your backs and behold My
> Revelation through Mine eyes. Unto this have ye been exhorted in heavenly
> Books and Scriptures, in the Scrolls and Tablets.42
> 
> HIS PREVIOUS EMBODIMENTS
> 
> O Jews! If ye be intent on crucifying once again Jesus, the Spirit of
> God, put Me to death, for He hath once more, in My person, been made
> manifest unto you. Deal with Me as ye wish, for I have vowed to lay down
> My life in the path of God. I will fear no one, though the powers of earth
> and heaven be leagued against Me. Followers of the Gospel! If ye cherish the
> desire to slay Muhammad, the Apostle of God, seize Me and put an end to
> My life, for I am He, and My Self is His Self. Do unto Me as ye like, for
> the deepest longing of Mine heart is to attain the presence of My Best-
> Beloved in His Kingdom of Glory. Such is the Divine decree, if ye know it.
> Followers of Muhammad! If it be your wish to riddle with your shafts the
> breast of Him Who hath caused His Book the Bayán to be sent down unto
> you, lay hands on Me and persecute Me, for I am His Well-Beloved, the
> revelation of His own Self, though My name be not His name. I have come
> in the shadows of the clouds of glory, and am invested by God with invincible
> sovereignty. He, verily, is the Truth, the Knower of things unseen. I, verily,
> anticipate from you the treatment ye have accorded unto Him that came
> before Me. To this all things, verily, witness, if ye be of those who hearken.
> O people of the Bayán! If ye have resolved to shed the blood of Him Whose
> coming the Báb hath proclaimed, Whose advent Muhammad hath
> prophesied, and Whose Revelation Jesus Christ Himself hath announced,
> behold Me standing, ready and defenseless, before you. Deal with Me after
> your own desires.43
> 
> Praise be to Thee, O Lord My God, for the wondrous revelations
> of Thy inscrutable decree and the manifold woes and trials Thou hast
> destined for Myself. At one time Thou didst deliver Me into the hands of
> Nimrod [Abraham44]; at another Thou hast allowed Pharaoh's rod to
> persecute Me [Moses]. Thou, alone, canst estimate, through Thine allencompassing knowledge and the operation of Thy Will, the incalculable
> afflictions I have suffered at their hands. Again Thou didst cast Me into
> the prison-cell of the ungodly [Joseph], or no reason except that I was moved
> to whisper into the ears of the well-favored denizens of Thy Kingdom an
> intimation of the vision with which Thou hadst, through Thy knowledge,
> inspired Me, and revealed to Me its meaning through the potency of Thy
> might. And again Thou didst decree that I be beheaded by the sword of the
> infidel [Zachariah the Baptist]. Again I was crucified [Jesus] for having
> unveiled to men's eyes the hidden gems of Thy glorious unity, for having
> revealed to them the wondrous signs of Thy sovereign and everlasting power.
> 
> How bitter the humiliations heaped upon Me, in a subsequent age, on the
> plain of Karbilá [Imám Husayn45]! How lonely did I feel amidst Thy
> people! To what a state of helplessness I was reduced in that land!
> Unsatisfied with such indignities, My persecutors decapitated Me, and,
> carrying aloft My head from land to land paraded it before the gaze of the
> unbelieving multitude, and deposited it on the seats of the perverse and
> faithless. In a later age, I was suspended, and My breast was made a target
> to the darts of the malicious cruelty of My foes [the Báb]. My limbs were
> riddled with bullets, and My body was torn asunder. Finally, behold how, in
> this Day, My treacherous enemies have leagued themselves against Me
> [Bahá’u’lláh], and are continually plotting to instill the venom of hate and
> malice into the souls of Thy servants.46
> 
> At one time He [Bahá’u’lláh] was sorely afflicted by the hand of
> Cain [al-qábíl] and was killed in the Path of God and ascended unto Him
> [God] in meekness/sorely wronged [maz.lúman]...47
> 
> O Chief! We revealed Ourself unto thee at one time upon Mount
> Tíná [Abraham?], and at another time upon Mount Zaytá, [Jesus] and
> yet again in this hallowed Spot. Following, however, thy corrupt inclinations,
> thou didst fail to respond and wert accounted with the heedless. Consider,
> then, and call thou to mind the time when Muhammad came with clear
> tokens from Him Who is the Almighty, the All-Knowing. The people were
> wont to pelt Him with stones from hidden places and in the markets, and
> they rejected the signs of God, thy Lord and the Lord of thy forefathers. The
> learned also denied Him, as did their followers, and likewise the kings of the
> earth, as thou hast heard from the tales of old. Among those kings was
> Chosroes, to whom Muhammad sent a blessed epistle summoning him unto
> God and forbidding him from misbelief. Verily, thy Lord knoweth all
> things. Following the promptings of his evil and corrupt desires, however,
> Chosroes waxed arrogant before God and tore up the Tablet. He, verily, is
> accounted among the inmates of the nethermost fire.
> Was it in Pharaoh's power to stay the hand of God from exercising
> His sovereignty when he acted wantonly in the land and was of the
> transgressors? From within his own house and in spite of his will We
> brought forth Him Who conversed with God. Well able are We to achieve
> Our purpose. Recall, moreover, how Nimrod kindled the fire of impiety that
> its flames might consume Abraham, the Friend of God; We delivered Him,
> however, through the power of truth and seized Nimrod with the fury of Our
> wrath. Say: The Oppressor [Muhammad Sháh] put to death the Beloved of
> 
> the worlds to quench the light of God amongst the people and to debar them
> from the wellspring of life eternal in the days of thy Lord, the Gracious, the
> Most Bountiful.
> We, too, have revealed the Cause of God in His cities and raised
> aloft His remembrance amidst them that truly believe in Him. Say: This
> Youth hath come to quicken the world and unite all its peoples. The day is
> approaching when that which God hath purposed will have prevailed and
> thou shalt behold the earth transformed into the all-glorious paradise. Thus
> hath it been inscribed by the Pen of Revelation upon this weighty Tablet.49
> 
> HIS PRE-EXISTENCE50
> 
> In the Kitab-i-Aqdas, Bahá’u’lláh makes reference to His own
> pre-existence in passages of majestic and mystical import:
> 
> O Pen of the Most High! Move Thou upon the Tablet at the
> bidding of Thy Lord, the Creator of the Heavens, and tell of the time when
> He Who is the Dayspring of Divine Unity purposed to direct His steps
> towards the School of Transcendent Oneness; haply the pure in heart may
> gain thereby a glimpse, be it as small as a needle's eye, of the mysteries of
> Thy Lord, the Almighty, the Omniscient, that lie concealed behind the veils.
> Say: We, indeed, set foot within the School of inner meaning and
> explanation when all created things were unaware. We saw the words sent
> down by Him Who is the All-Merciful, and We accepted the verses of God,
> the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting, which He presented unto Us, and
> hearkened unto that which He had solemnly affirmed in the Tablet. This we
> assuredly did behold. And We assented to His wish through Our behest, for
> truly We are potent to command.51
> 
> O people of the Bayán! We, verily, set foot within the School of
> God when ye lay slumbering; and We perused the Tablet while ye were fast
> asleep. By the one true God! We read the Tablet ere it was revealed, while ye
> were unaware, and We had perfect knowledge of the Book when ye were yet
> unborn. These words are to your measure, not to God's. To this testifieth
> that which is enshrined within His knowledge, if ye be of
> them that comprehend; and to this the tongue of the Almighty doth bear
> witness, if ye be of those who understand. I swear by God, were We to lift
> the veil, ye would be dumbfounded.52
> Take heed that ye dispute not idly concerning the Almighty and
> His Cause, for lo! He [the Báb] hath appeared amongst you invested with a
> 
> Revelation so great as to encompass all things, whether of the past or of the
> future. Were We to address Our theme by speaking in the language of the
> inmates of the Kingdom, We would say: "In truth, God created that School
> ere He created heaven and earth, and We entered it before the letters B and
> E were joined and knit together." Such is the language of Our servants in
> Our Kingdom; consider what the tongue of the dwellers of Our exalted
> Dominion would utter, for We have taught them Our knowledge and have
> revealed to them whatever had lain hidden in God's wisdom. Imagine then
> what the Tongue of Might and Grandeur would utter in His All-Glorious
> Abode!53
> 
> HIS IDENTITY WITH THE BÁB
> 
> And when after the lapse of a few years the heaven of Divine decree
> was cleft asunder, and the Beauty of the Báb appeared in the clouds of the
> names of God, arrayed in a new raiment, these same people maliciously rose
> up against Him, Whose light embraceth all created things. They broke His
> Covenant, rejected His truth, contended with Him, caviled at His signs,
> treated His testimony as falsehood, and joined the company of the infidels.
> Eventually, they determined to take away His life. Such is the state of them
> who are in a far-gone error!54
> 
> 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.55
> 
> Say: O people of the Bayán! Did We not admonish you, in all
> Our Tablets and in all Our hidden Scriptures, not to follow your evil
> passions and corrupt inclinations, but to keep your eyes directed towards the
> Scene of transcendent glory, on the Day when the Most Mighty Balance
> shall be set, the Day when the sweet melodies of the Spirit of God shall be
> poured out from the right hand of the throne of your Lord, the omnipotent
> Protector, the All-Powerful, the Holy of Holies? Did We not forbid you to
> cleave to the things that would shut you out from the Manifestation of our
> Beauty, in its subsequent Revelation, be they the embodiments of the names
> of God and all their glory, or the revealers of His attributes and their
> dominion? Behold, how, as soon as I revealed Myself, ye have rejected My
> 
> truth and turned away from Me, and been of them that have regarded the
> signs of God as a play and pastime!
> By My Beauty! Nothing whatsoever shall, in this Day, be accepted
> from you, though ye continue to worship and prostrate yourselves before God
> throughout the eternity of His dominion. For all things are dependent upon
> His Will, and the worth of all acts is conditioned upon His acceptance and
> pleasure. The whole universe is but a handful of clay in His grasp. Unless
> one recognize God and love Him, his cry shall not be heard by God in this
> Day. This is of the essence of His Faith, did ye but know it.
> Will ye be content with that which is like the vapor in a plain, and
> be willing to forgo the Ocean Whose waters refresh, by virtue of the Will of
> God, the souls of men? Woe unto you, for having repaid the bounty of God
> with so vain and contemptible a thing! Ye are, indeed, of them that have
> rejected Me in My previous Revelation. Would that your hearts could
> comprehend!
> Arise, and, under the eyes of God, atone for your failures in duty
> towards Him. This is My commandment unto you, were ye to incline your
> ears unto My commandment. By Mine own Self! Neither the people of the
> Qur'án, nor the followers of either the Torah or the Evangel, nor those of
> any other Book, have committed that which your hands have wrought. I,
> Myself, have dedicated My whole life to the vindication of the truth of this
> Faith. I, Myself, have announced, in all My Tablets, the advent of His
> Revelation. And yet, no sooner did He manifest Himself, in His subsequent
> Revelation, clothed in the glory of Baha and arrayed in the robe of His
> grandeur, than ye rebelled against Him Who is the supreme Protector, the
> Self-Subsisting. Beware, O people! Be ye ashamed of that which hath
> befallen Me at your hands in the path of God. Take heed that ye be not of
> them that have rejected that which hath been sent down unto them from the
> Heaven of God's transcendent glory.56
> 
> Had the Primal Point been someone else beside Me as ye claim,
> and had attained My presence, verily He would have never allowed Himself
> to be separated from Me, but rather We would have had mutual delights
> with each other in My Days. He, in truth, wept sore in His remoteness from
> Me. He preceded Me that He might summon the people unto My Kingdom,
> as it hath been set forth in the Tablets, could ye but perceive it! O would that
> men of hearing might be found who could hear the voice of His lamentation
> in the Bayán bewailing that which hath befallen Me at the hands of these
> heedless souls, bemoaning His separation from Me and giving utterance to
> His longing to be united with Me, the Mighty, the Peerless. He, verily,
> 
> beholdeth at this very moment His Best-Beloved amidst those who were
> created to attain His Day and to prostrate themselves before Him, and yet
> who have inflicted in their tyranny such abasement upon Him as the pen
> confesseth its inability to describe.
> Say: O people! We, verily, summoned you, in Our former
> Revelation, unto this Scene of transcendent glory, this Seat of stainless
> sanctity, and announced unto you the advent of the Days of God. Yet, when
> the most great veil was rent asunder, and the Ancient Beauty came unto you
> in the clouds of God's decree, ye repudiated Him in Whom ye had believed
> aforetime.57
> 
> ON HIS STATION
> 
> Verily, He58 revealed certain laws59 so that, in this Dispensation60,
> the Pen of the Most High61 might have no need to move in aught but the
> glorification of His own transcendent Station and His most effulgent Beauty.
> Since, however, We have wished to evidence Our bounty unto you, We have,
> through the power of truth, set forth these laws with clarity and mitigated
> what We desire you to observe62. He, verily, is the Munificent, the Generous.
> He63 hath previously made known unto you that which would be
> uttered by this Dayspring of Divine wisdom. He said, and He speaketh the
> truth: "He64 is the One Who will under all conditions proclaim: 'Verily,
> there is none other God besides Me, the One, the Incomparable, the
> Omniscient, the All-Informed.'" This is a station which God hath assigned
> exclusively to this sublime, this unique and wondrous Revelation65. This is a
> token of His bounteous favour66, if ye be of them who comprehend, and a
> sign of His irresistible decree67. This is His Most Great Name68, His Most
> Exalted Word, and the Dayspring of His Most Excellent Titles, if ye could
> understand. Nay more, through Him every Fountainhead, every Dawningplace of Divine guidance69 is made manifest. Reflect, O people, on that which
> hath been sent down in truth; ponder thereon, and be not of the
> transgressors.70
> 
> CALL TO MIND HIS SUFFERINGS
> 
> O Ahmad! Forget not My bounties while I am absent. Remember
> My days during thy days, and My distress and banishment in this remote
> prison. And be thou so steadfast in My love that thy heart shall not waver,
> even if the swords of the enemies rain blows upon thee and all the heavens
> and the earth arise against thee.71
> 
> O My servant, who hast sought the good-pleasure of God and clung
> to His love on the Day when all except a few who were endued with insight
> have broken away from Him! May God, through His grace, recompense thee
> with a generous, an incorruptible and everlasting reward, inasmuch as thou
> hast sought Him on the Day when eyes were blinded. Know thou that if
> We reveal to thee but a sprinkling of the showers which, through God's
> decree, and at the hands of the envious and the malicious, have rained upon
> Us, thou wouldst weep with a great weeping, and wouldst bewail day and
> night Our plight. Oh, would that a discerning and fair-minded soul could be
> found who would recognize the wonders of this Revelation -- wonders that
> proclaim the sovereignty of God and the greatness of its power. Would that
> such a man might arise and, wholly for the sake of God, admonish, privately
> and openly, the people, that haply they may bestir themselves and aid this
> wronged One Whom the workers of iniquity have so sorely afflicted.72
> 
> We fain would hope that the people of the Bayán will be
> enlightened, will soar in the realm of the spirit and abide therein, will discern
> the Truth, and recognize with the eye of insight dissembling falsehood. In
> these days, however, such odours of jealousy are diffused, that -- I swear by
> the Educator of all beings, visible and invisible -- from the beginning of the
> foundation of the world -- though it hath no beginning -- until the present
> day, such malice, envy, and hate have in no wise appeared, nor will they ever
> be witnessed in the future. For a number of people who have never inhaled
> the fragrance of justice, have raised the standard of sedition, and have
> leagued themselves against Us. On every side We witness the menace of their
> spears, and in all directions We recognize the shafts of their arrows. This,
> although We have never gloried in any thing, nor did We seek preference
> over any soul. To everyone We have been a most kindly companion, a most
> forbearing and affectionate friend. In the company of the poor We have
> sought their fellowship, and amidst the exalted and learned We have been
> submissive and resigned. I swear by God, the one true God! grievous as have
> been the woes and sufferings which the hand of the enemy and the people of
> the Book inflicted upon Us, yet all these fade into utter nothingness when
> compared with that which hath befallen Us at the hand of those who profess
> to be Our friends.73
> 
> Know thou that if We reveal to thee but a sprinkling of the showers
> which, through God's decree, and at the hands of the envious and the
> malicious, have rained upon Us, thou wouldst weep with a great weeping,
> and wouldst bewail day and night Our plight. Oh, would that a discerning
> 
> and fair-minded soul could be found who would recognize the wonders of this
> Revelation -- wonders that proclaim the sovereignty of God and the greatness
> of its power. Would that such a man might arise and, wholly for the sake of
> God, admonish, privately and openly, the people, that haply they may bestir
> themselves and aid this wronged One Whom the workers of iniquity have so
> sorely afflicted.
> Methinks that I hear the Voice of the Holy Spirit calling from
> behind Me saying: Vary Thou Thy theme, and alter Thy tone, lest the heart
> of him who hath fixed his gaze upon Thy face be saddened. Say: I have
> through the grace of God and His might besought the help of no one in the
> past, neither will I seek the help of any one in the future. He it is Who
> aided Me, through the power of truth, during the days of My banishment in
> Iraq. He it is Who overshadowed Me with His protection at a time when
> the kindreds of the earth were contending with Me. He it is Who enabled
> Me to depart out of the city, clothed with such majesty as none, except the
> denier and the malicious, can fail to admit.
> Say: My army is My reliance on God; My people, the force of My
> confidence in Him. My love is My standard, and My companion the
> remembrance of God, the Sovereign Lord of all, the Most Powerful, the All-
> Glorious, the Unconditioned.74
> 
> Recall thou to mind My sorrows, My cares and anxieties, My woes
> and trials, the state of My captivity, the tears that I have shed, the bitterness
> of Mine anguish, and now My imprisonment in this far-off land. God, O
> Mustafa, beareth Me witness. Couldst thou be told what hath befallen the
> Ancient Beauty, thou wouldst flee into the wilderness, and weep with a great
> weeping. In thy grief, thou wouldst smite thyself on the head, and cry out as
> one stung by the sting of the adder. Be thou grateful to God, that We have
> refused to divulge unto thee the secrets of those unsearchable decrees that have
> been sent down unto Us from the heaven of the Will of thy Lord, the Most
> Powerful, the Almighty.
> By the righteousness of God! Every morning I arose from My bed,
> I discovered the hosts of countless afflictions massed behind My door; and
> every night when I lay down, lo! My heart was torn with agony at what it
> had suffered from the fiendish cruelty of its foes. With every piece of bread the
> Ancient Beauty breaketh is coupled the assault of a fresh affliction, and with
> every drop He drinketh is mixed the bitterness of the most woeful of trials.
> He is preceded in every step He taketh by an army of unforeseen calamities,
> while in His rear follow legions of agonizing sorrows.
> 
> Such is My plight, wert thou to ponder it in thine heart. Let not,
> however, thy soul grieve over that which God hath rained down upon Us.
> Merge thy will in His pleasure, for We have, at no time, desired anything
> whatsoever except His Will, and have welcomed each one of His irrevocable
> decrees. Let thine heart be patient, and be thou not dismayed. Follow not in
> the way of them that are sorely agitated.75
> 
> Say: Await ye till God will have changed His favor unto you.
> Nothing whatsoever escapeth Him. He knoweth the secrets both of the
> heavens and of the earth. His knowledge embraceth all things. Rejoice not in
> what ye have done, or will do in the future, nor delight in the tribulation
> with which ye have afflicted Us, for ye are unable by such means as these to
> exalt your stations, were ye to examine your works with acute discernment.
> Neither will ye be capable of detracting from the loftiness of Our state. Nay,
> God will add unto the recompense with which He shall reward Us, for
> having sustained with persevering patience the tribulations We have suffered.
> He, verily, shall increase the reward of them that endure with patience.
> Know ye that trials and tribulations have, from time immemorial,
> been the lot of the chosen Ones of God and His beloved, and such of His
> servants as are detached from all else but Him, they whom neither
> merchandise nor traffic beguile from the remembrance of the Almighty, they
> that speak not till He hath spoken, and act according to His
> commandment. Such is God's method carried into effect of old, and such will
> it remain in the future. Blessed are the steadfastly enduring, they that are
> patient under ills and hardships, who lament not over anything that befalleth
> them, and who tread the path of resignation....
> The day is approaching when God will have raised up a people who
> will call to remembrance Our days, who will tell the tale of Our trials, who
> will demand the restitution of Our rights from them that, without a tittle of
> evidence, have treated Us with manifest injustice. God, assuredly,
> dominateth the lives of them that wronged Us, and is well aware of their
> doings. He will, most certainly, lay hold on them for their sins. He, verily, is
> the fiercest of avengers.76
> 
> 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.77
> 
> If tribulation touch thee for My sake, call thou to mind My ills
> and troubles, and remember My banishment and imprisonment. Thus do
> We devolve on thee what hath descended upon Us from Him Who is the
> All-Glorious, the All-Wise.78
> 
> O Beauty of the All-Glorious! Shouldst Thou chance upon this
> people and enter their presence, recount unto them that which this Youth
> hath related unto Thee concerning Himself and the things that have befallen
> Him, that they may come to know what hath been inscribed upon the
> Preserved Tablet. Acquaint them with the tidings of this Youth, and with
> the trials and tribulations He hath suffered, that they may become mindful
> of Mine afflictions, and be of them that understand. Recount, then, unto
> them how We singled out for Our favour one of Our brothers, [Mírzá
> Yahyá] how We imparted unto him a dewdrop from the fathomless ocean of
> knowledge, clothed him with the garment of one of Our Names, and exalted
> him to such a station that all were moved to extol him, and how We so
> protected him from the harm of the malevolent as to disarm even the
> mightiest amongst them.
> We arose before the peoples of earth and heaven at a time when all
> had determined to slay us. While dwelling in their midst, We continually
> made mention of the Lord, celebrated His praise, and stood firm in His
> Cause, until at last the Word of God was vindicated amongst His creatures,
> His signs were spread abroad, His power exalted, and His sovereignty
> revealed in its full splendour. To this bear witness all His honoured servants.
> Yet when My brother beheld the rising fame of the Cause, he became filled
> with arrogance and pride. Thereupon he emerged from behind the veil of
> concealment, rose up against Me, disputed My verses, denied My testimony,
> and repudiated My signs. Nor would his hunger be appeased unless he were
> to devour My flesh and drink My blood. To this testify such of God's
> servants as have accompanied Him in His exile, and they that enjoy near
> access unto Him.
> To this end he conferred with one of My servants and sought to win
> him over to his own designs; whereupon the Lord despatched unto Mine
> assistance the hosts of the seen and the unseen, protected Me by the power of
> truth, and sent down upon Me that which thwarted his purpose. Thus were
> foiled the plots of those who disbelieve in the verses of the All-Merciful. They,
> truly, are a rejected people. When news spread of that which the promptings
> 
> of self had impelled My brother to attempt, and Our companions in exile
> learned of his nefarious design, the voice of their indignation and grief was
> lifted up and threatened to spread throughout the city. We forbade, however,
> such recriminations, and enjoined upon them patience, that they might be of
> those that endure steadfastly.
> By God, besides Whom is none other God! We withstood all these
> trials with forbearance, and enjoined upon God's servants to show forth
> patience and fortitude. Removing Ourself from their midst, We took up
> residence in another house, that perchance the flame of envy might be
> quenched in Our brother's breast, and that he might be guided aright. We
> neither opposed him, nor saw him again thereafter, but remained in Our
> home, placing Our hopes in the bounty of God, the Help in Peril, the Self-
> Subsisting. When, however, he realized that his deed had been exposed, he
> seized the pen of calumny and wrote unto the servants of God, attributing
> what he had himself committed unto Mine own peerless and wronged Beauty.
> His purpose was none other than to inspire mischief amongst God's servants,
> and to instil hatred into the hearts of those who had believed in God, the
> All-Glorious, the All-Loving.
> By the One in Whose hand is My soul! We were dismayed by his
> deceitfulness -- nay, bewildered were all things visible and invisible. Nor did
> he find respite from what he harboured in his bosom until he had committed
> that which no pen dare describe, and by which he disgraced the dignity of My
> station and profaned the sanctity of God, the Almighty, the All-Glorious,
> the All-Praised. Were God to turn all the oceans of the earth into ink and
> all created things into pens, they would not suffice Me to exhaust the record
> of his wrongdoings. Thus do We recount that which befell Us, that haply ye
> may be of them that understand.
> O Pen of Eternity! Grieve not at the things that have befallen
> Thee, for erelong shall God raise up a people who will see with their own eyes
> and will recall Thy tribulations. Withhold Thy pen from the mention of
> Thine enemies, and bestir it in the praise of the Eternal King. Renounce all
> created things, and quaff the sealed wine of My remembrance. Beware lest
> Thou become occupied with the mention of those from whom naught save the
> noisome savours of enmity can be perceived, those who are so enslaved by
> their lust for leadership that they would not hesitate to destroy themselves in
> their desire to emblazon their fame and perpetuate their names. God hath
> recorded such souls in the Preserved Tablet as mere worshippers of names.
> Recount then that which Thou hast purposed for this Temple, that its signs
> and tokens may be made manifest upon earth, and that the brightness of this
> Light may illumine the horizons of the world and cleanse the earth from the
> 
> defilement of those who have disbelieved in God. Thus have We set down the
> verses of God and made plain the matter unto those who understand.
> O Living Temple! Stretch forth Thy hand over all who are in
> heaven and on earth, and seize within the grasp of Thy Will the reins of
> command. We have, verily, placed in Thy right hand the empire of all
> things. Do as Thou willest, and fear not the ignorant. Reach out to the
> Tablet that hath dawned above the horizon of the pen of Thy Lord, and
> take hold of it with such strength that, through Thee, the hands of all who
> inhabit the earth may be enabled to lay fast hold upon it. This, in truth, is
> that which becometh Thee, if Thou be of those who understand. Through the
> upraising of Thy hand to the heaven of My grace, the hands of all created
> things shall be lifted up to their Lord, the Mighty, the Powerful, the
> Gracious. Erelong shall We raise up, through the aid of Thy hand, other
> hands endued with power, with strength and might, and shall establish
> through them Our dominion over all that dwell in the realms of revelation
> and creation. Thus will the servants of God recognize the truth that there is
> none other God beside Me, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. With
> these hands, moreover, We shall both bestow and withhold, though none can
> understand this save those who see with the eye of the spirit.79
> 
> Know ye that trials and tribulations have, from time immemorial,
> been the lot of the chosen Ones of God and His beloved, and such of His
> servants as are detached from all else but Him, they whom neither
> merchandise nor traffic beguile from the remembrance of the Almighty, they
> that speak not till He hath spoken, and act according to His
> commandment. Such is God's method carried into effect of old, and such will
> it remain in the future. Blessed are the steadfastly enduring, they that are
> patient under ills and hardships, who lament not over anything that befalleth
> them, and who tread the path of resignation.
> That which hath befallen Us hath been witnessed before. Ours is
> not the first goblet dashed to the ground in the lands of Islam, nor is this the
> first time that such schemers have intrigued against the beloved of the Lord.
> The tribulations We have sustained are like unto the trials endured
> aforetime by Imám Husayn. For he was approached by messengers from
> malicious and evil-hearted plotters, inviting him to come forth from the city;
> yet when he came unto them, accompanied by his kindred, they rose up
> against him with all their might, until at last they slew him, slaughtered his
> sons and his brothers, and took captive the remainder of his family. So did it
> come to pass in an earlier age, and God, verily, is a witness unto My words.
> 
> Of his lineage there survived none, whether young or old, save his son ‘Alí
> al-Awsat, known as Zaynu'l-'Abidin.
> Behold then, O heedless ones, how brightly the fire of the love of
> God blazed aforetime in the heart of Husayn, if ye be of them that ponder!
> So intense grew its flame that fervour and longing at last seized the reins of
> patience from his grasp, and the love of Him Who is the All-Compelling so
> enraptured his heart that he surrendered his soul, his spirit, his substance,
> and his all in the path of God, the Lord of the worlds. By God! Sweeter was
> this in his sight than the empire of earth and heaven. For the true lover
> desireth naught save reunion with his beloved and the seeker hath no goal
> but to attain unto the object of his quest. Their hearts long for reunion even
> as the body yearneth for the spirit, nay greater indeed is their longing, could
> ye but perceive it!
> Say: That same fire now blazeth in Mine own breast, and My
> wish is that this Husayn may lay down His life in like manner, in the hope
> of attaining unto so august and sublime a station, that station wherein the
> servant dieth to himself and liveth in God, the Almighty, the Exalted, the
> Great. Were I to disclose unto you the mysteries which God hath enshrined
> therein, ye would, of a truth, offer up your lives in His path, renounce your
> riches, and forsake all that ye possess, that ye might attain this transcendent
> and all-glorious station. God, however, hath veiled your hearts and obscured
> your eyes, lest ye should apprehend His mysteries and be made aware of their
> meaning.
> Say: The sincere soul longeth for nearness to God even as the
> suckling babe yearneth for its mother's breast, nay more ardent is his
> longing, could ye but know it! Again, his longing is even as the panting of
> one sore athirst after the living waters of grace, or the yearning of the sinner
> for forgiveness and mercy. Thus do We expound unto you the mysteries of
> the Cause, and impart unto you what shall render you independent of all
> that hath so far occupied you, that perchance ye may enter the Court of
> Holiness within this exalted Paradise. I swear by God! Whoso entereth
> therein shall never abandon its precincts, and whoso gazeth thereon shall
> never turn away therefrom, even should the swords of infidels and deniers
> rain blows upon him. Thus have We related unto you that which befell
> Husayn, and We beseech God that He may destine for Us that which He
> had decreed for him. He, verily, is the Most Generous, the All-Bountiful.
> By the righteousness of God! Through his deed the fragrances of
> holiness were wafted over all things, the proof of God was perfected, and His
> testimony made manifest to all men. And after him God raised up a people
> who avenged his death, who slew his enemies, and who wept over him at
> 
> dawn and at eventide. Say: God hath pledged in His Book to lay hold upon
> every oppressor for his tyranny, and to uproot the stirrers of mischief. Know
> ye that such holy deeds exert, in themselves, a great influence upon the world
> of being -- an influence which is, however, inscrutable to all save those whose
> eyes have been opened by God, whose hearts He hath freed from obscuring
> veils, and whose souls He hath guided aright.
> The day is approaching when God will have raised up a people who
> will call to remembrance Our days, who will tell the tale of Our trials, who
> will demand the restitution of Our rights from them that, without a tittle of
> evidence, have treated Us with manifest injustice. God, assuredly,
> dominateth the lives of them that wronged Us, and is well aware of their
> doings. He will, most certainly, lay hold on them for their sins. He, verily, is
> the fiercest of avengers.
> Thus have We recounted unto you the tales of the one true God,
> and sent down unto you the things He had preordained, that haply ye may
> ask forgiveness of Him, may return unto Him, may truly repent, may
> realize your misdeeds, may shake off your slumber, may be roused from your
> heedlessness, may atone for the things that have escaped you, and be of them
> that do good. Let him who will, acknowledge the truth of My words; and as
> to him that willeth not, let him turn aside. My sole duty is to remind you of
> your failure in duty towards the Cause of God, if perchance ye may be of
> them that heed My warning. Wherefore, hearken ye unto My speech, and
> return ye to God and repent, that He, through His grace, may have mercy
> upon you, may wash away your sins, and forgive your trespasses. The
> greatness of His mercy surpasseth the fury of His wrath, and His grace
> encompasseth all who have been called into being and been clothed with the
> robe of life, be they of the past or of the future.80
> 
> As My tribulations multiplied, so did My love for God and for
> His Cause increase, in such wise that all that befell Me from the hosts of the
> wayward was powerless to deter Me from My purpose. Should they hide Me
> away in the depths of the earth, yet would they find Me riding aloft on the
> clouds, and calling out unto God, the Lord of strength and of might. I have
> offered Myself up in the way of God, and I yearn after tribulations in My
> love for Him, and for the sake of His good pleasure. Unto this bear witness
> the woes which now afflict Me, the like of which no other man hath suffered.
> Every single hair of Mine head calleth out that which the Burning Bush
> uttered on Sinai, and each vein of My body invoketh God and saith: "O
> would I had been severed in Thy path, so that the world might be quickened,
> 
> and all its peoples be united!" Thus hath it been decreed by Him Who is the
> All-Knowing, the All-Informed.81
> 
> 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!
> The shame I was made to bear hath uncovered the glory with which the
> whole of creation had been invested, and through the cruelties I have endured,
> the Day Star of Justice hath manifested itself, and shed its splendor upon
> men.
> My sorrows are for those who have involved themselves in their
> corrupt passions, and claim to be associated with the Faith of God, the
> Gracious, the All-Praised.
> It behoveth the people of Baha to die to the world and all that is
> therein, to be so detached from all earthly things that the inmates of Paradise
> may inhale from their garment the sweet smelling savor of sanctity, that all
> the peoples of the earth may recognize in their faces the brightness of the All-
> Merciful, and that through them may be spread abroad the signs and tokens
> of God, the Almighty, the All-Wise. They that have tarnished the fair
> name of the Cause of God, by following the things of the flesh -- these are in
> palpable error!82
> 
> Though the fierce winds of the hatred of the wicked doers blew and
> beat on this Lamp, He was, at no time, in His love for Thy beauty,
> hindered from shedding the fragrance of His light. As the transgressions
> committed against Thee waxed greater and greater, my eagerness to reveal
> Thy Cause correspondingly increased, and as the tribulations deepened --
> and to this Thy glory beareth me witness -- a fuller measure of Thy
> sovereignty and of Thy power was vouchsafed by me unto Thy creatures.83
> 
> Though -- as Thou beholdest me, O my God -- I be dwelling in a
> place within whose walls no voice can be heard except the sound of the echo,
> though all the gates of ease and comfort be shut against us, and thick
> darkness appear to have compassed us on every side, yet my soul hath been
> so inflamed by its love for Thee, that nothing whatsoever can either quench
> the fire of its love or abate the consuming flame of its desire. Lifting up its
> voice, it crieth aloud amidst Thy servants, and calleth them, at all times and
> under all conditions, unto Thee.84
> 
> But for the troubles that touch me in Thy path, O my God, how
> else could my heart rejoice in Thy days; and were it not for the blood which is
> shed for love of Thee, what else could tinge the faces of Thy chosen ones before
> the eyes of Thy creatures? I swear by Thy might! The ornament that
> adorneth the countenance of Thy dear ones is the blood which, in their love
> for Thee, floweth out of their foreheads over their faces.
> Thou beholdest, O my God, how every bone in my body soundeth
> like a pipe with the music of Thine inspiration, revealing the signs of Thy
> oneness and the clear tokens of Thy unity. I entreat Thee, O my God, by
> Thy Name which irradiateth all things, to raise up such servants as shall
> incline their ears to the voice of the melodies that hath ascended from the
> right hand of the throne of Thy glory. Make them, then, to quaff from the
> hand of Thy grace the wine of Thy mercy, that it may assure their hearts,
> and cause them to turn away from the left hand of idle fancies and vain
> imaginings to the right hand of confidence and certitude.85
> 
> The one true God well knoweth, and all the company of His
> trusted ones testify, that this Wronged One hath, at all times, been faced
> with dire peril. But for the tribulations that have touched Me in the path of
> God, life would have held no sweetness for Me, and My existence would
> have profited Me nothing. For them who are endued with discernment, and
> whose eyes are fixed upon the Sublime Vision, it is no secret that I have
> been, most of the days of My life, even as a slave, sitting under a sword
> hanging on a thread, knowing not whether it would fall soon or late upon
> him. And yet, notwithstanding all this We render thanks unto God, the
> Lord of the worlds. Mine inner tongue reciteth, in the daytime and in the
> night-season, this prayer: "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? Thy might
> beareth Me witness! The companions of all who adore Thee are the tears they
> shed, and the comforters of such as seek Thee are the groans they utter, and
> the food of them who haste to meet Thee is the fragments of their broken
> hearts. How sweet to my taste is the bitterness of death suffered in Thy path,
> and how precious in my estimation are the shafts of Thine enemies when
> encountered for the sake of the exaltation of Thy Word! Let me quaff in
> Thy Cause, O my God and my Master, whatsoever Thou didst desire, and
> send down upon me in Thy love all Thou didst ordain. By Thy glory! I wish
> only what Thou wishest, and cherish what Thou cherishest. In Thee have I,
> at all times, placed My whole trust and confidence. Thou art verily the All-
> 
> Possessing, the Most High. Raise up, I implore Thee, O my God, as helpers
> to this Revelation such as shall be counted worthy of Thy Name and of Thy
> sovereignty, that they may remember Thee among Thy creatures, and hoist
> the ensigns of Thy victory in Thy land, and adorn them with Thy virtues
> and Thy commandments. No God is there but Thee, the Help in Peril, the
> Self-Subsisting."86
> 
> All praise be to Thee, O my God! Thou beholdest my helplessness
> and poverty, and bearest witness unto my woes and trials. How long wilt
> Thou abandon me among Thy servants? Suffer me to ascend into Thy
> presence. The power of Thy might beareth me witness! Such are the
> tribulations with which I am encompassed that I am powerless to recount
> them before Thy face. Thou, alone, verily, hast through Thy knowledge
> reckoned them.
> I beseech Thee, O Thou Who art my Companion in my lowliness,
> to rain down upon Thy loved ones from the clouds of Thy mercy that which
> will cause them to be satisfied with Thy pleasure, and will enable them to
> turn unto Thee and to be detached from all else except Thee. Ordain, then,
> for them every good conceived by Thee and predestined in Thy Book. Thou
> art, verily, the All-Powerful, He Whom nothing whatsoever can frustrate.
> From everlasting Thou hast been clothed with transcendent greatness and
> power, with unspeakable majesty and glory. There is no God beside Thee,
> the Almighty, the All-Glorious, the Ever-Forgiving.87
> 
> Glorified art Thou, O my God! Thou knowest that in my love for
> Thee I have not sought any rest, that in proclaiming Thy Cause I have
> denied myself every manner of tranquillity, and that in the observance of
> whatever Thou hast prescribed in Thy Tablets I have not delayed to do Thy
> bidding. I have, for this reason, suffered what no man among all the
> inhabitants of Thy realm hath suffered.
> Thy glory beareth me witness! Nothing whatsoever can withhold me
> from remembering Thee, though all the tribulations of the earth were to
> assault me from every direction. All the limbs and members of my body
> proclaim their readiness to be torn asunder in Thy path and for the sake of
> Thy pleasure, and they yearn to be scattered in the dust before Thee. O
> would that they who serve Thee could taste what I have tasted of the
> sweetness of Thy love!88
> 
> I give Thee thanks, O my God, for that Thou hast made me to be
> a target for the darts of Thine adverSaríes in Thy path. I offer Thee most
> 
> high praise, O Thou Who art the Knower of the seen and unseen and the
> Lord of all being, that Thou hast suffered me to be cast into prison for love
> of Thee, and caused me to quaff the cup of woe, that I may reveal Thy Cause
> and glorify Thy word.
> Which of my tribulations am I to recount before Thy face, O my
> Lord? Am I to recite before Thee what in days of old befell me at the hands
> of the workers of iniquity among Thy creatures, or to describe the vexations
> which have compassed me about in these days for the sake of Thy good
> pleasure?
> Thanks be to Thee, O Thou the Lord of all names; and glory be to
> Thee, O Maker of the heavens, for all that I have sustained in these days at
> the hands of such of Thy servants as have transgressed against Thee, and of
> Thy people that have dealt frowardly towards Thee.
> Number us, we implore Thee, with them who have stood fast in
> Thy Cause until their souls finally winged their flight unto the heaven of Thy
> grace and the atmosphere of Thy loving-kindness. Thou art, verily, the Ever-
> Forgiving, the Most Merciful.89
> 
> Glorified art Thou, O my Lord! Thou beholdest my tribulations
> and all that hath befallen me at the hands of such of Thy servants as keep
> company with me, who have disbelieved in Thy most resplendent signs, and
> turned back from Thy most effulgent Beauty. I swear by Thy glory! Such are
> the troubles that vex me, that no pen in the entire creation can either reckon
> or describe them.
> I implore Thee, O Thou Who art the King of names and the
> Creator of earth and heaven, so to assist me by Thy strengthening grace that
> nothing whatsoever will have the power to hinder me from remembering Thee,
> or celebrating Thy praise, or to keep me back from observing what Thou
> hast prescribed unto me in Thy Tablets, that I may so arise to serve Thee
> that with bared head I will hasten forth from my habitation, cry out in Thy
> name amidst Thy creatures, and proclaim Thy virtues among Thy servants.
> Having accomplished what Thou hadst decreed, and delivered the thing
> Thou hadst written down, the wicked doers among Thy people would, then,
> compass me about and would do with me in Thy path as would please them.
> In the love I bear to Thee, O my Lord, my heart longeth for Thee
> with a longing such as no heart hath known. Here am I with my body
> between Thy hands, and my spirit before Thy face. Do with them as it may
> please Thee, for the exaltation of Thy word, and the revelation of what hath
> been enshrined within the treasuries of Thy knowledge.90
> 
> HE CONSENTED TO SUFFER FOR OUR SAKE
> 
> Say: Still your pens, O concourse of divines, for lo, the shrill voice
> of the Pen of Glory hath been lifted up between earth and heaven. Cast away
> all that ye possess and take fast hold of that which We have revealed unto
> you with power and authority. The Hour that was concealed within the
> knowledge of God hath struck, whereupon all the atoms of the earth have
> proclaimed: "The Ancient of Days is come in His great glory! Hasten unto
> Him, O peoples of the earth, with humble and contrite hearts." Say: We, in
> truth, have given Ourself as a ransom for your own lives. Alas, when We
> came once again, We beheld you fleeing from Us, whereat the eye of My
> loving-kindness wept sore over My people. Fear God, O ye that perceive.91
> 
> Thus doth the Pen of the Most High warble unto thee its melodies
> by the leave of thy Lord, the All-Glorious. When thou hast heard and
> recited them, say: "Praise be unto Thee, O Lord of all the worlds, inasmuch
> as Thou hast made mention of me through the tongue of Him Who is the
> Manifestation of Thy Self at a time when He was confined in the Most
> Great Prison, that the whole world might attain unto true liberty."92
> 
> That which thou hast heard concerning Abraham, the Friend of
> the All-Merciful, is the truth, and no doubt is there about it. The Voice of
> God commanded Him to offer up Ishmael as a sacrifice, so that His
> steadfastness in the Faith of God and His detachment from all else but
> Him may be demonstrated unto men. The purpose of God, moreover, was to
> sacrifice him as a ransom for the sins and iniquities of all the peoples of the
> earth. This same honor, Jesus, the Son of Mary, besought the one true God,
> exalted be His name and glory, to confer upon Him. For the same reason
> was Husayn offered up as a sacrifice by Muhammad, the Apostle of God.
> No man can ever claim to have comprehended the nature of the
> hidden and manifold grace of God; none can fathom His all-embracing
> mercy. Such hath been the perversity of men and their transgressions, so
> grievous have been the trials that have afflicted the Prophets of God and
> their chosen ones, that all mankind deserveth to be tormented and to perish.
> God's hidden and most loving providence, however, hath, through both
> visible and invisible agencies, protected and will continue to protect it from
> the penalty of its wickedness. Ponder this in thine heart, that the truth may
> be revealed unto thee, and be thou steadfast in His path.93
> 
> The Ancient Beauty hath consented to be bound with chains that
> mankind may be released from its bondage, and hath accepted to be made a
> prisoner within this most mighty Stronghold that the whole world may attain
> unto true liberty. He hath drained to its dregs the cup of sorrow, that all the
> peoples of the earth may attain unto abiding joy, and be filled with gladness.
> This is of the mercy of your Lord, the Compassionate, the Most Merciful.
> We have accepted to be abased, O believers in the Unity of God, that ye may
> be exalted, and have suffered manifold afflictions, that ye might prosper and
> flourish. He Who hath come to build anew the whole world, behold, how
> they that have joined partners with God have forced Him to dwell within the
> most desolate of cities!94
> 
> It is Our wish and desire that every one of you may become a source
> of all goodness unto men, and an example of uprightness to mankind.
> Beware lest ye prefer yourselves above your neighbors. Fix your gaze upon
> Him Who is the Temple of God amongst men. He, in truth, hath offered up
> His life as a ransom for the redemption of the world. He, verily, is the All-
> Bountiful, the Gracious, the Most High. If any differences arise amongst
> you, behold Me standing before your face, and overlook the faults of one
> another for My name's sake and as a token of your love for My manifest
> and resplendent Cause. We love to see you at all times consorting in amity
> and concord within the paradise of My good-pleasure, and to inhale from
> your acts the fragrance of friendliness and unity, of loving-kindness and
> fellowship. Thus counselleth you the All-Knowing, the Faithful. We shall
> always be with you; if We inhale the perfume of your fellowship, Our heart
> will assuredly rejoice, for naught else can satisfy Us. To this beareth witness
> every man of true understanding.95
> Praised be Thou, O my God! Thou seest me shut up in this
> Prison, and art well aware that I have entered it solely for Thy sake and for
> the sake of the glorification of Thy word and the proclamation of Thy Cause.
> I cry out to Thee, this very moment, O Thou Who art the Lord of all
> worlds, beseeching Thee, by Thine undoubted Name, to attract the hearts of
> Thy servants unto the Day-Spring of Thy most excellent titles and the
> Dawning-Place of Thy most resplendent signs.96
> 
> OVERVIEW OF HIS EXILES
> 
> Imagine thyself to be under the eye of God, O Minister! If thou
> seest Him not, He, in truth, clearly seeth thee. Observe, and judge fairly
> Our Cause. What is it that We have committed that could have induced
> 
> thee to rise up against Us, and to slander Us to the people, if thou be of
> them who are just? We departed out of Tihrán, at the bidding of the King,
> and, by his leave, transferred Our residence to Iraq. If I had transgressed
> against him, why, then, did he release Me? And if I were innocent of guilt,
> wherefore did ye afflict Us with such tribulation as none among them that
> profess your faith hath suffered? Hath any of Mine acts, after Mine arrival
> in Iraq, been such as to subvert the authority of the government? Who is it
> that can be said to have detected any thing reprehensible in Our behavior?
> Enquire for thyself of its people, that thou mayest be of them who have
> discerned the truth.
> For eleven years We dwelt in that land, until the Minister
> representing thy government arrived, whose name Our pen is loth to mention,
> who was given to wine, who followed his lusts, and committed wickedness,
> and was corrupt and corrupted Iraq. To this will bear witness most of the
> inhabitants of Baghdád, wert thou to inquire of them, and be of such as seek
> the truth. He it was who wrongfully seized the substance of his fellow-men,
> who forsook all the commandments of God, and perpetrated whatever God
> had forbidden. Eventually, he, following his desires, rose up against Us, and
> walked in the ways of the unjust. He accused Us, in his letter to thee, and
> thou didst believe him and followed in his way, without seeking any proof or
> trustworthy evidence from him. Thou didst ask for no explanation, nor didst
> thou attempt either to investigate or ascertain the matter, that the truth
> might be distinguished from falsehood in thy sight, and that thou mightest be
> clear in thy discernment. Find out for thyself the sort of man he was by
> asking those Ministers who were, at that time, in Iraq, as well as the
> Governor of the City (Baghdád) and its high Counsellor, that the truth may
> be revealed to thee, and that thou mayest be of the well-informed.
> God is Our witness! We have, under no circumstances, opposed
> either him, or others. We observed, under all conditions, the precepts of God,
> and were never one of those that wrought disorders. To this he himself doth
> testify. His intention was to lay hold on Us, and send Us back to Persia,
> that he might thereby exalt his fame and reputation. Thou hast committed
> the same crime, and for the self-same purpose. Ye both are of equal grade in
> the sight of God, the sovereign Lord of all, the All-Knowing.97
> 
> O King! We were in 'Iraq, when the hour of parting arrived. At
> the bidding of the King of Islam [The Sultán of Turkey] We set Our steps
> in his direction. Upon Our arrival, there befell Us at the hands of the
> malicious that which the books of the world can never adequately recount.
> Thereupon the inmates of Paradise, and they that dwell within the retreats of
> 
> holiness, lamented; and yet the people are wrapped in a thick veil! Say: Do
> ye cavil at Him Who hath come unto you bearing the clear evidence of God
> and His proof, the testimony of God and His signs? These things are not
> from Himself; nay, rather they proceed from the One Who hath raised Him
> up, sent Him forth through the power of truth, and made Him to be a lamp
> unto all mankind.
> More grievous became Our plight from day to day, nay, from hour
> to hour, until they took Us forth from Our prison and made Us, with
> glaring injustice, enter the Most Great Prison. And if anyone ask them:
> "For what crime were they imprisoned?", they would answer and say:
> "They, verily, sought to supplant the Faith with a new religion!" If that
> which is ancient be what ye prefer, wherefore, then, have ye discarded that
> which hath been set down in the Torah and the Evangel? Clear it up, O
> men! By My life! There is no place for you to flee to in this day. If this be
> My crime, then Muhammad, the Apostle of God, committed it before Me,
> and before Him He Who was the Spirit of God, and yet earlier He Who
> conversed with God. And if My sin be this, that I have exalted the Word of
> God and revealed His Cause, then indeed am I the greatest of sinners! Such
> a sin I will not barter for the kingdoms of earth and heaven.
> Upon Our arrival at this Prison, We purposed to transmit to the
> kings the messages of their Lord, the Mighty, the All-Praised. Though We
> have transmitted to them, in several Tablets, that which We were
> commanded, yet We do it once again as a token of God's grace. Perchance
> they may recognize the Lord, Who hath come down in the clouds with
> manifest sovereignty.98
> 
> WHERE AND WHEN
> HIS BIRTH AS MÍRZÁ HUSAYN ‘ALĺ
> (November 12, 1817)
> 
> All Feasts have attained their consummation in the two Most
> Great Festivals, and in the two other Festivals that fall on the twin days --
> the first of the Most Great Festivals being those days whereon the All-
> Merciful shed upon the whole of creation the effulgent glory of His most
> excellent Names and His most exalted Attributes, and the second being
> that day on which We raised up the One Who announced unto mankind
> the glad tidings of this Name, through which the dead have been resurrected
> and all who are in the heavens and on earth have been gathered together.
> Thus hath it been decreed by Him Who is the Ordainer, the Omniscient99.
> 
> The Birth of the Abha Beauty was at the hour of dawn on the
> second day of the month of Muharram, the first day of which marketh the
> Birth of His Herald. These two days are accounted as one in the sight of
> God.100
> 
> Let nothing grieve thee, O Land of Ta, for God hath chosen thee to
> be the source of the joy of all mankind. He shall, if it be His Will, bless thy
> throne with one who will rule with justice, who will gather together the flock
> of God which the wolves have scattered. Such a ruler will, with joy and
> gladness, turn his face towards, and extend his favours unto, the people of
> Baha. He indeed is accounted in the sight of God as a jewel among men.
> Upon him rest forever the glory of God and the glory of all that dwell in the
> kingdom of His revelation.
> Rejoice with great joy, for God hath made thee "the Dayspring of
> His light", inasmuch as within thee was born the Manifestation of His
> Glory. Be thou glad for this name that hath been conferred upon thee – a
> name through which the Day-Star of grace hath shed its splendour, through
> which both earth and heaven have been illumined.101
> 
> All Feasts have attained their consummation in the two Most
> Great Festivals, and in the two other Festivals that fall on the twin days --
> the first of the Most Great Festivals being those days whereon the All-
> Merciful shed upon the whole of creation the effulgent glory of His most
> excellent Names and His most exalted Attributes, and the second being
> that day on which We raised up the One Who announced unto mankind
> 
> the glad tidings of this Name, through which the dead have been resurrected
> and all who are in the heavens and on earth have been gathered together.
> Thus hath it been decreed by Him Who is the Ordainer, the Omniscient.102
> 
> All feasts have attained their consummation in the two Most Great
> Festivals, and in two other Festivals that fall on the twin days -- the first of
> the Most Great Festivals being those days whereon God shed the effulgent
> glory of His most excellent Names upon all who are in heaven and on earth,
> and the second being that day on which We raised up the One Who
> announced unto the people the glad tidings of this Great Announcement.
> Thus hath it been set down in the Book by Him Who is the Mighty, the
> Powerful. On other than these four consummate days, engage ye in your daily
> occupations, and withhold yourselves not from the pursuit of your trades and
> crafts. Thus hath the command been issued and the law gone forth from
> Him Who is your Lord, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.103
> 
> Ever since the day Thou didst create me at Thy bidding, O my
> God, and didst arouse me through the gentle winds of Thy tender mercies, I
> have refused to turn to any one except Thee, and have, through the power of
> Thy sovereignty and Thy might, arisen to face Thine enemies, and have
> summoned all mankind unto the shores of the ocean of Thy oneness and the
> heaven of Thine all-glorious unity. I have sought, all my days, not to guard
> myself from the mischief of the rebellious among Thy creatures, but rather to
> exalt Thy name amidst Thy people. I have, thereby, suffered what none of
> Thy creatures hath suffered.
> How many the days, O my God, which I have spent in utter
> loneliness with the transgressors amongst Thy servants, and how many the
> nights, O my Best-Beloved, during which I lay a captive in the hands of the
> wayward amidst Thy creatures! In the midst of my troubles and tribulations
> I have continued to celebrate Thy praise before all who are in Thy heaven
> and on Thy earth, and have not ceased to extol Thy wondrous glory in the
> kingdoms of Thy Revelation and of Thy creation, though all that I have
> been capable of showing forth hath fallen short of the greatness and the
> majesty of Thy oneness, and is unworthy of Thine exaltation and of Thine
> omnipotence.
> I swear by Thy glory, O Thou Who art the one alone Beloved! I
> find myself to be only nothing before the habitation of Thy great glory. Every
> time I attempt to extol any one of Thy virtues, my heart restraineth me, for
> naught but Thee is able to soar into the atmosphere of the kingdom of Thy
> nearness, or reach up to the heaven of Thy presence.
> 
> Thy might beareth me witness! I am well aware that were I to bow
> myself before a handful of dust, from now until the end that hath no end, in
> acknowledgment of its relationship to Thy name, the Fashioner, I would still
> find myself far removed from that dust, and incapable of approaching it, and
> would discover that such an adoration can in no wise befit it, nor transcend
> the limitations to which I myself have been subjected. And were I to arise to
> serve one of Thy servants, and to wait at his door so long as Thine own
> kingdom endureth and Thine omnipotence will last, as a sign of my
> acknowledgment of the tie that bindeth him to Thy name, the Creator, I
> would, likewise, -- and to this Thy glory beareth me witness -- have to
> confess my complete failure to do him adequate service, and my deprivation of
> what can truly befit his station. And this for the reason that I recognize in
> them naught else except the bond that bindeth them to Thy names and
> Thine attributes. How can, then, such a man succeed in befittingly extolling
> the One through a motion of Whose finger all the names and their kingdom
> were called into being, and all the attributes and their dominion were created,
> and Who, through yet another motion of that same finger, hath united the
> letters B and E (Be) and knit them together, manifesting thereby what the
> highest thoughts of Thy chosen ones who enjoy near access to Thee are unable
> to grasp, and what the profoundest wisdom of those of Thy loved ones that
> are wholly devoted to Thee are powerless to fathom.
> I swear by Thy glory, O Beloved of my soul! I am bewildered when
> I contemplate the tokens of Thy handiwork, and the evidences of Thy might,
> and find myself completely unable to unravel the mystery of the least of Thy
> signs, how much more to apprehend Thine own Self. I beseech Thee,
> therefore, O my God, by Thy Name through which Thou hast caused all
> such as love Thee to soar in the atmosphere of Thy will, and hast guided all
> them that yearn after Thee into the Paradise of Thy nearness and Thy
> presence, to waft from the heaven of Thy loving-kindness the fragrance of
> certainty upon the needy among Thy loved ones, in these days when the
> tempests of trials have compassed them on every side, and so grievously
> assailed them that the souls of men have been troubled and the foundations
> of all beings have trembled at what hath been sent down unto them from the
> heaven of Thine irrevocable Purpose. They were so shaken that the lamp of
> their love for Thee and of their remembrance of Thee was ready to be
> extinguished in the recess of their hearts. Powerful art Thou to do what
> pleaseth Thee. Thou, in truth, art the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Generous.
> Thou givest ear, O my God and my Master, to the sighing of them
> that are dear to Thee, and hearest from all sides their cry, by reason of what
> hath befallen them at the hands of those whose hearts have been deprived of
> 
> the sweet savors of Thy love. There is none either to befriend or to succor
> them, nor can anything deter their enemies from harming them.
> Unrestrained, they do what they wish, and deal with them as they
> please.Give, therefore, O my Lord, the wonders of Thine aid to Thy loved
> ones, who have sought no helper except Thee, and have turned to none save
> Thyself, and whose eyes have expectantly awaited to behold the wonders of
> Thy favors and Thy gifts. Have pity, then, upon them, O my God, through
> the incomparable tokens of Thy mercy, and shelter them within the
> stronghold of Thy protection and Thy loving-kindness. Thou art the One, O
> my Lord, Who from everlasting hath been the Refuge of the fearful, and the
> Haven of the needy. Withhold not, I beseech Thee, from these feeble creatures
> the matchless tokens of Thy bounteousness and generosity, and leave them
> not to the mercy of them whose essence hath been solely created of the fire of
> Thy wrath and of Thine anger, and who have never discovered the fragrance
> of compassion and equity, and who have been so deluded by the deceitfulness
> of the world that they have denied Thy proof, and joined partners with Thee,
> and repudiated Thy signs, and shed the blood of those who are dear to Thee,
> and have been trusted by Thee. I swear by Thy might, O my Beloved! They
> have committed what no man before them hath committed, and have thereby
> deserved Thy wrath and the scourge of Thine anger. Lay hold on them by the
> power of Thy sovereignty, and set over them such as will have no mercy upon
> them, unless they return unto Thee, and enter beneath the shadow of Thy
> loving-kindness, and are forgiven by Thee. Thou hast from everlasting been
> supreme over all things, and wilt unto everlasting remain the same. Thou,
> truly, art the Almighty, the Most Exalted, the Equitable, the All-Wise.104
> 
> HIS CHILDHOOD
> (1817-1835)
> 
> O contending peoples and kindreds of the earth! Set your faces
> towards unity, and let the radiance of its light shine upon you. Gather ye
> together, and for the sake of God resolve to root out whatever is the source of
> contention amongst you. Then will the effulgence of the world's great
> Luminary envelop the whole earth, and its inhabitants become the citizens of
> one city, and the occupants of one and the same throne. This wronged One
> hath, ever since the early days of His life, cherished none other desire but
> this, and will continue to entertain no wish except this wish.105
> When I was still a child and had not yet attained the age of
> maturity, My father made arrangements in Tihrán for the marriage of one of
> My older brothers, and as is customary in that city, the festivities lasted for
> 
> seven days and seven nights. On the last day it was announced that the play
> "Sháh Sultán Salím" would be presented. A large number of princes,
> dignitaries, and notables of the capital gathered for the occasion. I was sitting
> in one of the upper rooms of the building and observing the scene. Presently a
> tent was pitched in the courtyard, and before long some small human-like
> figures, each appearing to be no more than about a hand's span in height,
> were seen to emerge from it and raise the call: "His Majesty is coming!
> Arrange the seats at once!" Other figures then came forth, some of whom
> were seen to be engaged in sweeping, others in sprinkling water, and
> thereafter another, who was announced as the chief town crier, raised his call
> and bade the people assemble for an audience with the king. Next, several
> groups of figures made their appearance and took their places, the first
> attired in hats and sashes after the Persian fashion, the second wielding
> battleaxes, and the third comprising a number of footmen and executioners
> carrying bastinados. Finally there appeared, arrayed in regal majesty and
> crowned with a royal diadem, a kingly figure, bearing himself with the
> utmost haughtiness and grandeur, at turns advancing and pausing in his
> progress, who proceeded with great solemnity, poise and dignity to seat
> himself upon his throne.
> At that moment a volley of shots was fired, a fanfare of trumpets
> was sounded, and king and tent were enveloped in a pall of smoke. When it
> had cleared, the king, ensconced upon his throne, was seen surrounded by a
> suite of ministers, princes, and dignitaries of state who, having taken their
> places, were standing at attention in his presence. A captured thief was then
> brought before the king, who gave the order that the offender should be
> beheaded. Without a moment's delay the chief executioner cut off the thief's
> head, whence a blood-like liquid came forth. After this the king held
> audience with his court, during which intelligence was received that a
> rebellion had broken out on a certain frontier. Thereupon the king reviewed
> his troops and despatched several regiments supported by artillery to quell the
> uprising. A few moments later cannons were heard booming from behind the
> tent, and it was announced that a battle had been engaged.
> This Youth regarded the scene with great amazement. When the
> royal audience was ended, the curtain was drawn, and, after some twenty
> minutes, a man emerged from behind the tent carrying a box under his arm.
> "What is this box," I asked him, "and what was the nature of
> this display?"
> "All this lavish display and these elaborate devices," he replied,
> "the king, the princes, and the ministers, their pomp and glory, their might
> and power, everything you saw, are now contained within this box."
> 
> I swear by My Lord Who, through a single word of His Mouth,
> hath brought into being all created things! Ever since that day, all the
> trappings of the world have seemed in the eyes of this Youth akin to that
> same spectacle. They have never been, nor will they ever be, of any weight and
> consequence, be it to the extent of a grain of mustard seed. How greatly I
> marveled that men should pride themselves upon such vanities, whilst those
> possessed of insight, ere they witness any evidence of human glory, perceive
> with certainty the inevitability of its waning. "Never have I looked upon any
> thing save that I have seen extinction before it; and God, verily, is a
> sufficient witness!"106
> 
> HIS ADULT LIFE IN TIHRÁN
> (1835-1853)
> 
> God witnesseth that there is no God but Him, the Gracious, the
> Best-Beloved. All grace and bounty are His. To whomsoever He will He
> giveth whatsoever is His wish. He, verily, is the All-Powerful, the Almighty,
> the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. We, verily, believe in Him Who, in
> the person of the Báb, hath been sent down by the Will of the one true God,
> the King of Kings, the All-Praised. We, moreover, swear fealty to the One
> Who, in the time of Mustaghath, is destined to be made manifest, as well as
> to those Who shall come after Him till the end that hath no end. We
> recognize in the manifestation of each one of them, whether outwardly or
> inwardly, the manifestation of none but God Himself, if ye be of those that
> comprehend. Every one of them is a mirror of God, reflecting naught else but
> His Self, His Beauty, His Might and Glory, if ye will understand. All else
> besides them are to be regarded as mirrors capable of reflecting the glory of
> these Manifestations Who are themselves the Primary Mirrors of the Divine
> Being, if ye be not devoid of understanding. No one hath ever escaped them,
> neither are they to be hindered from achieving their purpose. These Mirrors
> will everlastingly succeed each other, and will continue to reflect the light of
> the Ancient of Days. They that reflect their glory will, in like manner,
> continue to exist for evermore, for the Grace of God can never cease from
> flowing. This is a truth that none can disprove.107
> 
> Hasan-i-Mázindarání was the bearer of seventy Tablets. Upon his
> death, these were not delivered unto those for whom they were intended, but
> were entrusted to one of the sisters of this Wronged One, who, for no reason
> whatever, had turned aside from Me. God knoweth what befell His Tablets.
> This sister had never lived with Us. I swear by the Sun of Truth that after
> 
> these things had happened she never saw Mírzá Yahyá, and remained
> unaware of Our Cause, for in those days she had been estranged from Us.
> She lived in one quarter, and this Wronged One in another. As a token,
> however, of Our loving-kindness, our affection and mercy, We, a few days
> prior to Our departure [1853], visited her and her mother, that haply she
> might quaff from the living waters of faith, and attain unto that which would
> draw her nigh unto God, in this day. God well knoweth and beareth Me
> witness, and she herself testifieth, that I had no thought whatsoever except
> this. Finally, she -- God be praised -- attained unto this through His grace,
> and was adorned with the adornment of love. After We were exiled and
> had departed from Iraq to Constantinople, however, news of her ceased to
> reach Us. Subsequent to Our separation in the Land of Tá (Tihrán), We
> ceased to meet Mírzá Ridá-Qulí, Our brother, and no special news reached
> Us concerning her. In the early days we all lived in one house108, which later
> on was sold at auction, for a negligible sum, and the two brothers, Farman-
> Farma and Hisamu's-Saltánih, purchased it and divided it between
> themselves. After this occurred, We separated from Our brother. He
> established his residence close to the entrance of Masjid-i-Sháh, whilst We
> lived near the Gate of Shimírán. Thereafter, however, that sister displayed
> toward Us, for no reason whatever, a hostile attitude. This Wronged One
> held His peace under all conditions. However, Our late brother Mírzá
> Muhammad-Hasan's daughter -- upon him be the glory of God and His
> peace and His mercy -- who had been betrothed to the Most Great Branch
> (‘Abdu'l-Bahá) was taken by the sister of this Wronged One from Núr to
> her own house, and from there sent unto another place. Some of Our
> companions and friends in various places complained against this, as it was
> a very grievous act, and was disapproved by all the loved ones of God. How
> strange that Our sister should have taken her to her own house, and then
> arranged for her to be sent elsewhere! In spite of this, this Wronged One
> remained, and still remaineth, calm and silent. A word, however, was said
> in order to tranquilize Our loved ones. God testifieth and beareth Me
> witness that whatever hath been said was the truth, and was spoken with
> sincerity. None of Our loved ones, whether in these regions or in that
> country, could believe Our sister capable of an act so contrary to decency,
> affection and friendship. After such a thing had occurred, they, recognizing
> that the way had been barred, conducted themselves in a manner well-known
> unto thyself and others. It must be evident, therefore, how intense was the
> grief which this act inflicted upon this Wronged One. Later on, she threw in
> her lot with Mírzá Yahyá. Conflicting reports concerning her are now
> reaching Us, nor is it clear what she is saying or doing. We beseech God --
> 
> blessed and glorified be He -- to cause her to turn unto Him, and aid her to
> repent before the door of His grace. He, verily, is the Mighty, the Forgiving;
> and He is, in truth, the All-Powerful, the Pardoner.109
> 
> Call thou to remembrance, O Land of Tá (Tihrán), the former
> days in which thy Lord had made thee the seat of His throne, and had
> enveloped thee with the effulgence of His glory. How vast the number of those
> sanctified beings, those symbols of certitude, who, in their great love for thee,
> have laid down their lives and sacrificed their all for thy sake! Joy be to thee,
> and blissfulness to them that inhabit thee. I testify that out of thee, as every
> discerning heart knoweth, proceedeth the living breath of Him Who is the
> Desire of the world. In thee the Unseen hath been revealed, and out of thee
> hath gone forth that which lay hid from the eyes of men. Which one of the
> multitude of thy sincere lovers shall We remember, whose blood hath been
> shed within thy gates, and whose dust is now concealed beneath thy soil? The
> sweet savors of God have unceasingly been wafted, and shall everlastingly
> continue to be wafted upon thee. Our Pen is moved to commemorate thee,
> and to extol the victims of tyranny, those men and women that sleep beneath
> thy dust.
> Among them is Our own sister, whom We now call to mind as a
> token of Our fidelity, and as proof of Our loving-kindness, unto her. How
> piteous was her plight! In what a state of resignation she returned to her
> God! We, alone, in Our all-encompassing knowledge, have known it.110
> 
> O Land of Tá! Thou art still, through the grace of God, a center
> around which His beloved ones have gathered. Happy are they; happy every
> refugee that seeketh thy shelter, in his sufferings in the path of God, the
> Lord of this wondrous Day! Blessed are they that remember the one true
> God, that magnify His Name, and seek diligently to serve His Cause.111
> Let nothing grieve thee, O Land of Tá (Tihrán), for God hath
> chosen thee to be the source of the joy of all mankind. He shall, if it be His
> Will, bless thy throne with one who will rule with justice, who will gather
> together the flock of God which the wolves have scattered.112
> 
> It is Our wish to remember the Abode of supreme blissfulness
> (Tihrán), the holy and shining city -- the city wherein the fragrance of the
> Well-Beloved hath been shed, wherein His signs have been diffused, wherein
> the evidences of His glory have been revealed, wherein His standards have
> been raised, wherein His tabernacle hath been pitched, wherein each of His
> wise decrees hath been unfolded.
> 
> It is the city in which the sweet savors of reunion have breathed,
> which have caused the sincere lovers of God to draw nigh unto Him, and to
> gain access to the Habitation of holiness and beauty. Happy is the wayfarer
> that directeth his steps towards this city, that gaineth admittance into it, and
> quaffeth the wine of reunion, through the outpouring grace of his Lord, the
> Gracious, the All-Praised.
> I am come to thee, O land of the heart's desire, with tidings from
> God, and announce to thee His gracious favor and mercy, and greet and
> magnify thee in His name. He, in truth, is of immense bounteousness and
> goodness. Blessed be the man that turneth his face towards thee, that
> perceiveth from thee the fragrance of God's Presence, the Lord of all worlds.
> His glory be on thee, and the brightness of His light envelop thee, inasmuch
> as God hath made thee a paradise unto His servants, and proclaimed thee
> to be the blest and sacred land of which He, Himself, hath made mention in
> the Books which His Prophets and Messengers have revealed.
> Through thee, O land of resplendent glory, the ensign, "There is
> none other God but Him," hath been unfurled, and the standard, "Verily I
> am the Truth, the Knower of things unseen," been hoisted. It behoveth every
> one that visiteth thee to glory in thee and in them that inhabit thee, that have
> branched from My Tree, who are the leaves thereof, who are the signs of My
> glory, who follow Me and are My lovers, and who, with the most mighty
> determination, have turned their faces in the direction of My glorious
> station.113
> 
> I was walking in the Land of Tá (Tihrán) -- the dayspring of the
> signs of thy Lord -- when lo, I heard the lamentation of the pulpits and the
> voice of their supplication unto God, blessed and glorified be He. They cried
> out and said: "O God of the world and Lord of the nations! Thou beholdest
> our state and the things which have befallen us by reason of the cruelty of
> Thy servants. Thou hast created us and revealed us for Thy glorification and
> praise. Thou dost now hear what the wayward proclaim upon us in Thy
> days. By Thy might! Our souls are melted and our limbs are trembling.
> Alas, alas! Would that we had never been created and revealed by Thee!"
> The hearts of them that enjoy near access to God are consumed by
> these words, and from them the cries of such as are devoted to Him are
> raised. 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.114
> 
> "In Tihrán We were twice imprisoned as a result of Our having
> risen to defend the cause of the innocent against a ruthless oppressor. The
> first confinement to which We were subjected followed the slaying of Mullá
> Taqíy-i-Qazvíní, and was occasioned by the assistance We were moved to
> extend to those upon whom a severe punishment had been undeservedly
> inflicted. Our second imprisonment, infinitely more severe, was precipitated
> by the attempt which irresponsible followers of the Faith made on the life of
> the Sháh…”115
> 
> IN MÁZINDARÁN
> 
> O Shaykh! Time and again have I declared, and now yet again I
> affirm, that for two score years We have, through the grace of God and by
> His irresistible and potent will, extended such aid to His Majesty the Sháh
> -- may God assist him -- as the exponents of justice and of equity would
> regard as incontestable and absolute. None can deny it, unless he be a
> transgressor and sinner, or one who would hate Us or doubt Our truth.
> How very strange that until now the Ministers of State and the
> representatives of the people have alike remained unaware of such
> conspicuous and undeniable service, and, if apprized of it, have, for reasons
> of their own, chosen to ignore it! Previous to these forty years controversies
> and conflicts continually prevailed and agitated the servants of God. But
> since then, aided by the hosts of wisdom, of utterance, of exhortations and
> understanding, they have all seized and taken fast hold of the firm cord of
> patience and of the shining hem of fortitude, in such wise that this wronged
> people endured steadfastly whatever befell them, and committed everything
> unto God, and this notwithstanding that in Mázindarán and at Rasht a
> great many have been most hideously tormented. Among them was his
> honor, Hájí Násir, who, unquestionably, was a brilliant light that shone
> forth above the horizon of resignation. After he had suffered martyrdom, they
> plucked out his eyes and cut off his nose, and inflicted on him such
> indignities that strangers wept and lamented, and secretly raised funds to
> support his wife and children.
> O Shaykh! My Pen is abashed to recount what actually took place.
> In the land of Sád (Isfáhán) the fire of tyranny burned with such a hot flame
> that every fair-minded person groaned aloud. By thy life! The cities of
> knowledge and of understanding wept with such a weeping that the souls of
> the pious and of the God-fearing were melted. The twin shining lights,
> Hasan and Husayn (The King of Martyrs and the Beloved of Martyrs)
> offered up spontaneously their lives in that city. Neither fortune, nor wealth,
> 
> nor glory, could deter them! God knoweth the things which befell them and
> yet the people are, for the most part, unaware!
> Before them one named Kazim and they who were with him, and
> after them, his honor Ashraf, all quaffed the draught of martyrdom with the
> utmost fervor and longing, and hastened unto the Supreme Companion. In
> like manner, at the time of Sardár Azíz Khán, that godly man, Mírzá
> Mustafa, and his fellow martyrs, were arrested, and despatched unto the
> Supreme Friend in the All-Glorious Horizon. Briefly, in every city the
> evidences of a tyranny, beyond like or equal, were unmistakably clear and
> manifest, and yet none arose in self-defence! Call thou to mind his honor
> Badí', who was the bearer of the Tablet to His Majesty the Sháh, and
> reflect how he laid down his life. That knight, who spurred on his charger in
> the arena of renunciation, threw down the precious crown of life for the sake
> of Him Who is the Incomparable Friend.
> O Shaykh! If things such as these are to be denied, what shall,
> then, be deemed worthy of credence? Set forth the truth, for the sake of God,
> and be not of them that hold their peace. They arrested his honor Najaf-
> ’Alí, who hastened, with rapture and great longing, unto the field of
> martyrdom, uttering these words: "We have kept both Baha and the khunbaha (bloodmoney)!" With these words he yielded up his spirit. Meditate on
> the splendor and glory which the light of renunciation, shining from the upper
> chamber of the heart of Mullá ‘Alí-Ján, hath shed. He was so carried away
> by the breezes of the Most Sublime Word and by the power of the Pen of
> Glory that to him the field of martyrdom equalled, nay outrivalled, the
> haunts of earthly delights. Ponder upon the conduct of Abá-Basír and Siyyid
> Ashraf-i-Zanjání. They sent for the mother of Ashraf to dissuade her son
> from his purpose. But she spurred him on until he suffered a most glorious
> martyrdom.116
> 
> O Shaykh! That which hath touched this Wronged One is beyond
> compare or equal. We have borne it all with the utmost willingness and
> resignation, so that the souls of men may be edified, and the Word of God be
> exalted. While confined in the prison of the Land of Mím (Mázindarán)
> We were one day delivered into the hands of the divines. Thou canst well
> imagine what befell Us. Shouldst thou at some time happen to visit the
> dungeon of His Majesty the Sháh, ask the director and chief jailer to show
> thee those two chains, one of which is known as Qara-Guhár, and the other
> as Salásil. I swear by the Daystar of Justice that for four months this
> Wronged One was tormented and chained by one or the other of them. "My
> 
> grief exceedeth all the woes to which Jacob gave vent, and all the afflictions of
> Job are but a part of My sorrows!"
> Likewise, ponder thou upon the martyrdom of Hájí Muhammad-
> Ridá in the City of Love (‘Ishqábád). The tyrants of the earth have
> subjected that wronged one to such trials as have caused many foreigners to
> weep and lament for, as reported and ascertained, no less than thirty-two
> wounds were inflicted upon his blessed body. Yet none of the faithful
> transgressed My commandment, nor raised his hand in resistance. Come
> what might, they refused to allow their own inclinations to supersede that
> which the Book hath decreed, though a considerable number of this people
> have resided, and still reside, in that city.
> We entreat His Majesty the Sháh, -- may God, hallowed and
> glorified be He, assist him -- himself to ponder upon these things, and to
> judge with equity and justice. Although in recent years a number of the
> faithful have, in most of the cities of Persia, suffered themselves to be killed
> rather than kill, yet the hatred smouldering in certain hearts hath blazed
> more fiercely than before. For the victims of oppression to intercede in favor of
> their enemies is, in the estimation of rulers, a princely deed. Some must have
> certainly heard that this oppressed people have, in that city (Ishqabad),
> pleaded with the Governor on behalf of their murderers, and asked for the
> mitigation of their sentence. Take, then, good heed, ye who are men of
> insight!117
> 
> O people of the Bayán! Abandon your idle fancies and vain
> imaginings, then with the eye of fairness look at the Dayspring of His
> Revelation and consider the things He hath manifested, the words He hath
> divinely revealed and the sufferings that have befallen Him at the hands of
> His enemies. He is the One Who hath willingly accepted every manner of
> tribulation for the proclamation of His Cause and the exaltation of His
> Word. At one time He suffered imprisonment in the land of Tá (Tihrán),
> at another in the land of Mim (Mázindarán), then once again in the former
> land, for the sake of the Cause of God, the Maker of the heavens. In His
> love for the Cause of God, the Almighty, the All-Bountiful, He was
> subjected there to chains and fetters.118
> 
> BADASHT
> (c. June 23-July 15, 1848)
> 
> In a Tablet which We yesterday revealed, We have explained the
> meaning of the words, 'Turn your eyes away,'119 in the course of Our
> 
> reference to the circumstances attending the gathering at Badasht. We were
> celebrating, in the company of a number of distinguished notables, the
> nuptials of one of the princes of royal blood in Tihrán, when Siyyid Ahmadi-Yazdí, father of Siyyid Husayn, the Báb's amanuensis, appeared suddenly
> at the door. He beckoned to Us, and seemed to be the bearer of an
> important message which he wished immediately to deliver. We were,
> however, unable at that moment to leave the gathering, and motioned to him
> to wait. When the meeting had dispersed, he informed Us that Táhirih had
> been placed in strict confinement in Qazvín, and that her life was in great
> danger. We immediately summoned Muhammad-Hadíy-i-Farhadí, and
> gave him the necessary directions to release her from her captivity, and escort
> her to the capital. As the enemy had seized Our house, We were unable to
> accommodate her indefinitely in Our home. Accordingly, We arranged for
> her transference from Our house to that of the Minister of War,120 who, in
> those days, had been disgraced by his sovereign and had been deported to
> Káshán. We requested his sister, who still was numbered among Our
> friends, to act as hostess to Táhirih.
> She remained in her company until the call of the Báb, bidding Us
> proceed to Khurásán, reached Our ears. We decided that Táhirih should
> proceed immediately to that province, and commissioned Mírzá121 to conduct
> her to a place outside the gate of the city, and from thence to any locality she
> deemed advisable in that neighbourhood. She was taken to an orchard in the
> vicinity of which was a deserted building, where they found an old man who
> acted as its caretaker. Mírzá Músá returned and informed Us of the
> reception which had been accorded to them, and highly praised the beauty of
> the surrounding landscape. We subsequently arranged for her departure for
> Khurásán, and promised that We would follow within the space of a few
> days.
> We soon joined her at Badasht, where We rented a garden for her
> use, and appointed the same Muhammad-Hadí who had achieved her
> deliverance, as her doorkeeper. About seventy of Our companions were with
> Us and lodged in a place in the vicinity of that garden.
> We fell ill one day, and were confined to bed. Táhirih sent a
> request to call upon Us. We were surprised at her message, and were at a
> loss as to what We should reply. Suddenly We saw her at the door, her face
> unveiled before Us. How well has Mírzá Áqa Ján122 commented upon that
> incident. 'The face of Fátimih,' he said, 'must needs be revealed on the Day
> of Judgment and appear unveiled before the eyes of men. At that moment the
> voice of the Unseen shall be heard saying: "Turn your eyes away from that
> which ye have seen."
> 
> How great was the consternation that seized the companions on
> that day! Fear and bewilderment filled their hearts. A few, unable to tolerate
> that which was to them so revolting a departure from the established customs
> of Islam, fled in horror from before her face. Dismayed, they sought refuge in
> a deserted castle in that neighbourhood. Among those who were scandalized
> by her behaviour and severed from her entirely were the Siyyid-i-Nahrí123
> and his brother Mírzá Hadí, to both of whom We sent word that it was
> unnecessary for them to desert their companions and seek refuge in a castle.
> Our friends eventually dispersed, leaving Us at the mercy of Our
> enemies. When, at a later time, We went to Ámul, such was the turmoil
> which the people had raised that above four thousand persons had
> congregated in the masjid and had crowded onto the roofs of their houses.
> The leading Mullá of the town denounced Us bitterly. 'You have perverted
> the Faith of Islám,' he cried in his Mázindaráni dialect, 'and sullied its
> fame! Last night I saw you in a dream enter the masjid, which was thronged
> by an eager multitude that had gathered to witness your arrival. As the
> crowd pressed round you, I beheld, and, lo, the Qá'im was standing in a
> corner with His gaze fixed upon your countenance, His features betraying
> great surprise. This dream I regard as evidence of your having deviated from
> the path of Truth.' We assured him that the expression of surprise on that
> countenance was a sign of the Qá'im's strong disapproval of the treatment he
> and his fellow-townsmen had accorded Us. He questioned Us regarding the
> Mission of the Báb. We informed him that, although We had never met
> Him face to face, yet We cherished, none the less, a great affection for Him.
> We expressed Our profound conviction that He had, under no
> circumstances, acted contrary to the Faith of Islam.
> The Mullá and his followers, however refused to believe Us, and
> rejected Our testimony as a perversion of the truth. They eventually placed
> Us in confinement, and forbade Our friends to meet Us. The acting governor
> of Amul succeeded in effecting Our release from captivity. Through an
> opening in the wall that he ordered his men to make, he enabled Us to leave
> that room, and conducted Us to his house. No sooner were the inhabitants
> informed of this act than they arose against Us, besieged the governor's
> residence, pelted Us with stones, and hurled in Our face the foulest invectives.
> At the time We proposed to send Muhammad-Hadíy-i-Farhadí to
> Qazvín, in order to achieve the deliverance of Táhirih and conduct her to
> Tihrán, Shaykh Abú-Turáb wrote Us, insisting that such an attempt was
> fraught with grave risks and might occasion an unprecedented tumult. We
> refused to be deflected from Our purpose. That Shaykh was a kind-hearted
> man, was simple and lowly in temper, and behaved with great dignity. He
> 
> lacked courage and determination, however, and betrayed weakness on
> certain occasions.124
> 
> NÍYÁLÁ
> (c. July 17, 1848)
> 
> We were all gathered in the village of Níyálá and were resting at
> the foot of a mountain, when, at the hour of dawn, we were suddenly
> awakened by the stones which the people of the neighbourhood were hurling
> upon us from the top of the mountain. The fierceness of their attack induced
> our companions to flee in terror and consternation. I clothed Quddús in my
> own garments and despatched him to a place of safety, where I intended to
> join him. When I arrived, I found that he had gone. None of our
> companions had remained in Níyálá except Táhirih and a young man from
> Shíráz, Mírzá Abdu'lláh. The violence with which we were assailed had
> brought desolation into our camp. I found no one into whose custody I could
> deliver Táhirih except that young man, who displayed on that occasion a
> courage and determination that were truly surprising. Sword in hand,
> undaunted by the savage assault of the inhabitants of the village, who had
> rushed to plunder our property, he sprang forward to stay the hand of the
> assailants. Though himself wounded in several parts of his body, he risked
> his life to protect our property. I bade him desist from his act. When the
> tumult had subsided, I approached a number of the inhabitants of the village
> and was able to convince them of the cruelty and shamefulness of their
> behaviour. I subsequently succeeded in restoring a part of our plundered
> property.125
> 
> ÁMUL
> (starting c. November 27, 1848126)
> 
> "No prisoner has ever been accorded the treatment which I received
> at the hands of the acting governor of Ámul. He treated Me with the utmost
> consideration and esteem. I was generously entertained by him, and the
> fullest attention was given to everything that affected My security and
> comfort. I was, however, unable to leave the gate of the house. My host was
> afraid lest the governor, who was related to Abbás-Qulí Khán-i-Láríjání,
> might return from the fort of Tabarsí and inflict injury upon Me. I tried to
> dispel his apprehensions. 'The same Omnipotence,' I assured him, 'who has
> delivered us from the hands of the mischief-makers of Ámul, and has
> enabled us to be received with such hospitality by you in this house, is able to
> 
> change the heart of the governor and to cause him to treat us with no less
> consideration and love.'
> "One night we were suddenly awakened by the clamour of the
> people who had gathered outside the gate of the house. The door was opened,
> and it was announced that the governor had returned to Ámul. Our
> companions, who were anticipating a fresh attack upon them, were
> completely surprised to hear the voice of the governor rebuking those who had
> denounced us so bitterly on the day of our arrival. 'For what reason,' we
> heard him loudly remonstrating, 'have these miserable wretches chosen to
> treat so disrespectfully a guest whose hands are tied and who has not been
> given the chance to defend himself? What is their justification for having
> demanded that he be immediately put to death? What evidence have they
> with which to support their contention? If they be sincere in their claims to be
> devotedly attached to Islam and to be the guardians of its interests, let them
> betake themselves to the fort of Shaykh Tabarsíand there demonstrate their
> capacity to defend the Faith of which they profess to be the champions.'"127
> 
> Our friends eventually dispersed, leaving Us at the mercy of Our
> enemies. When, at a later time, We went to Ámul, such was the turmoil
> which the people had raised that above four thousand persons had
> congregated in the masjid and had crowded onto the roofs of their houses.
> The leading Mullá of the town denounced Us bitterly. 'You have perverted
> the Faith of Islám,' he cried in his Mázindarání dialect, 'and sullied its
> fame! Last night I saw you in a dream enter the masjid, which was thronged
> by an eager multitude that had gathered to witness your arrival. As the
> crowd pressed round you, I beheld, and, lo, the Qá'im was standing in a
> corner with His gaze fixed upon your countenance, His features betraying
> great surprise. This dream I regard as evidence of your having deviated from
> the path of Truth.' We assured him that the expression of surprise on that
> countenance was a sign of the Qá'im's strong disapproval of the treatment he
> and his fellow-townsmen had accorded Us. He questioned Us regarding the
> Mission of the Báb. We informed him that, although We had never met
> Him face to face, yet We cherished, none the less, a great affection for Him.
> We expressed Our profound conviction that He had, under no
> circumstances, acted contrary to the Faith of Islám.
> The Mullá and his followers, however refused to believe Us, and
> rejected Our testimony as a perversion of the truth. They eventually placed
> Us in confinement, and forbade Our friends to meet Us. The acting governor
> of Amul succeeded in effecting Our release from captivity. Through an
> opening in the wall that he ordered his men to make, he enabled Us to leave
> 
> that room, and conducted Us to his house. No sooner were the inhabitants
> informed of this act than they arose against Us, besieged the governor's
> residence, pelted Us with stones, and hurled in Our face the foulest
> invectives.128
> 
> "Praise be to God, that whatever is essential for the believers in this
> Revelation to be told has been revealed. Their duties have been clearly
> defined, and the deeds they are expected to perform have been plainly set
> forth in Our Book. Now is the time for them to arise and fulfil their duty.
> Let them translate into deeds the exhortations We have given them. Let
> them beware lest the love they bear God, a love that glows so brightly in their
> hearts, cause them to transgress the bounds of moderation, and to overstep
> the limits We have set for them. In regard to this matter, We wrote thus,
> while in Iraq, to Hájí Mírzá Músáy-i-Qumí: 'Such is to be the restraint
> you should exercise that if you be made to quaff from the well-springs of faith
> and certitude all the rivers of knowledge, your lips must never be allowed to
> betray, to either friend or stranger, the wonder of the draught of which you
> have partaken. Though your heart be aflame with His love, take heed lest
> any eye discover your inner agitation, and though your soul be surging like
> an ocean, suffer not the serenity of your countenance to be disturbed, nor the
> manner of your behaviour to reveal the intensity of your emotions.'
> "God knows that at no time did We attempt to conceal Ourself or
> hide the Cause which We have been bidden to proclaim. Though not wearing
> the garb of the people of learning, We have again and again faced and
> reasoned with men of great scholarship in both Núr and Mázindarán, and
> have succeeded in persuading them of the truth of this Revelation. We never
> flinched in Our determination; We never hesitated to accept the challenge
> from whatever direction it came. To whomsoever We spoke in those days,
> We found him receptive to our Call and ready to identify himself with its
> precepts. But for the shameful behaviour of the people of Bayán, who sullied
> by their deeds the work We had accomplished, Núr and Mázindarán would
> have been entirely won to this Cause and would have been accounted by this
> time among its leading strongholds.
> "At a time when the forces of Prince Mihdí-Qulí Mírzá had
> besieged the fort of Tabarsí, We resolved to depart from Nur and lend Our
> assistance to its heroic defenders. We had intended to send ‘Abdu'l-Vahháb,
> one of Our companions, in advance of Us, and to request him to announce
> Our approach to the besieged. Though encompassed by the forces of the
> enemy, We had decided to throw in Our lot with those steadfast companions,
> and to risk the dangers with which they were confronted. This, however, was
> 
> not to be. The hand of Omnipotence spared Us from their fate and preserved
> Us for the work We were destined to accomplish. In pursuance of God's
> inscrutable wisdom, the intention We had formed was, before Our arrival at
> the fort, communicated by certain inhabitants of Nur to Mírzá Taqí, the
> governor of Ámul, who sent his men to intercept Us. While We were resting
> and taking Our tea, We found Ourselves suddenly surrounded by a number
> of horsemen, who seized Our belongings and captured Our steeds. We were
> given, in exchange for Our own horse, a poorly saddled animal which We
> found it extremely uncomfortable to ride. The rest of Our companions were
> conducted, handcuffed, to Ámul. Mírzá Taqí succeeded, in spite of the
> tumult Our arrival had raised, and in the face of the opposition of the
> ulamas, in releasing Us from their grasp and in conducting Us to his own
> house. He extended to Us the warmest hospitalty. Occasionally he yielded to
> the pressure which the ulamas were continuously bringing to bear upon him,
> and felt himself powerless to defeat their attempts to harm Us. We were still
> in his house when the Sardar, who had joined the army in Mázindarán,
> returned to Amul. No sooner was he informed of the indignities We had
> suffered than he rebuked Mírzá Taqí for the weakness he had shown in
> protecting Us from Our enemies. 'Of what importance,' he indignantly
> demanded, 'are the denunciations of this ignorant people? Why is it that you
> have allowed yourself to be swayed by their clamour? You should have been
> satisfied with preventing the party from reaching their destination and,
> instead of detaining them in this house, you should have arranged for their
> safe and immediate return to Tihrán.'"129
> 
> O Shaykh! That which hath touched this Wronged One is beyond
> compare or equal. We have borne it all with the utmost willingness and
> resignation, so that the souls of men may be edified, and the Word of God be
> exalted. While confined in the prison of the Land of Mím (Mázindarán)
> We were one day delivered into the hands of the divines. Thou canst well
> imagine what befell Us. Shouldst thou at some time happen to visit the
> dungeon of His Majesty the Sháh, ask the director and chief jailer to show
> thee those two chains, one of which is known as Qara-Guhár, and the other
> as Salásil. I swear by the Daystar of Justice that for four months this
> Wronged One was tormented and chained by one or the other of them. "My
> grief exceedeth all the woes to which Jacob gave vent, and all the afflictions of
> Job are but a part of My sorrows!"130
> 
> SARÍ
> 
> "Whilst in Sarí, We were again exposed to the insults of the
> people. Though the notables of that town were, for the most part, Our friends
> and had on several occasions met Us in Tihrán, no sooner had the
> townspeople recognized Us, as We walked with Quddús in the streets, than
> they began to hurl their invectives at Us. The cry 'Bábí! Bábí!' greeted Us
> wherever We went. We were unable to escape their bitter denunciations...
> "131
> 
> THE PERSECUTION OF THE BÁBÍS
> (1845-1852)
> 
> In this most resplendent Dispensation, however, this most mighty
> Sovereignty, a number of illumined divines, of men of consummate learning,
> of doctors of mature wisdom, have attained unto His Court, drunk the cup
> of His divine Presence, and been invested with the honour of His most
> excellent favour. They have renounced, for the sake of the Beloved, the world
> and all that is therein. We will mention the names of some of them, that
> perchance it may strengthen the faint-hearted, and encourage the timorous.
> Among them was Mullá Husayn, who became the recipient of the
> effulgent glory of the Sun of divine Revelation. But for him, God would not
> have been established upon the seat of His mercy, nor ascended the throne of
> eternal glory. Among them also was Siyyid Yahyá, that unique and peerless
> figure of his age,
> 
> Mullá Muhammad ‘Alíy-i-Zanjání
> Mullá ‘Alíy-i-Bastámí
> Mullá Sa'id-i-Bárfurúshí
> Mullá Ni'matu'llah-i-Mázindarání
> Mullá Yúsuf-i-Ardibílí
> Mullá Mihdíy-i-Khu'í
> Siyyid Husayn-i-Turshízí
> Mullá Mihdíy-i-Kandí
> Mullá Báqir
> Mullá ‘Abdu'l-Kháliq-i-Yazdí
> Mullá ‘Alíy-i-Baraqání
> 
> and others, well nigh four hundred in number, whose names are all inscribed
> upon the "Guarded Tablet" of God.
> 
> All these were guided by the light of that Sun of divine Revelation,
> confessed and acknowledged His truth. Such was their faith, that most of
> them renounced their substance and kindred, and cleaved to the goodpleasure of the All-Glorious. They laid down their lives for their Well-
> Beloved, and surrendered their all in His path. Their breasts were made
> targets for the darts of the enemy, and their heads adorned the spears of the
> infidel. No land remained which did not drink the blood of these
> embodiments of detachment, and no sword that did not bruise their necks.
> Their deeds, alone, testify to the truth of their words. Doth not the testimony
> of these holy souls, who have so gloriously risen to offer up their lives for their
> Beloved that the whole world marvelled at the manner of their sacrifice,
> suffice the people of this day? Is it not sufficient witness against the
> faithlessness of those who for a trifle betrayed their faith, who bartered away
> immortality for that which perisheth, who gave up the Kawthar of the divine
> Presence for salty springs, and whose one aim in life is to usurp the property
> of others? Even as thou dost witness how all of them have busied themselves
> with the vanities of the world, and have strayed far from Him Who is the
> Lord, the Most High.
> Be fair: Is the testimony of those acceptable and worthy of attention
> whose deeds agree with their words, whose outward behaviour conforms with
> their inner life? The mind is bewildered at their deeds, and the soul
> marvelleth at their fortitude and bodily endurance. Or is the testimony of
> these faithless souls who breathe naught but the breath of selfish desire, and
> who lie imprisoned in the cage of their idle fancies, acceptable? Like the bats
> of darkness, they lift not their heads from their couch except to pursue the
> transient things of the world, and find no rest by night except as they labour
> to advance the aims of their sordid life. Immersed in their selfish schemes,
> they are oblivious of the divine Decree. In the day-time they strive with all
> their soul after worldly benefits, and in the night-season their sole occupation
> is to gratify their carnal desires. By what law or standard could men be
> justified in cleaving to the denials of such petty-minded souls, and in ignoring
> the faith of them that have renounced, for the sake of the good-pleasure of
> God, their life, and substance, their fame and renown, their reputation and
> honour?
> Were not the happenings of the life of the "Prince of
> Martyrs"[Imám Husayn] regarded as the greatest of all events, as the
> supreme evidence of his truth? Did not the people of old declare those
> happenings to be unprecedented? Did they not maintain that no
> manifestation of truth hath ever evinced such constancy, such conspicuous
> glory? And yet, that episode of his life, commencing as it did in the morning,
> 
> was brought to a close by the middle of the same day, whereas, these holy
> lights have, for eighteen years, heroically endured the showers of afflictions
> which, from every side, have rained upon them. With what love, what
> devotion, what exultation and holy rapture, they sacrificed their lives in the
> path of the All-Glorious! To the truth of this all witness. And yet, how can
> they belittle this Revelation? Hath any age witnessed such momentous
> happenings? If these companions be not the true strivers after God, who else
> could be called by this name? Have these companions been seekers after
> power or glory? Have they ever yearned for riches? Have they cherished any
> desire except the good-pleasure of God? If these companions, with all their
> marvellous testimonies and wondrous works, be false, who then is worthy to
> claim for himself the truth? I swear by God! Their very deeds are a sufficient
> testimony, and an irrefutable proof unto all the peoples of the earth, were
> men to ponder in their hearts the mysteries of divine Revelation. "And they
> who act unjustly shall soon know what lot awaiteth them!"[Qur'án
> 26:227]132
> 
> No sooner had that eternal Beauty revealed Himself in Shíráz, in
> the year sixty, and rent asunder the veil of concealment, than the signs of the
> ascendancy, the might, the sovereignty, and power, emanating from that
> Essence of Essences and Sea of Seas, were manifest in every land. So much
> so, that from every city there appeared the signs, the evidences, the tokens, the
> testimonies of that divine Luminary. How many were those pure and kindly
> hearts which faithfully reflected the light of that eternal Sun, and how
> manifold the emanations of knowledge from that Ocean of divine wisdom
> which encompassed all beings! In every city, all the divines and dignitaries
> rose to hinder and repress them, and girded up the loins of malice, of envy,
> and tyranny for their suppression. How great the number of those holy souls,
> those essences of justice, who, accused of tyranny, were put to death! And
> how many embodiments of purity, who showed forth naught but true
> knowledge and stainless deeds, suffered an agonizing death! Notwithstanding
> all this, each of these holy beings, up to his last moment, breathed the Name
> of God, and soared in the realm of submission and resignation. Such was the
> potency and transmuting influence which He exercised over them, that they
> ceased to cherish any desire but His will, and wedded their soul to His
> remembrance.
> Reflect: Who in this world is able to manifest such transcendent
> power, such pervading influence? All these stainless hearts and sanctified
> souls have, with absolute resignation, responded to the summons of His
> decree. Instead of complaining, they rendered thanks unto God, and amidst
> 
> the darkness of their anguish they revealed naught but radiant acquiescence
> to His will. It is evident how relentless was the hate, and how bitter the
> malice and enmity entertained by all the peoples of the earth towards these
> companions. The persecution and pain they inflicted on these holy and
> spiritual beings were regarded by them as means unto salvation, prosperity,
> and everlasting success. Hath the world, since the days of Adam, witnessed
> such tumult, such violent commotion? Notwithstanding all the torture they
> suffered, and manifold the afflictions they endured, they became the object of
> universal opprobrium and execration. Methinks patience was revealed only
> by virtue of their fortitude, and faithfulness itself was begotten only by their
> deeds.133
> 
> The events that have happened in Persia during the early years have
> truly saddened the well-favored and sincere ones. Each year witnessed a fresh
> massacre, pillage, plunder, and shedding of blood. At one time there
> appeared in Zanján that which caused the greatest consternation; at another
> in Nayríz, and at yet another in Tabarsí, and finally there occurred the
> episode of the Land of Tá (Tihrán). From that time onwards this Wronged
> One, assisted by the One True God -- exalted be His glory -- acquainted
> this oppressed people with the things which beseemed them. All have
> sanctified themselves from the things which they and others possess, and have
> clung unto, and fixed their eyes upon that which pertaineth unto God.134
> 
> MARTYRDOM OF THE BÁB
> (July 9, 1850)
> 
> And now consider how this Sadrih of the Ridván of God hath, in
> the prime of youth, risen to proclaim the Cause of God. Behold what
> steadfastness that Beauty of God hath revealed. The whole world rose to
> hinder Him, yet it utterly failed. The more severe the persecution they
> inflicted on that Sadrih of Blessedness, the more His fervour increased, and
> the brighter burned the flame of His love. All this is evident, and none
> disputeth its truth. Finally, He surrendered His soul, and winged His flight
> unto the realms above.135
> 
> The more He exhorted them, the fiercer grew their enmity, till, at
> the last, they put Him to death with shameful cruelty. The curse of God be
> upon the oppressors!136
> 
> Reflect, O Shaykh, upon the Shí'ih sect. How many the edifices
> which they reared with the hands of idle fancies and vain imaginings, and
> how numerous the cities which they built! At length those vain imaginings
> were converted into bullets and aimed at Him Who is the Prince of the
> world. Not one single soul among the leaders of that sect acknowledged Him
> in the Day of His Revelation! Whenever His blessed name was mentioned,
> all would say: "May God hasten the joy His coming will bring!" On the day
> of the Revelation of that Sun of Truth, however, all, as hath been observed,
> have exclaimed, saying: "May God hasten His chastisement!" He Who was
> the Essence of being and Lord of the seen and unseen they suspended, and
> committed what made the Tablet to weep, and the Pen to groan, and the
> cries of the sincere to break forth, and the tears of the favored ones to flow.137
> 
> VISIT TO ‘ATABAT
> (1850-1851)
> 
> We deem it advisable, in this connection, to recount briefly some
> past events, that perchance they may be the means of vindicating the cause of
> equity and justice. At the time when His Majesty the Sháh, may God, his
> Lord, the Most Merciful, aid him through His strengthening grace, was
> planning a journey to Isfáhán, this Wronged One, having obtained his
> permission, visited the holy and luminous resting-places of the Imáms, may
> the blessings of God be upon them!138
> 
> LAVÁSÁN
> (1851-August 1852)
> 
> We deem it advisable, in this connection, to recount briefly some
> past events, that perchance they may be the means of vindicating the cause of
> equity and justice. At the time when His Majesty the Sháh, may God, his
> Lord, the Most Merciful, aid him through His strengthening grace, was
> planning a journey to Isfáhán, this Wronged One, having obtained his
> permission, visited the holy and luminous resting-places of the Imáms, may
> the blessings of God be upon them! Upon Our return, We proceeded to
> Lavásán on account of the excessive heat prevailing in the capital. 139
> 
> ATTEMPT ON THE LIFE OF THE SHÁH
> (August 15, 1852)
> 
> Following Our departure, there occurred the attempt upon the life of
> His Majesty, may God, exalted and glorified be He, assist him. Those days
> were troublous days, and the fires of hatred burned high. Many were
> arrested, among them this Wronged One. By the righteousness of God! We
> were in no wise connected with that evil deed, and Our innocence was
> indisputably established by the tribunals. Nevertheless, they apprehended
> Us...140
> 
> To enforce the laws of God is naught but justice, and is the source
> of universal content. Nay more, the divine statutes have always been, and
> will ever remain, the cause and instrument of the preservation of mankind,
> as witnessed by His exalted words: "In punishment will ye find life, O men
> of insight!" It would, however, ill beseem the justice of thy Majesty that for
> the trespass of a single soul a whole group of people should be subjected to the
> scourge of thy wrath. The one true God -- glorified be His Name! -- hath
> said: "None shall bear the burden of another."141
> 
> So grossly hath Our Cause been misrepresented before thy royal
> presence that, if some unseemly act be committed by but one of this people, it
> is portrayed as being prompted by their beliefs. By Him besides Whom there
> is none other God! This Servant hath refused even to sanction the
> commission of reproved actions, how much less those which have been
> explicitly prohibited by the Book of God.142
> 
> And when ye took away His life, one of His followers [Azím]
> arose to avenge His death. He was unknown of men, and the design he had
> conceived was unnoticed by any one. Eventually he committed what had been
> preordained. It behoveth you, therefore, to attach blame to no one except to
> yourselves, for the things ye have committed, if ye but judge fairly. Who is
> there on the whole earth who hath done what ye have done? None, by Him
> Who is the Lord of all worlds!143
> 
> IN THE SÍYÁH CHÁL
> (August 1852-January 1853)
> 
> Following Our departure, there occurred the attempt upon the life of
> His Majesty, may God, exalted and glorified be He, assist him. Those days
> 
> were troublous days, and the fires of hatred burned high. Many were
> arrested, among them this Wronged One. By the righteousness of God! We
> were in no wise connected with that evil deed, and Our innocence was
> indisputably established by the tribunals. Nevertheless, they apprehended
> Us, and from Niyavaran, which was then the residence of His Majesty,
> conducted Us, on foot and in chains, with bared head and bare feet, to the
> dungeon of Tihrán. A brutal man, accompanying Us on horseback,
> snatched off Our hat, whilst We were being hurried along by a troop of
> executioners and officials. We were consigned for four months to a place foul
> beyond comparison. As to the dungeon in which this Wronged One and
> others similarly wronged were confined, a dark and narrow pit were
> preferable.
> Upon Our arrival We were first conducted along a pitch-black
> corridor, from whence We descendedthree steep flights of stairs to the place of
> confinement assigned to Us. The dungeon was wrapped in thick darkness,
> and Our fellow prisoners numbered nearly a hundred and fifty souls: thieves,
> assassins and highwaymen. Though crowded, it had no other outlet than the
> passage by which We entered. No pen can depict that place, nor any tongue
> describe its loathsome smell. Most of these men had neither clothes nor
> bedding to lie on. God alone knoweth what befell Us in that most foulsmelling and gloomy place!
> Day and night, while confined in that dungeon, We meditated upon
> the deeds, the condition, and the conduct of the Bábís, wondering what could
> have led a people so high-minded, so noble, and of such intelligence, to
> perpetrate such an audacious and outrageous act against the person of His
> Majesty. This Wronged One, thereupon, decided to arise, after His release
> from prison, and undertake, with the utmost vigor, the task of regenerating
> this people.
> One night, in a dream, these exalted words were heard on every
> side: "Verily, We shall render Thee victorious by Thyself and by Thy Pen.
> Grieve Thou not for that which hath befallen Thee, neither be Thou afraid,
> for Thou art in safety. Erelong will God raise up the treasures of the earth --
> men who will aid Thee through Thyself and through Thy Name, wherewith
> God hath revived the hearts of such as have recognized Him.”
> And when this Wronged One went forth out of His prison, We
> journeyed, in pursuance of the order of His Majesty the Sháh -- may God,
> exalted be He, protect him -- to Iraq, escorted by officers in the service of the
> esteemed and honored governments of Persia and Russia. After Our arrival,
> We revealed, as a copious rain, by the aid of God and His Divine Grace
> and mercy, Our verses, and sent them to various parts of the world. We
> 
> exhorted all men, and particularly this people, through Our wise counsels
> and loving admonitions, and forbade them to engage in sedition, quarrels,
> disputes and conflict. As a result of this, and by the grace of God,
> waywardness and folly were changed into piety and understanding, and
> weapons converted into instruments of peace.
> During the days I lay in the prison of Tihrán, though the galling
> weight of the chains and the stench-filled air allowed Me but little sleep, still
> in those infrequent moments of slumber I felt as if something flowed from the
> crown of My head over My breast, even as a mighty torrent that precipitateth
> itself upon the earth from the summit of a lofty mountain. Every limb of My
> body would, as a result, be set afire. At such moments My tongue recited
> what no man could bear to hear. 144
> 
> O King! I was but a man like others, asleep upon My couch, when
> lo, the breezes of the All-Glorious were wafted over Me, and taught Me the
> knowledge of all that hath been. This thing is not from Me, but from One
> Who is Almighty and All-Knowing. And He bade Me lift up My voice
> between earth and heaven, and for this there befell Me what hath caused the
> tears of every man of understanding to flow. The learning current amongst
> men I studied not; their schools I entered not. Ask of the city wherein I
> dwelt, that thou mayest be well assured that I am not of them who speak
> falsely. This is but a leaf which the winds of the will of thy Lord, the
> Almighty, the All-Praised, have stirred. Can it be still when the
> tempestuous winds are blowing? Nay, by Him Who is the Lord of all
> Names and Attributes! They move it as they list. The evanescent is as
> nothing before Him Who is the Ever-Abiding. His all-compelling summons
> hath reached Me, and caused Me to speak His praise amidst all people. I
> was indeed as one dead when His behest was uttered. The hand of the will of
> thy Lord, the Compassionate, the Merciful, transformed Me. Can anyone
> speak forth of his own accord that for which all men, both high and low, will
> protest against him? Nay, by Him Who taught the Pen the eternal
> mysteries, save him whom the grace of the Almighty, the All-Powerful, hath
> strengthened.145
> 
> Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! Look Thou upon this
> wronged one, who hath been sorely afflicted by the oppressors among Thy
> creatures and the infidels among Thine enemies, though he himself hath
> refused to breathe a single breath but by Thy leave and at Thy bidding. I lay
> asleep on my couch, O my God, when lo, the gentle winds of Thy grace and
> Thy loving-kindness passed over me, and wakened me through the power of
> 
> Thy sovereignty and Thy gifts, and bade me arise before Thy servants, and
> speak forth Thy praise, and glorify Thy word. Thereupon most of Thy people
> reviled me. I swear by Thy glory, O my God! I never thought that they
> would show forth such deeds, aware as I am that Thou hast Thyself
> announced this Revelation unto them in the Scrolls of Thy commandment
> and the Tablets of Thy decree, and hast covenanted with them concerning
> this youth in every word sent down by Thee unto Thy creatures and Thy
> people.
> I am bewildered, therefore, O my God, and know not how to act
> toward them. Every time I hold my peace, and cease to extol Thy wondrous
> virtues, Thy Spirit impelleth me to cry out before all who are in Thy heaven
> and on Thy earth; and every time I am still, the breaths wafted from the
> right hand of Thy will and purpose pass over me, and stir me up, and I find
> myself to be as a leaf which lieth at the mercy of the winds of Thy decree, and
> is carried away whithersoever Thou dost permit or command it. Every man
> of insight who considereth what hath been revealed by me, will be persuaded
> that Thy Cause is not in my hands, but in Thy hands, and will recognize
> that the reins of power are held not in my grasp but in Thy grasp, and are
> subject to Thy sovereign might. And yet, Thou seest, O my God, how the
> inhabitants of Thy realm have arrayed themselves against me, and inflict
> upon me every moment of my life what causeth the realities of Thy chosen
> ones and trusted ones to tremble.
> I entreat Thee, therefore, O my God, by Thy Name through which
> Thou hast guided Thy lovers to the living waters of Thy grace and Thy
> favors, and attracted them that long for Thee to the Paradise of Thy
> nearness and Thy presence, to open the eyes of Thy people that they may
> recognize in this Revelation the manifestation of Thy transcendent unity, and
> the dawning of the lights of Thy countenance and Thy beauty. Cleanse them,
> then, O my God, from all idle fancies and vain imaginations, that they may
> inhale the fragrances of sanctity from the robe of Thy Revelation and Thy
> commandment, that haply they may cease to inflict upon me what will
> deprive their souls of the fragrances of the manifold tokens of Thy mercy, that
> are wafted in the days of Him Who is the Manifestation of Thyself, and the
> Day-Spring of Thy Cause, and that they may not perpetrate what will call
> down Thy wrath and anger.
> Thou well knowest, O my God, that I was regarded as one of the
> people of the Bayán, and consorted with them with love and fellowship, and
> summoned them to Thee in the daytime and in the night season, through the
> wonders of Thy Revelation and Thine inspiration, and sustained at their
> hands what the inmates of the cities of Thine invention are powerless to
> 
> recount. I swear by Thy might, O my Beloved! Every morning I waken to
> find that I am made a target for the darts of their envy, and every night,
> when I lie down to rest, I discover that I have fallen a victim to the spears of
> their hate. Though Thou hast made known unto me the secrets of their
> hearts, and hast set me above them, I have refused to uncover their deeds,
> and have dealt patiently with them, mindful of the time which Thou hast
> fixed. And when Thy promise came to pass, and the set time was fulfilled,
> Thou didst lift, to an imperceptible degree, the veil of concealment, and lo, all
> the inmates of the kingdoms of Thy Revelation and of Thy creation shook
> and trembled, except those who were created by Thee, through the fire of Thy
> love, and the breath of Thine eagerness, and the water of Thy lovingkindness, and the clay of Thy grace. These are they who are glorified by the
> Concourse on high and the denizens of the Cities of eternity.146
> 
> Whilst I lay, chained and fettered, in the prison of Tihrán, one of
> thy ministers extended Me his aid. Wherefore hath God ordained for thee a
> station which the knowledge of none can comprehend except His knowledge.
> Beware lest thou barter away this sublime station.147
> 
> While engulfed in tribulations I heard a most wondrous, a most
> sweet voice, calling above My head. Turning My face, I beheld a Maiden --
> the embodiment of the remembrance of the name of My Lord -- suspended in
> the air before Me. So rejoiced was she in her very soul that her countenance
> shone with the ornament of the good pleasure of God, and her cheeks glowed
> with the brightness of the All-Merciful. Betwixt earth and heaven she was
> raising a call which captivated the hearts and minds of men. She was
> imparting to both My inward and outer being tidings which rejoiced My
> soul, and the souls of God's honoured servants.
> Pointing with her finger unto My head, she addressed all who are
> in heaven and all who are on earth, saying: “By God! This is the Best-
> Beloved of the worlds, and yet ye comprehend not. This is the Beauty of God
> amongst you, and the power of His sovereignty within you, could ye but
> understand. This is the Mystery of God and His Treasure, the Cause of
> God and His glory unto all who are in the kingdoms of Revelation and of
> creation, if ye be of them that perceive. This is He Whose Presence is the
> ardent desire of the denizens of the Realm of eternity, and of them that dwell
> within the Tabernacle of glory, and yet from His Beauty do ye turn aside.
> O people of the Bayán! If ye aid Him not, God will assuredly
> assist Him with the powers of earth and heaven, and sustain Him with the
> hosts of the unseen through His command "Be", and it is! The day is
> 
> approaching when God will have, by an act of His Will, raised up a race of
> men the nature of which is inscrutable to all save God, the All-Powerful, the
> Self-Subsisting. He shall purify them from the defilement of idle fancies and
> corrupt desires, shall lift them up to the heights of holiness, and shall cause
> them to manifest the signs of His sovereignty and might upon earth. Thus
> hath it been ordained by God, the All-Glorious, the All-Loving.
> O people of the Bayán! Would ye deny Him Whose presence is the
> very object of your creation, while ye rejoice idly upon your couches? Would ye
> laugh to scorn and contend with Him, a single hair of Whose head excelleth,
> in the sight of God, all that are in the heavens and all that are on the earth?
> O people of the Bayán! Produce, then, that which ye possess, that I may
> know by what proof ye believed aforetime in the Manifestations of His
> Cause, and by what reason ye now wax so disdainful!
> I swear by Him Who hath fashioned Me from the light of His own
> Beauty! None have I ever seen that surpasseth you in heedlessness or
> exceedeth you in ignorance. Ye seek to prove your faith in God through such
> holy Tablets as ye possess, yet when the verses of God were revealed and His
> Lamp was lighted, ye disbelieved in Him Whose very Pen hath fixed the
> destinies of all things in the Preserved Tablet. Ye recite the sacred verses and
> yet repudiate Him Who is their Source and Revealer. Thus hath God
> blinded your eyes in requital for your deeds, would ye but understand. Day
> and night ye transcribe the verses of God, and yet ye remain shut out, as by
> a veil, from Him Who hath revealed them.
> In this Day the Concourse on high beholdeth you in your evil
> doings and shunneth your company, and yet ye perceive it not. They ask of
> one another: "What words do these fools utter, and in what valley are they
> wont to graze? Do they deny that whereunto their very souls testify, and shut
> their eyes to that which they plainly behold?" I swear by God, O people!
> They that inhabit the Cities of the Names of God are bewildered at your
> actions, while ye roam, aimless and unconscious, in a parched and barren
> land.”148
> 
> Whilst I lay, chained and fettered, in the prison of Tihrán, one of
> thy ministers extended Me his aid. Wherefore hath God ordained for thee a
> station which the knowledge of none can comprehend except His knowledge.
> Beware lest thou barter away this sublime station.149
> 
> Shouldst thou at some time happen to visit the dungeon of His
> Majesty the Sháh, ask the director and chief jailer to show thee those two
> chains, one of which is known as Qara-Guhár, and the other as Salásil. I
> 
> swear by the Daystar of Justice that for four months this Wronged One was
> tormented and chained by one or the other of them. "My grief exceedeth all
> the woes to which Jacob gave vent, and all the afflictions of Job are but a
> part of My sorrows!"150
> 
> All this generation could offer Us were wounds from its darts, and
> the only cup it proffered to Our lips was the cup of its venom. On our neck
> We still bear the scar of chains, and upon Our body are imprinted the
> evidences of an unyielding cruelty.151
> 
> "All those who were struck down by the storm that raged during
> that memorable year in Tihrán were Our fellow-prisoners in the Síyáh-Chál,
> where We were confined. We were all huddled together in one cell, our feet in
> stocks, and around our necks fastened the most galling of chains. The air we
> breathed was laden with the foulest impurities, while the floor on which we
> sat was covered with filth and infested with vermin. No ray of light was
> allowed to penetrate that pestilential dungeon or to warm its icy-coldness. We
> were placed in two rows, each facing the other. We had taught them to repeat
> certain verses which, every night, they chanted with extreme fervour. 'God is
> sufficient unto me; He verily is the All-sufficing!' one row would intone,
> while the other would reply: 'In Him let the trusting trust.' The chorus of
> these gladsome voices would continue to peal out until the early hours of the
> morning. Their reverberation would fill the dungeon, and, piercing its
> massive walls, would reach the ears of Násiri'd-Dín Sháh, whose palace was
> not far distant from the place where we were imprisoned. 'What means this
> sound?' he was reported to have exclaimed. 'It is the anthem the Bábís are
> intoning in their prison,' they replied. The Sháh made no further remarks,
> nor did he attempt to restrain the enthusiasm his prisoners, despite the
> horrors of their confinement, continued to display.
> "One day, there was brought to Our prison a tray of roasted meat,
> which they informed Us the Sháh had ordered to be distributed among the
> prisoners. 'The Sháh,' We were told, 'faithful to a vow he made, has chosen
> this day to offer to you all this lamb in fulfilment of his pledge.' A deep
> silence fell upon Our companions, who expected Us to make answer on their
> behalf. 'We return this gift to you,' We replied; 'we can well dispense with
> this offer.' The answer We made would have greatly irritated the guards had
> they not been eager to devour the food we had refused to touch. Despite the
> hunger with which Our companions were afflicted, only one among them, a
> certain Mírzá Husayn-i-Matavallíy-i-Qumí, showed any desire to eat of the
> food the sovereign had chosen to spread before us. With a fortitude that was
> 
> truly heroic, Our fellow-prisoners submitted, without a murmur, to endure
> the piteous plight to which they were reduced. Praise of God, instead of
> complaint of the treatment meted out to them by the Sháh, fell unceasingly
> from their lips -- praise with which they sought to beguile the hardships of a
> cruel captivity.
> "Every day Our gaolers, entering Our cell, would call the name of
> one of Our companions, bidding him arise and follow them to the foot of the
> gallows. With what eagerness would the owner of that name respond to that
> solemn call! Relieved of his chains, he would spring to his feet and, in a state
> of uncontrollable delight, would approach and embrace Us. We would seek
> to comfort him with the assurance of an everlasting life in the world beyond,
> and, filling his heart with hope and joy, would send him forth to win the
> crown of glory. He would embrace, in turn, the rest of his fellow-prisoners
> and then proceed to die as dauntlessly as he had lived. Soon after the
> martyrdom of each of these companions, We would be informed by the
> executioner, who had grown to be friendly to Us, of the circumstances of the
> death of his victim, and of the joy with which he had endured his sufferings
> to the very end.
> "We were awakened one night, ere break of day, by Mírzá
> ‘Abdu'l-Vahháb-i-Shírází, who was bound with Us to the same chains.
> He had left Kázimayn and followed Us to Tihrán, where he was arrested
> and thrown into prison. He asked Us whether We were awake, and
> proceeded to relate to Us his dream. 'I have this night,' he said, 'been soaring
> into a space of infinite vastness and beauty. I seemed to be uplifted on wings
> that carried me wherever I desired to go. A feeling of rapturous delight filled
> my soul. I flew in the midst of that immensity with a swiftness and ease that
> I cannot describe.' 'To-day,' We replied, 'it will be your turn to sacrifice
> yourself for this Cause. May you remain firm and steadfast to the end. You
> will then find yourself soaring in that same limitless space of which you
> dreamed, traversing with the same ease and swiftness the realm of immortal
> sovereignty, and gazing with that same rapture upon the Infinite Horizon.'
> "That morning saw the gaoler again enter Our cell and call out the
> name of ‘Abdu'l-Vahháb. Throwing off his chains, he sprang to his feet,
> embraced each of his fellow-prisoners, and, taking Us into his arms, pressed
> Us lovingly to his heart. That moment We discovered that he had no shoes
> to wear We gave him Our own, and, speaking a last word of encouragement
> and cheer, sent him forth to the scene of his martyrdom. Later on, his
> executioner came to Us, praising in glowing language the spirit which that
> youth had shown. How thankful We were to God for this testimony which
> the executioner himself had given!"152
> 
> Whilst I lay chained and fettered in the prison, one of thy ministers
> extended Me his aid. Wherefore hath God ordained for thee a station which
> the knowledge of none can comprehend except His knowledge. Beware lest
> thou barter away this sublime station. Thy Lord, verily, doeth what He
> willeth. What He pleaseth will God abrogate or confirm, and with Him is
> the knowledge of all things in a Guarded Tablet.153
> 
> O Shaykh! These perspicuous verses have been sent down in one of
> the Tablets by the Abhá Pen: "Hearken, O servant, unto the voice of this
> Wronged One, Who hath endured grievous vexations and trials in the path
> of God, the Lord of all Names, until such time as He was cast into prison,
> in the Land of Ta (Tihrán). He summoned men unto the most sublime
> Paradise, and yet they seized Him and paraded Him through cities and
> countries. How many the nights during which slumber fled from the eyes of
> My loved ones, because of their love for Me; and how numerous the days
> whereon I had to face the assaults of the peoples against Me! At one time I
> found Myself on the heights of mountains; at another in the depths of the
> prison of Ta (Tihrán), in chains and fetters. By the righteousness of God! I
> was at all times thankful unto Him, uttering His praise, engaged in
> remembering Him, directed towards Him, satisfied with His pleasure, and
> lowly and submissive before Him. So passed My days, until they ended in
> this Prison (‘Akká) which hath made the earth to tremble and the heavens
> to sigh. Happy that one who hath cast away his vain imaginings, when He
> Who was hid came with the standards of His signs. We, verily, have
> announced unto men this Most Great Revelation, and yet the people are in a
> state of strange stupor."
> Thereupon, a Voice was raised from the direction of Hijaz, calling
> aloud and saying: "Great is thy blessedness, O 'Akká, in that God hath
> made thee the dayspring of His Most Sweet Voice, and the dawn of His
> most mighty signs. Happy art thou in that the Throne of Justice hath been
> established upon thee, and the Daystar of God's loving-kindness and bounty
> hath shone forth above thy horizon. Well is it with every fair-minded person
> that hath judged fairly Him Who is the Most Great Remembrance, and
> woe betide him that hath erred and doubted."”154
> 
> Shake off, O heedless ones, the slumber of negligence, that ye may
> behold the radiance which His glory hath spread through the world. How
> foolish are those who murmur against the premature birth of His light. O ye
> who are inly blind! Whether too soon or too late, the evidences of His
> effulgent glory are now actually manifest. It behoveth you to ascertain whether
> 
> or not such a light hath appeared. It is neither within your power nor mine
> to set the time at which it should be made manifest. God's inscrutable
> Wisdom hath fixed its hour beforehand. Be content, O people, with that
> which God hath desired for you and predestined unto you.... O my illwishers! The Day Star of eternal Guidance beareth me witness: Had it been
> in my power, I would have, under no circumstances, consented to distinguish
> myself amongst men, for the Name I bear utterly disdaineth to associate
> itself with this generation whose tongues are sullied and whose hearts are
> false. And whenever I chose to hold my peace and be still, lo, the voice of the
> Holy Ghost, standing on my right hand, aroused me, and the Supreme
> Spirit appeared before my face, and Gabriel overshadowed me, and the
> Spirit of Glory stirred within my bosom, bidding me arise and break my
> silence. If your hearing be purged and your ears be attentive, ye will assuredly
> perceive that every limb of my body, nay all the atoms of my being, proclaim
> and bear witness to this call: "God, besides Whom is none other God, and
> He, Whose beauty is now manifest, is the reflection of His glory unto all
> that are in heaven and on earth."155
> 
> "That so brief a span," Bahá'u'lláh Himself explains, "should
> have separated this most mighty and wondrous Revelation from Mine own
> previous Manifestation, is a secret that no man can unravel and a mystery
> such as no mind can fathom. Its duration had been foreordained, and no
> man shall ever discover its reason unless and until he be informed of the
> contents of My Hidden Book." "Behold," Bahá'u'lláh further explains in
> the Kitáb-i-Badí', one of His works refuting the arguments of the people of
> the Bayán, "behold, how immediately upon the completion of the ninth year
> of this wondrous, this most holy and merciful Dispensation, the requisite
> number of pure, of wholly consecrated and sanctified souls had been most
> secretly consummated."156
> 
> No sooner had He revealed Himself than the foundations of the
> kindreds of the earth shook and trembled, and the learned swooned away,
> and the wise were bewildered, except such as have, through the power of Thy
> might, drawn nigh unto Thee, and received the choice wine of Thy Revelation
> from the hand of Thy grace, and have quaffed it in Thy name, and
> exclaimed: "Praise be unto Thee, O Thou the Desire of the worlds! and
> glory be to Thee, O Thou Who art the Exultation of the hearts that pant
> after Thee!"My God, my Master, my Highest Hope, and the Goal of my
> desire! Thou seest and hearest the sighing of this wronged One, from this
> darksome well which the vain imaginations of Thine adverSaríes have built,
> 
> and from this blind pit which the idle fancies of the wicked among Thy
> creatures have digged. By Thy Beauty, O Thou Whose glory is uncovered to
> the face of men! I am not impatient in the troubles that touch me in my love
> for Thee, neither in the adversities which I suffer in Thy path. Nay, I have,
> by Thy power, chosen them for mine own self, and I glory in them amongst
> such of Thy creatures as enjoy near access to Thee, and those of Thy servants
> that are wholly devoted to Thy Self.157
> 
> JOURNEY FROM TIHRÁN TO BAGHDÁD
> (January 12-April 8, 1853)
> 
> "In the days," is yet another illuminating testimony revealed by His
> pen, "when this Wronged One was sore-afflicted in prison, the minister of
> the highly esteemed government (of Russia) -- may God, glorified and exalted
> be He, assist him! -- exerted his utmost endeavor to compass My deliverance.
> Several times permission for My release was granted. Some of the ulamas of
> the city, however, would prevent it. Finally, My freedom was gained through
> the solicitude and the endeavor of His Excellency the Minister. ...His
> Imperial Majesty, the Most Great Emperor -- may God, exalted and
> glorified be He, assist him! -- extended to Me for the sake of God his
> protection -- a protection which has excited the envy and enmity of the foolish
> ones of the earth."158
> 
> We departed out of Tihrán, at the bidding of the King, and, by his
> leave, transferred Our residence to Iraq. If I had transgressed against him,
> why, then, did he release Me? And if I were innocent of guilt, wherefore did
> ye afflict Us with such tribulation as none among them that profess your
> faith hath suffered? Hath any of Mine acts, after Mine arrival in Iraq, been
> such as to subvert the authority of the government? Who is it that can be
> said to have detected any thing reprehensible in Our behavior? Enquire for
> thyself of its people, that thou mayest be of them who have discerned the
> truth.159
> 
> And when this Wronged One went forth out of His prison, We
> journeyed, in pursuance of the order of His Majesty the Sháh -- may God,
> exalted be He, protect him -- to ‘Iráq, escorted by officers in the service of the
> esteemed and honored governments of Persia and Russia. After Our arrival,
> We revealed, as a copious rain, by the aid of God and His Divine Grace
> and mercy, Our verses, and sent them to various parts of the world. We
> exhorted all men, and particularly this people, through Our wise counsels
> 
> and loving admonitions, and forbade them to engage in sedition, quarrels,
> disputes and conflict. As a result of this, and by the grace of God,
> waywardness and folly were changed into piety and understanding, and
> weapons converted into instruments of peace.160
> 
> "My God, My Master, My Desire!... Thou hast created this atom
> of dust through the consummate power of Thy might, and nurtured Him
> with Thine hands which none can chain up.... Thou hast destined for Him
> trials and tribulations which no tongue can describe, nor any of Thy Tablets
> adequately recount. The throat Thou didst accustom to the touch of silk
> Thou hast, in the end, clasped with strong chains, and the body Thou didst
> ease with brocades and velvets Thou hast at last subjected to the abasement
> of a dungeon. Thy decree hath shackled Me with unnumbered fetters, and
> cast about My neck chains that none can sunder. A number of years have
> passed during which afflictions have, like showers of mercy, rained upon
> Me.... How many the nights during which the weight of chains and fetters
> allowed Me no rest, and how numerous the days during which peace and
> tranquillity were denied Me, by reason of that wherewith the hands and
> tongues of men have afflicted Me! Both bread and water which Thou hast,
> through Thy all-embracing mercy, allowed unto the beasts of the field, they
> have, for a time, forbidden unto this servant, and the things they refused to
> inflict upon such as have seceded from Thy Cause, the same have they
> suffered to be inflicted upon Me, until, finally, Thy decree was irrevocably
> fixed, and Thy behest summoned this servant to depart out of Persia,
> accompanied by a number of frail-bodied men and children of tender age, at
> this time when the cold is so intense that one cannot even speak, and ice and
> snow so abundant that it is impossible to move."161
> 
> IN BAGHDÁD
> (April 8, 1853-April 10, 1854)
> 
> Upon Our arrival in ‘Iráq We found the Cause of God sunk in
> deep apathy and the breeze of divine revelation stilled. Most of the believers
> were faint and dispirited, nay utterly lost and dead. Hence there was a
> second blast on the Trumpet, whereupon the Tongue of Grandeur uttered
> these blessed words: 'We have sounded the Trumpet for the second time.'
> Thus the whole world was quickened through the vitalizing breaths of divine
> revelation and inspiration.162
> 
> Call Thou to mind God's mercy unto Thee; how, when Thou wert
> imprisoned with a number of other souls, He delivered Thee and aided Thee
> with the hosts of the seen and the unseen, until the King sent Thee to 'Iraq
> after We had disclosed unto him that Thou wert not of the sowers of
> sedition. Those who follow their corrupt desires and lay aside the fear of God
> are indeed in grievous error. They that spread disorder in the land, shed the
> blood of men, and wrongfully consume the substance of others -- We, verily,
> are clear of them, and We beseech God not to associate Us with them,
> whether in this world or in the world to come, unless they should repent unto
> Him. He, verily, is of those who show mercy the most merciful.163
> 
> If He be truly unconstrained, behold then how He hath sent down
> the Manifestation of His Cause with verses which naught in the heavens or
> on the earth can withstand! Such hath been the manner of their revelation
> that they have neither peer nor likeness in the world of being, as ye yourselves
> beheld and heard when once the Daystar of the world shone forth above the
> horizon of 'Iraq with manifest dominion. All things attain their
> consummation in the divine verses, and these indeed are the verses of God,
> the Sovereign Lord, the Help in Peril, the All-Glorious, the Almighty.
> Beyond this, He hath been made manifest as the Bearer of a Cause whose
> sovereign might is acknowledged by all created things, and this none can deny
> save the sinners and the ungodly.164
> 
> We fain would hope that the people of the Bayán will be
> enlightened, will soar in the realm of the spirit and abide therein, will discern
> the Truth, and recognize with the eye of insight dissembling falsehood. In
> these days, however, such odours of jealousy are diffused, that -- I swear by
> the Educator of all beings, visible and invisible -- from the beginning of the
> foundation of the world -- though it hath no beginning -- until the present
> day, such malice, envy, and hate have in no wise appeared, nor will they ever
> be witnessed in the future. For a number of people who have never inhaled
> the fragrance of justice, have raised the standard of sedition, and have
> leagued themselves against Us. On every side We witness the menace of their
> spears, and in all directions We recognize the shafts of their arrows. This,
> although We have never gloried in any thing, nor did We seek preference
> over any soul. To everyone We have been a most kindly companion, a most
> forbearing and affectionate friend. In the company of the poor We have
> sought their fellowship, and amidst the exalted and learned We have been
> submissive and resigned. I swear by God, the one true God! grievous as have
> been the woes and sufferings which the hand of the enemy and the people of
> 
> the Book inflicted upon Us, yet all these fade into utter nothingness when
> compared with that which hath befallen Us at the hand of those who profess
> to be Our friends.
> What more shall We say? The universe, were it to gaze with the
> eye of justice, would be incapable of bearing the weight of this utterance!165
> 
> By the leave and permission of the King of the Age, this Servant
> journeyed from the Seat of Sovereignty [Tihrán] to ‘Iráq, and dwelt for
> twelve years in that land. Throughout the entire course of this period no
> account of Our condition was submitted to the court of thy presence, and no
> representation ever made to foreign powers. Placing Our whole trust in God,
> We resided in that land until there came to ‘Iráq a certain official who, upon
> his arrival, undertook to harass this poor company of exiles. Day after day,
> at the instigation of some of the outwardly learned and of other individuals,
> he would stir up trouble for these servants, although they had at no time
> committed any act detrimental to the state and its people or contrary to the
> rules and customs of the citizens of the realm.
> Fearing lest the actions of these transgressors should produce some
> outcome at variance with thy world-adorning judgement, this Servant
> despatched a brief account of the matter to Mírzá Sa'íd Khán at the Foreign
> Ministry, so that he might submit it to the royal presence and that whatever
> thou shouldst please to decree in this respect might be obeyed. A long while
> elapsed, and no decree was issued. Finally matters came to such a pass that
> there loomed the threat of imminent strife and bloodshed. Of necessity,
> therefore, and for the protection of the servants of God, a few of them
> appealed to the Governor of ‘Iráq.
> Wert thou to observe these events with the eye of fairness, it would
> become clear and evident in the luminous mirror of thine heart that what
> occurred was called for by the circumstances, and that no other alternative
> could be seen. His Majesty himself is witness that in whatever city a number
> of this people have resided, the hostility of certain functionaries hath
> enkindled the flame of conflict and contention. This evanescent Soul,
> however, hath, since His arrival in ‘Iráq, forbidden all to engage in
> dissension and strife. The witness of this Servant is His very deeds, for all
> are well aware and will testify that, although a greater number of this people
> resided in ‘Iráq than in any other land, no one overstepped his limits or
> transgressed against his neighbour. Fixing their gaze upon God, and
> reposing their trust in Him, all have now been abiding in peace for well-nigh
> fifteen years, and, in whatever hath befallen them, they have shown forth
> patience and resigned themselves to God.166
> 
> We departed out of Tihrán, at the bidding of the King, and, by his
> leave, transferred Our residence to ‘Iráq. If I had transgressed against him,
> why, then, did he release Me? And if I were innocent of guilt, wherefore did
> ye afflict Us with such tribulation as none among them that profess your
> faith hath suffered? Hath any of Mine acts, after Mine arrival in ‘Iráq,
> been such as to subvert the authority of the government? Who is it that can
> be said to have detected any thing reprehensible in Our behavior? Enquire
> for thyself of its people, that thou mayest be of them who have discerned the
> truth.
> For eleven years We dwelt in that land, until the Minister
> representing thy government arrived, whose name Our pen is loth to mention,
> who was given to wine, who followed his lusts, and committed wickedness,
> and was corrupt and corrupted Iraq. To this will bear witness most of the
> inhabitants of Baghdád, wert thou to inquire of them, and be of such as seek
> the truth. He it was who wrongfully seized the substance of his fellow-men,
> who forsook all the commandments of God, and perpetrated whatever God
> had forbidden. Eventually, he, following his desires, rose up against Us, and
> walked in the ways of the unjust. He accused Us, in his letter to thee, and
> thou didst believe him and followed in his way, without seeking any proof or
> trustworthy evidence from him. Thou didst ask for no explanation, nor didst
> thou attempt either to investigate or ascertain the matter, that the truth
> might be distinguished from falsehood in thy sight, and that thou mightest be
> clear in thy discernment. Find out for thyself the sort of man he was by
> asking those Ministers who were, at that time, in Iraq, as well as the
> Governor of the City (Baghdád) and its high Counsellor, that the truth may
> be revealed to thee, and that thou mayest be of the well-informed.
> God is Our witness! We have, under no circumstances, opposed
> either him, or others. We observed, under all conditions, the precepts of God,
> and were never one of those that wrought disorders. To this he himself doth
> testify. His intention was to lay hold on Us, and send Us back to Persia,
> that he might thereby exalt his fame and reputation. Thou hast committed
> the same crime, and for the self-same purpose. Ye both are of equal grade in
> the sight of God, the sovereign Lord of all, the All-Knowing.
> It is not Our purpose in addressing to thee these words to lighten
> the burden of Our woe, or to induce thee to intercede for Us with any one.
> No, by Him Who is the Lord of all worlds! We have set forth the whole
> matter before thee, that perchance thou might realize what thou hast done,
> might desist from inflicting on others the hurt thou hast inflicted on Us, and
> might be of them that have truly repented to God, Who created thee and
> created all things, and might act with discernment in the future. Better is this
> 
> for thee than all thou dost possess, than thy ministry whose days are
> numbered.167
> 
> Pause for but a little while and reflect, O Minister, and be fair in
> thy judgement. What is it that We have committed that could justify thee in
> having slandered Us unto the King's Ministers, in following thy desires, in
> perverting the truth, and in uttering thy calumnies against Us? We have
> never met each other except when We met thee in thy father's house, in the
> days when the martyrdom of Imám Husayn was being commemorated. On
> those occasions no one could have had the chance of making known to others
> his views and beliefs in conversation or in discourse. Thou wilt bear witness
> to the truth of My words, if thou be of the truthful. I have frequented no
> other gatherings in which thou couldst have learned My mind or in which
> any other could have done so. How, then, didst thou pronounce thy verdict
> against Me, when thou hadst not heard My testimony from Mine own lips?
> Hast thou not heard what God, exalted be His glory, hath said: "Say not
> to everyone who meeteth you with a greeting, 'Thou art not a believer'."
> "Thrust not away those who cry to their Lord at morn and even, craving to
> behold His face." Thou hast indeed forsaken what the Book of God hath
> prescribed, and yet thou deemest thyself to be a believer!168
> 
> This Wronged One hath been perpetually afflicted, and found no
> place of safety in which He could peruse either the writings of the Most
> Exalted One (the Báb) or those of any one else. About two months after
> Our arrival in ‘Iráq, following the command of His Majesty the Sháh of
> Persia -- may God assist him -- Mírzá Yahyá joined Us. We said unto
> him: "In accordance with the Royal command We have been sent unto this
> place. It is advisable for thee to remain in Persia. We will send Our brother,
> Mírzá Músá, to some other place. As your names have not been mentioned
> in the Royal decree, you can arise and render some service."169
> 
> Wherever this Wronged One went Mírzá Yahyá followed Him.
> Thou art thyself a witness and well knowest that whatever hath been said is
> the truth. The Siyyid of Isfáhán, however, surreptitiously duped him. They
> committed that which caused the greatest consternation. Would that thou
> wouldst inquire from the officials of the government concerning the conduct of
> Mírzá Yahyá in that land. Aside from all this, I adjure thee by God, the
> One, the Incomparable, the Lord of Strength, the Most Powerful, to
> carefully look into the communications addressed in his name to the Primal
> Point, that thou mayest behold the evidences of Him Who is the Truth as
> 
> clear as the sun. Likewise, there proceeded from the words of the Point of the
> Bayán -- may the souls of all else but Him be sacrificed for His sake -- that
> which no veil can obscure, and which neither the veils of glory nor the veils
> interposed by such as have gone astray can hide. The veils have, verily, been
> rent asunder by the finger of the will of thy Lord, the Strong, the All-
> Subduing, the All-Powerful. Yea, desperate is the state of such as have
> calumniated Me and envied Me. Not long ago it was stated that thou hadst
> ascribed the authorship of the Kitáb-i-Íqán and of other Tablets unto others.
> I swear by God! This is a grievous injustice. Others are incapable of
> apprehending their meaning, how much more of revealing them!170
> 
> Concerning this Wronged One, most of the things reported in the
> newspapers are devoid of truth. Fair speech and truthfulness, by reason of
> their lofty rank and position, are regarded as a sun shining above the
> horizon of knowledge. The waves rising from this Ocean are apparent before
> the eyes of the peoples of the world and the effusions of the Pen of wisdom
> and utterance are manifest everywhere.
> It is reported in the press that this Servant hath fled from the land
> of Tá (Tihrán) and gone to ‘Iráq. Gracious God! Not even for a single
> moment hath this Wronged One ever concealed Himself. Rather hath He at
> all times remained steadfast and conspicuous before the eyes of all men.
> Never have We retreated, nor shall We ever seek flight. In truth it is the
> foolish people who flee from Our presence. We left Our home country
> accompanied by two mounted escorts, representing the two honoured
> governments of Persia and Russia until We arrived in `Iráq in the plenitude
> of glory and power. Praise be to God! The Cause whereof this Wronged One
> is the Bearer standeth as high as heaven and shineth resplendent as the sun.
> Concealment hath no access unto this station, nor is there any occasion for
> fear or silence.171
> 
> The days of tests are now come. Oceans of dissension and
> tribulation are surging, and the Banners of Doubt are, in every nook and
> corner, occupied in stirring up mischief and in leading men to perdition.
> ...Suffer not the voice of some of the soldiers of negation to cast doubt into
> your midst, neither allow yourselves to become heedless of Him Who is the
> Truth, inasmuch as in every Dispensation such contentions have been raised.
> God, however, will establish His Faith, and manifest His light albeit the
> stirrers of sedition abhor it. ...Watch ye every day for the Cause of God....
> All are held captive in His grasp. No place is there for any one to flee to.
> Think not the Cause of God to be a thing lightly taken, in which any one
> 
> can gratify his whims. In various quarters a number of souls have, at the
> present time, advanced this same claim. The time is approaching when ...
> every one of them will have perished and been lost, nay will have come to
> naught and become a thing unremembered, even as the dust itself.172
> 
> “That event led to Our banishment to Baghdád. Soon after Our
> arrival, We betook Ourself to the mountains of Kurdistán, where We led for
> a time a life of complete solitude. We sought shelter upon the summit of a
> remote mountain which lay at some three days' distance from the nearest
> human habitation. The comforts of life were completely lacking. We
> remained entirely isolated from Our fellow men until a certain Shaykh
> Isma'il discovered Our abode and brought Us the food We needed...”173
> 
> In the early days of Our arrival in this land, when We discerned
> the signs of impending events, We decided, ere they happened, to retire.174
> 
> IN KURDISTÁN
> (April 11, 1854-March 19, 1856)
> 
> “That event led to Our banishment to Baghdád. Soon after Our
> arrival, We betook Ourself to the mountains of Kurdistán, where We led for
> a time a life of complete solitude. We sought shelter upon the summit of a
> remote mountain which lay at some three days' distance from the nearest
> human habitation. The comforts of life were completely lacking. We
> remained entirely isolated from Our fellow men until a certain Shaykh
> Ismá'íl discovered Our abode and brought Us the food We needed...”175
> 
> In the early days of Our arrival in this land, when We discerned
> the signs of impending events, We decided, ere they happened, to retire. We
> betook Ourselves to the wilderness, and there, separated and alone, led for
> two years a life of complete solitude. From Our eyes there rained tears of
> anguish, and in Our bleeding heart there surged an ocean of agonizing pain.
> Many a night We had no food for sustenance, and many a day Our body
> found no rest. By Him Who hath My being between His hands!
> notwithstanding these showers of afflictions and unceasing calamities, Our
> soul was wrapt in blissful joy, and Our whole being evinced an ineffable
> gladness. For in Our solitude We were unaware of the harm or benefit, the
> health or ailment, of any soul. Alone, We communed with Our spirit,
> oblivious of the world and all that is therein. We knew not, however, that
> the mesh of divine destiny exceedeth the vastest of mortal conceptions, and the
> 
> dart of His decree transcendeth the boldest of human designs. None can
> escape the snares He setteth, and no soul can find release except through
> submission to His will. By the righteousness of God! Our withdrawal
> contemplated no return, and Our separation hoped for no reunion. The one
> object of Our retirement was to avoid becoming a subject of discord among
> the faithful, a source of disturbance unto Our companions, the means of
> injury to any soul, or the cause of sorrow to any heart. Beyond these, We
> cherished no other intention, and apart from them, We had no end in view.
> And yet, each person schemed after his own desire, and pursued his own idle
> fancy, until the hour when, from the Mystic Source, there came the summons
> bidding Us return whence We came. Surrendering Our will to His, We
> submitted to His injunction.176
> 
> “Tell him that in the days of My retirement in the mountains of
> Sulaymáníyyih, I, in a certain ode which I composed, set forth the essential
> requirements from every wayfarer who treads the path of search in his quest
> of Truth. Share with him this verse from that ode: 'If thine aim be to cherish
> thy life, approach not our court; but if sacrifice be thy heart's desire, come
> and let others come with thee. For such is the way of Faith, if in thy heart
> thou seekest reunion with Bahá; shouldst thou refuse to tread this path, why
> trouble us? Begone!' If he be willing, he will openly and unreservedly hasten
> to meet Me; if not, I refuse to see him.”177
> 
> Subsequently, this Wronged One departed from Baghdád, and for
> two years withdrew from the world.178
> 
> In the early days of Our arrival in this land, when We discerned
> the signs of impending events, We decided, ere they happened, to retire. We
> betook Ourselves to the wilderness, and there, separated and alone, led for
> two years a life of complete solitude. From Our eyes there rained tears of
> anguish, and in Our bleeding heart there surged an ocean of agonizing pain.
> Many a night We had no food for sustenance, and many a day Our body
> found no rest. By Him Who hath My being between His hands!
> notwithstanding these showers of afflictions and unceasing calamities, Our
> soul was wrapt in blissful joy, and Our whole being evinced an ineffable
> gladness. For in Our solitude We were unaware of the harm or benefit, the
> health or ailment, of any soul. Alone, We communed with Our spirit,
> oblivious of the world and all that is therein. We knew not, however, that
> the mesh of divine destiny exceedeth the vastest of mortal conceptions, and the
> dart of His decree transcendeth the boldest of human designs. None can
> 
> escape the snares He setteth, and no soul can find release except through
> submission to His will. By the righteousness of God! Our withdrawal
> contemplated no return, and Our separation hoped for no reunion. The one
> object of Our retirement was to avoid becoming a subject of discord among
> the faithful, a source of disturbance unto Our companions, the means of
> injury to any soul, or the cause of sorrow to any heart. Beyond these, We
> cherished no other intention, and apart from them, We had no end in view.
> And yet, each person schemed after his own desire, and pursued his own idle
> fancy, until the hour when, from the Mystic Source, there came the summons
> bidding Us return whence We came. Surrendering Our will to His, We
> submitted to His injunction.179
> 
> Subsequently, this Wronged One departed from Baghdád, and for
> two years withdrew from the world.180
> 
> “Soon after Our arrival, We betook Ourself to the mountains of
> Kurdistán, where We led for a time a life of complete solitude. We sought
> shelter upon the summit of a remote mountain which lay at some three days'
> distance from the nearest human habitation. The comforts of life were
> completely lacking. We remained entirely isolated from Our fellow men until
> a certain Shaykh Ismá'íl discovered Our abode and brought Us the food We
> needed.”181
> 
> RETURN TO BAGHDÁD
> (March 19, 1856-April 22, 1863)
> 
> We entreat the learned men of the Bayán not to follow in such
> ways, not to inflict, at the time of Mustaghath, upon Him Who is the divine
> Essence, the heavenly Light, the absolute Eternity, the Beginning and the
> End of the Manifestations of the Invisible, that which hath been inflicted in
> this day. We beg them not to depend upon their intellect, their comprehension
> and learning, nor to contend with the Revealer of celestial and infinite
> knowledge. And yet, notwithstanding all these admonitions, We perceive
> that a one-eyed man, who himself is the chief of the people, is arising with the
> utmost malevolence against Us. We foresee that in every city people will arise
> to suppress the Blessed Beauty, that the companions of that Lord of being
> and ultimate Desire of all men will flee from the face of the oppressor and
> seek refuge from him in the wilderness, whilst others will resign themselves
> and, with absolute detachment, will sacrifice their lives in His path.
> Methinks We can discern one who is reputed for such devoutness and piety
> 
> that men deem it an obligation to obey him, and to whose command they
> consider it necessary to submit, who will arise to assail the very root of the
> divine Tree, and endeavour to the uttermost of his power to resist and oppose
> Him. Such is the way of the people!
> We fain would hope that the people of the Bayán will be
> enlightened, will soar in the realm of the spirit and abide therein, will discern
> the Truth, and recognize with the eye of insight dissembling falsehood. In
> these days, however, such odours of jealousy are diffused, that -- I swear by
> the Educator of all beings, visible and invisible -- from the beginning of the
> foundation of the world -- though it hath no beginning -- until the present
> day, such malice, envy, and hate have in no wise appeared, nor will they ever
> be witnessed in the future. For a number of people who have never inhaled
> the fragrance of justice, have raised the standard of sedition, and have
> leagued themselves against Us. On every side We witness the menace of their
> spears, and in all directions We recognize the shafts of their arrows. This,
> although We have never gloried in any thing, nor did We seek preference
> over any soul. To everyone We have been a most kindly companion, a most
> forbearing and affectionate friend. In the company of the poor We have
> sought their fellowship, and amidst the exalted and learned We have been
> submissive and resigned. I swear by God, the one true God! grievous as have
> been the woes and sufferings which the hand of the enemy and the people of
> the Book inflicted upon Us, yet all these fade into utter nothingness when
> compared with that which hath befallen Us at the hand of those who profess
> to be Our friends.182
> 
> “Upon Our return to Baghdád, We found, to Our great
> astonishment, that the Cause of the Báb had been sorely neglected, that its
> influence had waned, that its very name had almost sunk into oblivion. We
> arose to revive His Cause and to save it from decay and corruption. At the
> time when ear and perplexity had taken fast hold of Our companions, We
> reasserted, with fearlessness and determination, its essential verities, and
> summoned all those who had become lukewarm to espouse with enthusiasm
> the Faith they had so grievously neglected. We sent forth Our appeal to the
> peoples of the world, and invited them to fix their gaze upon the light of His
> Revelation…”183
> 
> “But for My recognition of the fact that the blessed Cause of the
> Primal Point was on the verge of being completely obliterated, and all the
> sacred blood poured out in the path of God would have been shed in vain, I
> would in no wise have consented to return to the people of the Bayán, and
> 
> would have abandoned them to the worship of the idols their imaginations
> had fashioned.”184
> 
> “We found no more than a handful of souls, faint and dispirited,
> nay utterly lost and dead. The Cause of God had ceased to be on any one's
> lips, nor was any heart receptive to its message.”185
> 
> What pen can recount the things We beheld upon Our return! Two
> years have elapsed during which Our enemies have ceaselessly and
> assiduously contrived to exterminate Us, whereunto all witness. Nevertheless,
> none amongst the faithful hath risen to render Us any assistance, nor did
> any one feel inclined to help in Our deliverance. Nay, instead of assisting
> Us, what showers of continuous sorrows, their words and deeds have caused
> to rain upon Our soul! Amidst them all, We stand, life in hand, wholly
> resigned to His will; that perchance, through God's loving kindness and His
> grace, this revealed and manifest Letter may lay down His life as a sacrifice
> in the path of the Primal Point, the most exalted Word. By Him at Whose
> bidding the Spirit hath spoken, but for this yearning of Our soul, We would
> not, for one moment, have tarried any longer in this city. "Sufficient Witness
> is God unto Us." We conclude Our argument with the words: "There is no
> power nor strength but in God alone." "We are God's, and to Him shall we
> return."186
> Methinks that I hear the Voice of the Holy Spirit calling from
> behind Me saying: Vary Thou Thy theme, and alter Thy tone, lest the heart
> of him who hath fixed his gaze upon Thy face be saddened. Say: I have
> through the grace of God and His might besought the help of no one in the
> past, neither will I seek the help of any one in the future. He it is Who
> aided Me, through the power of truth, during the days of My banishment in
> Iraq. He it is Who overshadowed Me with His protection at a time when
> the kindreds of the earth were contending with Me. He it is Who enabled
> Me to depart out of the city, clothed with such majesty as none, except the
> denier and the malicious, can fail to admit.
> Say: My army is My reliance on God; My people, the force of My
> confidence in Him. My love is My standard, and My companion the
> remembrance of God, the Sovereign Lord of all, the Most Powerful, the All-
> Glorious, the Unconditioned.187
> 
> If any of the utterances of this Servant may not be comprehended, or
> may lead to perturbation, the same must be inquired of again, that no doubt
> 
> may linger, and the meaning be clear as the Face of the Beloved One shining
> from the "Glorious Station."188
> 
> I am wondering why the tie of love was so abruptly severed, and the
> firm covenant of friendship broken. Did ever, God forbid, My devotion
> lessen, or My deep affection fail, that thou hast thus forgot Me and blotted
> Me from thy thoughts?
> What fault of Mine hath made thee cease thy favors?
> Is it that We are lowly and thou of high degree?189
> Or is that a single arrow hath driven thee from the battle?190 Have they not
> told thee that faithfulness is a duty on those who follow the mystic way, that
> it is the true guide to His Holy Presence? "But as for those who say, 'Our
> Lord is God,' and who go straight to Him, the angels shall descend to
> them...."191
> Likewise He saith, "Go straight on then as thou hast been commanded."192
> Wherefore, this course is incumbent on those who dwell in the presence of
> God.
> I do as bidden, and I bring the message,
> Whether it give thee counsel or offense. 193
> Albeit I have received no answer to My letters and it is contrary to the usage
> of the wise to express My regard anew, yet this new love hath broken all the
> old rules and ways.
> Tell us not the tale of Laylí or of Majnún's woe --
> Thy love hath made the world forget the loves of long ago.
> When once thy name was on the tongue, the lovers caught it
> And it set the speakers and the hearers dancing to and fro.194
> And of divine wisdom and heavenly counsel,
> Each moon, O my beloved, for three days I go mad;
> Today's the first of these -- 'Tis why thou seest me glad.
> We hear that thou hast journeyed to Tabriz and Tiflis to disseminate
> knowledge, or that some other high purpose hath taken thee to Sanandaj.195
> O My eminent friend! Those who progress in mystic wayfaring are of four
> kinds. I shall describe them in brief, that the grades and qualities of each
> kind may become plain to thee.196
> 
> Upon Our return, We found that he had not left, and had
> postponed his departure. This Wronged One was greatly saddened. God
> testifieth and beareth Us witness that We have, at all times, been busied
> with the propagation of this Cause. Neither chains nor bonds, stocks nor
> imprisonment, have succeeded in withholding Us from revealing Our Self. In
> 
> that land We forbad all mischief, and all unseemly and unholy deeds. Day
> and night We sent forth Our Tablets in every direction. We had no other
> purpose except to edify the souls of men, and to exalt the blessed Word.
> We especially appointed certain ones to collect the writings of the
> Primal Point. When this was accomplished, We summoned Mírzá Yahyá
> and Mírzá Vahháb-i-Khurásání, known as Mírzá Javád, to meet in a
> certain place. Conforming with Our instructions, they completed the task of
> transcribing two copies of the works of the Primal Point. I swear by God!
> This Wronged One, by reason of His constant association with men, hath
> not looked at these books, nor gazed with outward eyes on these writings.
> When We departed, these writings were in the possession of these two
> persons. It was agreed that Mírzá Yahyá should be entrusted with them,
> and proceed to Persia, and disseminate them throughout that land.197
> 
> When thou art departed out of the court of My presence, O
> Muhammad, direct thy steps towards My House (Baghdád House), and
> visit it on behalf of thy Lord. When thou reachest its door, stand thou before
> it and say: Whither is the Ancient Beauty gone, O most great House of
> God, He through Whom God hath made thee the cynosure of an adoring
> world, and proclaimed thee to be the sign of His remembrance unto all who
> are in the heavens and all who are on the earth? Oh! for the former days
> when thou, O House of God, wert made His footstool, the days when in
> ceaseless strains the melody of the All-Merciful poured forth from thee!
> What hath become of thy jewel whose glory hath irradiated all creation?
> Whither are gone the days in which He, the Ancient King, had made thee
> the throne of His glory, the days in which He had chosen thee alone to be the
> lamp of salvation between earth and heaven, and caused thee to diffuse, at
> dawn and at eventide, the sweet fragrance of the All-Glorious?
> Where, O House of God, is the Sun of majesty and power Who
> had enveloped thee with the brightness of His presence? Where is He, the
> Day Spring of the tender mercies of thy Lord, the Unconstrained, Who had
> established His seat within thy walls? What is it, O throne of God, that
> hath altered thy countenance, and made thy pillars to tremble? What could
> have closed thy door to the face of them that eagerly seek thee? What hath
> made thee so desolate? Couldst thou have been told that the Beloved of the
> world is pursued by the swords of His enemies? The Lord bless thee, and
> bless thy fidelity unto Him, inasmuch as thou hast remained His companion
> through all His sorrows and His sufferings.
> I testify that thou art the scene of His transcendent glory, His most
> holy habitation. Out of thee hath gone forth the Breath of the All-Glorious,
> 
> a Breath that hath breathed over all created things, and filled with joy the
> breasts of the devout that dwell in the mansions of Paradise. The Concourse
> on high, and they that inhabit the Cities of the Names of God, weep over
> thee, and bewail the things that have befallen thee.
> Thou art still the symbol of the names and attributes of the
> Almighty, the Point towards which the eyes of the Lord of earth and heaven
> are directed. There hath befallen thee what hath befallen the Ark in which
> God's pledge of security had been made to dwell. Well is it with him that
> apprehendeth the intent of these words, and recognizeth the purpose of Him
> Who is the Lord of all creation.
> Happy are those that inhale from thee the sweet savors of the
> Merciful, that acknowledge thine exaltation, that safeguard thy sanctity, that
> reverence, at all times, thy station. We implore the Almighty to grant that
> the eyes of those who have turned away from thee, and failed to appreciate
> thy worth, may be opened, that they may truly recognize thee, and Him
> Who, through the power of truth, hath raised thee up on high. Blind, indeed,
> are they about thee, and utterly unaware of thee in this day. Thy Lord is,
> verily, the Gracious, the Forgiving.
> I bear witness that through thee God hath proved the hearts of His
> servants. Blessed be the man that directeth his steps toward thee, and visiteth
> thee. Woe to him that denieth thy right, that turneth away from thee, that
> dishonoreth thy name, and profaneth thy holiness.
> Grieve not, O House of God, if the veil of thy sanctity be rent
> asunder by the infidels. God hath, in the world of creation, adorned thee
> with the jewel of His remembrance. Such an ornament no man can, at any
> time, profane. Towards thee the eyes of thy Lord shall, under all conditions,
> remain directed. He, verily, will incline His ear to the prayer of every one
> that visiteth thee, who will circle around thee, and calleth upon Him in thy
> name. He, in truth, is the Forgiving, the All-Merciful.
> I beseech Thee, O my God, by this House that hath suffered such
> change in its separation from Thee, that bewaileth its remoteness from Thy
> presence, and lamenteth Thy tribulation, to forgive me, and my parents, and
> my kindred, and such of my brethren as have believed in Thee. Grant that
> all my needs be satisfied, through Thy bounty, O Thou Who art the King of
> Names. Thou art the most Bountiful of the bountiful, the Lord of all
> worlds.198
> 
> Call thou to mind that which hath been revealed unto Mihdí, Our
> servant, in the first year of Our banishment to the Land of Mystery
> (Adrianople). Unto him have We predicted that which must befall Our
> 
> House (Baghdád House), in the days to come, lest he grieve over the acts of
> robbery and violence already perpetrated against it. Verily, the Lord, thy
> God, knoweth all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth.
> To him We have written: This is not the first humiliation inflicted
> upon My House. In days gone by the hand of the oppressor hath heaped
> indignities upon it. Verily, it shall be so abased in the days to come as to
> cause tears to flow from every discerning eye. Thus have We unfolded to thee
> things hidden beyond the veil, inscrutable to all save God, the Almighty, the
> All-Praised. In the fullness of time, the Lord shall, by the power of truth,
> exalt it in the eyes of all men. He shall cause it to become the Standard of
> His Kingdom, the Shrine round which will circle the concourse of the
> faithful. Thus hath spoken the Lord, thy God, ere the day of lamentation
> arriveth. This revelation have We given thee in Our holy Tablet, lest thou
> sorrow for what hath befallen Our House through the assaults of the enemy.
> All praise be to God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.199
> 
> Have I at any time transgressed your laws, or disobeyed any of your
> ministers in ‘Iráq? Inquire of them, that ye may act with discernment
> towards Us and be numbered with those who are well-informed. Hath
> anyone ever brought before them a plaint against Us? Hath anyone amongst
> them ever heard from Us a word contrary to that which God hath revealed
> in His Book? Bring forth, then, your evidence, that We may approve your
> actions and acknowledge your claims!200
> 
> We have heard that one of these calumniators hath alleged that this
> Servant practised usury whilst residing in ‘Iráq, and was engaged in
> amassing riches for Himself. Say: How can ye judge a matter whereof ye
> have no knowledge? How can ye hurl calumnies against the servants of God,
> and entertain such evil suspicions? And how could this accusation be true,
> when God hath forbidden this practice unto His servants in that most holy
> and well-guarded Book revealed unto Muhammad, the Apostle of God and
> the Seal of the Prophets, a Book which He hath ordained to be His abiding
> testimony, and His guidance and monition unto all mankind? This is but
> one of the matters in which We have opposed the divines of Persia, inasmuch
> as We have, according to the text of the Book, forbidden unto all men the
> practice of usury. God Himself beareth witness to the truth of My words.
> "Yet I hold not myself clear, for the soul is prone to evil."72 We intend only
> to impart unto you the truth, that ye might be informed thereof and be of
> them that lead a godly life. Beware lest ye give ear to the words of those from
> 
> whom the foul smell of malice and envy can be discerned; pay no heed to
> them, and stand ye for righteousness.201
> 
> Have I, O King, ever disobeyed thee? Have I, at any time,
> transgressed any of thy laws? Can any of thy ministers that represented thee
> in ‘Iráq produce any proof that can establish My disloyalty to thee? Nay, by
> Him Who is the Lord of all worlds! Not for one short moment did We rebel
> against thee, or against any of thy ministers. Never, God willing, shall We
> revolt against thee, though We be exposed to trials more severe than any We
> suffered in the past.202
> 
> There hath appeared in this Revelation what hath never appeared
> before. As to the infidels that have witnessed what hath been manifested,
> they murmur and say: "Verily, this is a sorcerer who hath devised a lie
> against God." They are indeed an outcast people.
> Tell out to the nations, O Pen of the Ancient of Days, the things
> that have happened in ‘Iráq. Tell them of the messenger whom the
> congregation of the divines of that land had delegated to meet Us, who, when
> attaining Our presence, questioned Us concerning certain sciences, and whom
> We answered by virtue of the knowledge We inherently possess. Thy Lord is,
> verily, the Knower of things unseen. "We testify," said he, "that the
> knowledge Thou dost possess is such as none can rival. Such a knowledge,
> however, is insufficient to vindicate the exalted station which the people
> ascribe to Thee. Produce, if Thou speakest the truth, what the combined
> forces of the peoples of the earth are powerless to produce." Thus was it
> irrevocably decreed in the court of the presence of thy Lord, the All-Glorious,
> the Loving.
> "Witness! What is it thou seest?" He was dumbfounded. And
> when he came to himself, he said: "I truly believe in God, the All-Glorious,
> the All-Praised." "Go thou to the people, and tell them: 'Ask whatsoever ye
> please. Powerful is He to do what He willeth. Nothing whatsoever, be it of
> the past or of the future, can frustrate His Will.' Say: 'O ye congregation of
> the divines! Choose any matter ye desire, and ask your Lord, the God of
> Mercy, to reveal it unto you. If He fulfil your wish, by virtue of His
> sovereignty, believe ye then in Him, and be not of those that reject His
> truth.'" "The dawn of understanding hath now broken," said he, "and the
> testimony of the All-Merciful is fulfilled." He arose and returned unto them
> that sent him, at the bidding of God, the All-Glorious, the Well-Beloved.
> Days passed and he failed to come back to Us. Eventually, there
> came another messenger who informed Us that the people had given up what
> 
> they originally had purposed. They are indeed a contemptible people. This is
> what happened in Iraq, and to what I reveal I Myself am witness. This
> happening was noised abroad, yet none was found to comprehend its
> meaning. Thus did We ordain it. Would that ye knew this!
> By My Self! Whoso hath in bygone ages asked Us to produce the
> signs of God, hath, no sooner We revealed them to him, repudiated God's
> truth. The people, however, have, for the most part, remained heedless. They
> whose eyes are illumined with the light of understanding will perceive the
> sweet savors of the All-Merciful, and will embrace His truth. These are they
> who are truly sincere.203
> 
> We departed out of Tihrán, at the bidding of the King, and, by his
> leave, transferred Our residence to Iraq. If I had transgressed against him,
> why, then, did he release Me? And if I were innocent of guilt, wherefore did
> ye afflict Us with such tribulation as none among them that profess your
> faith hath suffered? Hath any of Mine acts, after Mine arrival in Iraq, been
> such as to subvert the authority of the government? Who is it that can be
> said to have detected any thing reprehensible in Our behavior? Enquire for
> thyself of its people, that thou mayest be of them who have discerned the
> truth.
> For eleven years We dwelt in that land, until the Minister
> representing thy government arrived, whose name Our pen is loth to mention,
> who was given to wine, who followed his lusts, and committed wickedness,
> and was corrupt and corrupted ‘Iráq. To this will bear witness most of the
> inhabitants of Baghdád, wert thou to inquire of them, and be of such as seek
> the truth. He it was who wrongfully seized the substance of his fellow-men,
> who forsook all the commandments of God, and perpetrated whatever God
> had forbidden. Eventually, he, following his desires, rose up against Us, and
> walked in the ways of the unjust. He accused Us, in his letter to thee, and
> thou didst believe him and followed in his way, without seeking any proof or
> trustworthy evidence from him. Thou didst ask for no explanation, nor didst
> thou attempt either to investigate or ascertain the matter, that the truth
> might be distinguished from falsehood in thy sight, and that thou mightest be
> clear in thy discernment. Find out for thyself the sort of man he was by
> asking those Ministers who were, at that time, in ‘Iráq, as well as the
> Governor of the City (Baghdád) and its high Counsellor, that the truth may
> be revealed to thee, and that thou mayest be of the well-informed.
> God is Our witness! We have, under no circumstances, opposed
> either him, or others. We observed, under all conditions, the precepts of God,
> and were never one of those that wrought disorders. To this he himself doth
> 
> testify. His intention was to lay hold on Us, and send Us back to Persia,
> that he might thereby exalt his fame and reputation. Thou hast committed
> the same crime, and for the self-same purpose. Ye both are of equal grade in
> the sight of God, the sovereign Lord of all, the All-Knowing.
> It is not Our purpose in addressing to thee these words to lighten
> the burden of Our woe, or to induce thee to intercede for Us with any one.
> No, by Him Who is the Lord of all worlds! We have set forth the whole
> matter before thee, that perchance thou might realize what thou hast done,
> might desist from inflicting on others the hurt thou hast inflicted on Us, and
> might be of them that have truly repented to God, Who created thee and
> created all things, and might act with discernment in the future. Better is this
> for thee than all thou dost possess, than thy ministry whose days are
> numbered.
> Beware lest thou be led to connive at injustice. Set thy heart firmly
> upon justice, and alter not the Cause of God, and be of them whose eyes are
> directed towards the things that have been revealed in His Book. Follow not,
> under any condition, the promptings of thine evil desires. Keep thou the law
> of God, thy Lord, the Beneficent, the Ancient of Days. Thou shalt most
> certainly return to dust, and shalt perish like all the things in which thou
> takest delight. This is what the Tongue of truth and glory hath spoken.
> Rememberest thou not God's warning uttered in times past, that
> thou mayest be of them that heed His warning? He said, and He, verily,
> speaketh the truth: "From it (earth) have We created you, and unto it will
> We return you, and out of it will We bring you forth a second time." This is
> what God ordained unto all them that dwell on earth, be they high or low. It
> behoveth not, therefore, him who was created from dust, who will return unto
> it, and will again be brought forth out of it, to swell with pride before God,
> and before His loved ones, to proudly scorn them, and be filled with
> disdainful arrogance. Nay, rather it behoveth thee and those like thee to
> submit yourselves to them Who are the Manifestations of the unity of God,
> and to defer humbly to the faithful, who have forsaken their all for the sake
> of God, and have detached themselves from the things which engross men's
> attention, and lead them astray from the path of God, the All-Glorious, the
> All-Praised. Thus do We send down upon you that which shall profit you
> and profit them that have placed their whole trust and confidence in their
> Lord.204
> 
> Say: What! Cleave ye to your own devices, and cast behind your
> backs the precepts of God? Ye, indeed, have wronged your own selves and
> others. Would that ye could perceive it! Say: If your rules and principles be
> 
> founded on justice, why is it, then, that ye follow those which accord with
> your corrupt inclinations and reject such as conflict with your desires? By
> what right claim ye, then, to judge fairly between men? Are your rules and
> principles such as to justify your persecution of Him Who, at your bidding,
> hath presented Himself before you, your rejection of Him, and your infliction
> on Him every day of grievous injury? Hath He ever, though it be for one
> short moment, disobeyed you? All the inhabitants of ‘Iráq, and beyond them
> every discerning observer, will bear witness to the truth of My words.
> Be fair in your judgement, O ye Ministers of State! What is it that
> We have committed that could justify Our banishment? What is the offence
> that hath warranted Our expulsion? It is We Who have sought you, and
> yet, behold how ye refused to receive Us! By God! This is a sore injustice that
> ye have perpetrated -- an injustice with which no earthly injustice can
> measure. To this the Almighty is Himself a witness.
> Have I at any time transgressed your laws, or disobeyed any of your
> ministers in ‘Iráq? Inquire of them, that ye may act with discernment
> towards Us and be numbered with those who are well-informed. Hath
> anyone ever brought before them a plaint against Us? Hath anyone amongst
> them ever heard from Us a word contrary to that which God hath revealed
> in His Book? Bring forth, then, your evidence, that We may approve your
> actions and acknowledge your claims!205
> 
> During the days of Baghdád We ourself used to visit the coffee
> house and meet with everyone. We associated with people whether they were
> in the community or outside, whether acquaintances or strangers, whether
> they came from far or near.207
> 
> He is the Gracious, the Well-Beloved!
> O Holy Mariner! Bid thine ark of eternity appear before the
> Celestial Concourse,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! Launch it upon the
> ancient sea, in His Name, the Most Wondrous,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! And let the angelic spirits
> enter, in the Name of God, the Most High.
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! Unmoor it, then, that it
> may sail upon the ocean of glory,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! Haply the dwellers therein
> may attain the retreats of nearness in the everlasting realm.
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! Having reached the sacred
> strand, the shore of the crimson seas,
> 
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! Bid them issue forth and
> attain this ethereal invisible station,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! A station wherein the
> Lord hath in the Flame of His Beauty appeared within the deathless tree;
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! Wherein the embodiments
> of His Cause cleansed themselves of self and passion;
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! Around which the Glory
> of Moses doth circle with the everlasting hosts;
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! Wherein the Hand of
> God was drawn forth from His bosom of Grandeur;
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! Wherein the ark of the
> Cause remaineth motionless even though to its dwellers be declared all divine
> attributes.
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! O Mariner! Teach them
> that are within the ark that which we have taught thee behind the mystic
> veil,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! Perchance they may not
> tarry in the sacred snow-white spot,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! But may soar upon the
> wings of the spirit unto that station which the Lord hath exalted above all
> mention in the worlds below,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! May wing through space
> even as the favored birds in the realm of eternal reunion;
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! May know the mysteries
> hidden in the Seas of light.
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! They passed the grades of
> worldly limitations and reached that of the divine unity, the center of
> heavenly guidance.
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! They have desired to
> ascend unto that state which the Lord hath ordained to be above their
> stations.
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! Whereupon the burning
> meteor cast them out from them that abide in the Kingdom of His Presence,
> 
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! And they heard the Voice
> of Grandeur raised from behind the unseen pavilion upon the Height of
> Glory:
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! "O guardian angels!
> Return them to their abode in the world below,
> 
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! "Inasmuch as they have
> purposed to rise to that sphere which the wings of the celestial dove have never
> attained;
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! "Whereupon the ship of
> fancy standeth still which the minds of them that comprehend cannot grasp."
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! Whereupon the maid of
> heaven looked out from her exalted chamber,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! And with her brow signed
> to the Celestial Concourse,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! Flooding with the light of
> her countenance the heaven and the earth,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! And as the radiance of
> her beauty shone upon the people of dust,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! All beings were shaken in
> their mortal graves.
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! She then raised the call
> which no ear through all eternity hath ever heard,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! And thus proclaimed:
> "By the Lord! He whose heart hath not the fragrance of the love of the
> exalted and glorious Arabian Youth,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! "Can in no wise ascend
> unto the glory of the highest heaven."
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! Thereupon she summoned
> unto herself one maiden from her handmaidens,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! And commanded her:
> "Descend into space from the mansions of eternity,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! "And turn thou unto
> that which they have concealed in the inmost of their hearts.
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! "Shouldst thou inhale the
> perfume of the robe from the Youth that hath been hidden within the
> tabernacle of light by reason of that which the hands of the wicked have
> wrought,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! "Raise a cry within
> thyself, that all the inmates of the chambers of Paradise, that are the
> embodiments of the eternal wealth, may understand and hearken;
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! "That they may all come
> down from their everlasting chambers and tremble,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! "And kiss their hands
> and feet for having soared to the heights of faithfulness;
> 
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! "Perchance they may find
> from their robes the fragrance of the Beloved One."
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! Thereupon the
> countenance of the favored damsel beamed above the celestial chambers even
> as the light that shineth from the face of the Youth above His mortal temple;
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! She then descended with
> such an adorning as to illumine the heavens and all that is therein.
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! She bestirred herself and
> perfumed all things in the lands of holiness and grandeur.
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! When she reached that
> place she rose to her full height in the midmost heart of creation,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! And sought to inhale
> their fragrance at a time that knoweth neither beginning nor end.
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! She found not in them
> that which she did desire, and this, verily, is but one of His wondrous tales.
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! She then cried aloud,
> wailed and repaired to her own station within her most lofty mansion,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! And then gave utterance
> to one mystic word, whispered privily by her honeyed tongue,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! And raised the call
> amidst the Celestial Concourse and the immortal maids of heaven:
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! "By the Lord! I found not
> from these idle claimants208 the breeze of Faithfulness!
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! "By the Lord! The Youth
> hath remained lone and forlorn in the land of exile in the hands of the
> ungodly."
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! She then uttered within
> herself such a cry that the Celestial Concourse did shriek and tremble,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! And she fell upon the
> dust and gave up the spirit. It seemeth she was called and hearkened unto
> Him that summoned her unto the Realm on High.
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! Glorified be He that
> created her out of the essence of love in the midmost heart of his exalted
> paradise!
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! Thereupon the maids of
> heaven hastened forth from their chambers, upon whose countenances the eye
> of no dweller in the highest paradise had ever gazed.
> Glorified be our Lord, the Most High! They all gathered around
> her, and lo! they found her body fallen upon the dust;
> 
> Glorified be our Lord, the Most High! And as they beheld her
> state and comprehended a word of the tale told by the Youth, they bared
> their heads, rent their garments asunder, beat upon their faces, forgot their
> joy, shed tears and smote with their hands upon their cheeks, and this is
> verily one of the mysterious grievous afflictions -
> Glorified be our Lord, the Most High!209
> 
> IN THE NAJÍBÍYYIH GARDEN
> (April 22-May 2, 1863)
> 
> 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 name 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.
> Methinks that thou hast halted and movest not upon My Tablet.
> Could the brightness of the Divine Countenance have bewildered thee, or the
> idle talk of the froward filled thee with grief and paralyzed thy movement?
> Take heed lest anything deter thee from extolling the greatness of this Day --
> the Day whereon the Finger of majesty and power hath opened the seal of the
> Wine of Reunion, and called all who are in the heavens and all who are on
> the earth. Preferrest thou to tarry when the breeze announcing the Day of
> God hath already breathed over thee, or art thou of them that are shut out
> as by a veil from Him?
> No veil whatever have I allowed, O Lord of all names and Creator
> of the heavens, to shut me from the recognition of the glories of Thy Day --
> the Day which is the lamp of guidance unto the whole world, and the sign of
> the Ancient of Days unto all them that dwell therein. My silence is by
> reason of the veils that have blinded Thy creatures' eyes to Thee, and my
> muteness is because of the impediments that have hindered Thy people from
> recognizing Thy truth. Thou knowest what is in me, but I know not what
> is in Thee. Thou art the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. By Thy name that
> excelleth all other names! If Thy overruling and all-compelling behest should
> ever reach me, it would empower me to revive the souls of all men, through
> Thy most exalted Word, which I have heard uttered by Thy Tongue of
> power in Thy Kingdom of glory. It would enable me to announce the
> 
> revelation of Thy effulgent countenance where through that which lay hidden
> from the eyes of men hath been manifested in Thy name, the Perspicuous, the
> sovereign Protector, the Self-Subsisting.
> Canst thou discover any one but Me, O Pen, in this Day? What
> hath become of the creation and the manifestations thereof? What of the
> names and their kingdom? Whither are gone all created things, whether seen
> or unseen? What of the hidden secrets of the universe and its revelations?
> Lo, the entire creation hath passed away! Nothing remaineth except My
> Face, the Ever-Abiding, the Resplendent, the All-Glorious.
> This is the Day whereon naught can be seen except the splendors 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.
> This is the Day whereon the unseen world crieth out: "Great is thy
> blessedness, O earth, for thou hast been made the foot-stool of thy God, and
> been chosen as the seat of His mighty throne." The realm of glory
> exclaimeth: "Would that my life could be sacrificed for thee, for He Who is
> the Beloved of the All-Merciful hath established His sovereignty upon thee,
> through the power of His Name that hath been promised unto all things,
> whether of the past or of the future." This is the Day whereon every sweet
> smelling thing hath derived its fragrance from the smell of My garment -- a
> garment that hath shed its perfume upon the whole of creation. This is the
> Day whereon the rushing waters of everlasting life have gushed out of the
> Will of the All-Merciful. Haste ye, with your hearts and souls, and quaff
> your fill, O Concourse of the realms above!
> Say: He it is Who is the Manifestation of Him Who is the
> Unknowable, the Invisible of the Invisibles, could ye but perceive it. He it is
> Who hath laid bare before you the hidden and treasured Gem, were ye to
> seek it. He it is Who is the one Beloved of all things, whether of the past or
> of the future. Would that ye might set your hearts and hopes upon Him!
> We have heard the voice of thy pleading, O Pen, and excuse thy
> silence. What is it that hath so sorely bewildered thee?
> The inebriation of Thy presence, O Well-Beloved of all worlds,
> hath seized and possessed me.
> Arise, and proclaim unto the entire creation the tidings that He
> Who is the All-Merciful hath directed His steps towards the Ridván and
> entered it. Guide, then, the people unto the garden of delight which God hath
> 
> made the Throne of His Paradise. We have chosen thee to be our most
> mighty Trumpet, whose blast is to signalize the resurrection of all mankind.
> Say: This is the Paradise on whose foliage the wine of utterance
> hath imprinted the testimony: "He that was hidden from the eyes of men is
> revealed, girded with sovereignty and power!" This is the Paradise, the
> rustling of whose leaves proclaims: "O ye that inhabit the heavens and the
> earth! There hath appeared what hath never previously appeared. He Who,
> from everlasting, had concealed His Face from the sight of creation is now
> come." From the whispering breeze that wafteth amidst its branches there
> cometh the cry: "He Who is the sovereign Lord of all is made manifest. The
> Kingdom is God's," while from its streaming waters can be heard the
> murmur: "All eyes are gladdened, for He Whom none hath beheld, Whose
> secret no one hath discovered, hath lifted the veil of glory, and uncovered the
> countenance of Beauty."
> Within this Paradise, and from the heights of its loftiest chambers,
> the Maids of Heaven have cried out and shouted: "Rejoice, ye dwellers of the
> realms above, for the fingers of Him Who is the Ancient of Days are
> ringing, in the name of the All-Glorious, the Most Great Bell, in the
> midmost heart of the heavens. The hands of bounty have borne round the cup
> of everlasting life. Approach, and quaff your fill. Drink with healthy relish,
> O ye that are the very incarnations of longing, ye who are the embodiments of
> vehement desire!"
> This is the Day whereon He Who is the Revealer of the names of
> God hath stepped out of the Tabernacle of glory, and proclaimed unto all
> who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth: "Put away the cups of
> Paradise and all the life-giving waters they contain, for lo, the people of Baha
> have entered the blissful abode of the Divine Presence, and quaffed the wine
> of reunion, from the chalice of the beauty of their Lord, the All-Possessing,
> the Most High."
> Forget the world of creation, O Pen, and turn thou towards the face
> of thy Lord, the Lord of all names. Adorn, then, the world with the
> ornament of the favors of thy Lord, the King of everlasting days. For We
> perceive the fragrance of the Day whereon He Who is the Desire of all
> nations hath shed upon the kingdoms of the unseen and of the seen the
> splendor of the light of His most excellent names, and enveloped them with
> the radiance of the luminaries of His most gracious favors -- favors which
> none can reckon except Him, Who is the omnipotent Protector of the entire
> creation.
> Look not upon the creatures of God except with the eye of
> kindliness and of mercy, for Our loving providence hath pervaded all created
> 
> things, and Our grace encompassed the earth and the heavens. This is the
> Day whereon the true servants of God partake of the life-giving waters of
> reunion, the Day whereon those that are nigh unto Him are able to drink of
> the soft-flowing river of immortality, and they who believe in His unity, the
> wine of His Presence, through their recognition of Him Who is the Highest
> and Last End of all, in Whom the Tongue of Majesty and Glory voiceth
> the call: "The Kingdom is Mine. I, Myself, am, of Mine own right, its
> Ruler."
> 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
> Day Spring 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 favors 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.
> Blessed are they that have soared on the wings of detachment and
> attained the station which, as ordained by God, overshadoweth the entire
> creation, whom neither the vain imaginations of the learned, nor the
> multitude of the hosts of the earth have succeeded in deflecting from His
> Cause. Who is there among you, O people, who will renounce the world, and
> draw nigh unto God, the Lord of all names? Where is he to be found who,
> through the power of My name that transcendeth all created things, will cast
> away the things that men possess, and cling, with all his might, to the things
> which God, the Knower of the unseen and of the seen, hath bidden him
> observe? Thus hath His bounty been sent down unto men, His testimony
> fulfilled, and His proof shone forth above the Horizon of mercy. Rich is the
> prize that shall be won by him who hath believed and exclaimed: "Lauded
> 
> art Thou, O Beloved of all worlds! Magnified be Thy name, O Thou the
> Desire of every understanding heart!"
> Rejoice with exceeding gladness, O people of Baha, as ye call to
> remembrance the Day of supreme felicity, the Day whereon the Tongue of the
> Ancient of Days hath spoken, as He departed from His House, proceeding
> to the Spot from which He shed upon the whole of creation the splendors of
> His name, the All-Merciful. God is Our witness. Were We to reveal the
> hidden secrets of that Day, all they that dwell on earth and in the heavens
> would swoon away and die, except such as will be preserved by God, the
> Almighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
> Such is the inebriating effect of the words of God upon Him Who
> is the Revealer of His undoubted proofs, that His Pen can move no longer.
> With these words He concludeth His Tablet: "No God is there but Me, the
> Most Exalted, the Most Powerful, the Most Excellent, the All-
> Knowing.”210
> 
> Whoso layeth claim to a Revelation direct from God, ere the
> expiration of a full thousand years, 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. Terrible, indeed, is God in punishing!
> Whosoever interpreteth this verse otherwise than its obvious meaning is
> deprived of the Spirit of God and of His mercy which encompasseth all
> created things. Fear God, and follow not your idle fancies. Nay, rather,
> follow the bidding of your Lord, the Almighty, the All-Wise. Erelong shall
> clamorous voices be raised in most lands. Shun them, O My people, and
> follow not the iniquitous and evil-hearted. This is that of which We gave
> you forewarning when We were dwelling in Iraq, then later while in the
> Land of Mystery, and now from this Resplendent Spot.211
> 
> O Dhabih! 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.212
> 
> O present hour! Rejoice thou by virtue of this Hour which hath
> struck within thee through the power of God, and appreciate this eternal,
> this imperishable and celestial food which streameth down from the clouds of
> holiness from behind veils of light and descendeth from the heaven of glory
> upon Him Who beareth the Name of God.
> O present day! Shed thou illumination upon all created things
> through the advent of this radiant, this glorious Day which hath been
> manifested unto all the world from the horizon of ‘Iráq.213
> 
> JOURNEY FROM BAGHDÁD TO CONSTANTINOPLE
> (May 3-August 16, 1863)
> 
> "O My companions, I entrust to your keeping this city of Baghdád,
> in the state ye now behold it, when from the eyes of friends and strangers
> alike, crowding its housetops, its streets and markets, tears like the rain of
> spring are flowing down, and I depart. With you it now rests to watch lest
> your deeds and conduct dim the flame of love that gloweth within the breasts
> of its inhabitants."214
> 
> "It will shine resplendently within another globe, as predestined by
> Him who is the Omnipotent, the Ancient of Days. ...That the Spirit should
> depart out of the body of ‘Iráq is indeed a wondrous sign unto all who are in
> heaven and all who are on earth. Erelong will ye behold this Divine Youth
> riding upon the steed of victory. Then will the hearts of the envious be seized
> with trembling."215
> O King! We were in ‘Iráq, when the hour of parting arrived. At
> the bidding of the King of Islam (Sultán of Turkey) We set Our steps in his
> direction. Upon Our arrival, there befell Us at the hands of the malicious
> that which the books of the world can never adequately recount. Thereupon
> the inmates of Paradise, and they that dwell within the retreats of holiness,
> lamented; and yet the people are wrapped in a thick veil!216
> 
> This Wronged One proceeded, at the request of the Ministers of the
> Ottoman Government to their capital. When We arrived in Mosul, We
> found that Mírzá Yahyá had left before Us for that city, and was awaiting
> Us there. Briefly, the books and writings were left in Baghdád, while he
> himself proceeded to Constantinople and joined these servants. God beareth
> now witness unto the things which have touched this Wronged One, for after
> We had so arduously striven, he (Mírzá Yahyá) abandoned the writings
> and joined the exiles. This Wronged One was, for a long period,
> 
> overwhelmed by infinite sorrows until such time when, in pursuance of
> measures of which none but the one true God is aware, We despatched the
> writings unto another place and another country, owing to the fact that in
> Iraq all documents must every month be carefully examined, lest they rot and
> perish. God, however, preserved them and sent them unto a place which He
> had previously ordained. He, verily, is the Protector, the Succorer.
> Wherever this Wronged One went Mírzá Yahyá followed Him.
> Thou art thyself a witness and well knowest that whatever hath been said is
> the truth. The Siyyid of Isfáhán, however, surreptitiously duped him. They
> committed that which caused the greatest consternation. Would that thou
> wouldst inquire from the officials of the government concerning the conduct of
> Mírzá Yahyá in that land. Aside from all this, I adjure thee by God, the
> One, the Incomparable, the Lord of Strength, the Most Powerful, to
> carefully look into the communications addressed in his name to the Primal
> Point, that thou mayest behold the evidences of Him Who is the Truth as
> clear as the sun. Likewise, there proceeded from the words of the Point of the
> Bayán -- may the souls of all else but Him be sacrificed for His sake -- that
> which no veil can obscure, and which neither the veils of glory nor the veils
> interposed by such as have gone astray can hide. The veils have, verily, been
> rent asunder by the finger of the will of thy Lord, the Strong, the All-
> Subduing, the All-Powerful. Yea, desperate is the state of such as have
> calumniated Me and envied Me. Not long ago it was stated that thou hadst
> ascribed the authorship of the Kitáb-i-Íqán and of other Tablets unto others.
> I swear by God! This is a grievous injustice. Others are incapable of
> apprehending their meaning, how much more of revealing them!217
> 
> IN CONSTANTINOPLE
> (August 16-December 1863)
> 
> His Excellency, the late Mírzá Husayn Khán, Mushíru'd-
> Dawlih, -- may God forgive him -- hath known this Wronged One, and he,
> no doubt, must have given to the Authorities a circumstantial account of the
> arrival of this Wronged One at the Sublime Porte, and of the things which
> He said and did. On the day of Our arrival the Government Official, whose
> duty it was to receive and entertain official visitors, met Us and escorted Us
> to the place he had been bidden to take Us. In truth, the Government
> showed these wronged ones the utmost kindness and consideration. The
> following day Prince Shuja'u'd-Dawlih, accompanied by Mírzá Safá, acting
> as the representatives of the late Mushíru'd-Dawlih, the Minister (accredited
> to the Imperial Court) came to visit Us. Others, among whom were several
> 
> Ministers of the Imperial Government, and including the late Kamál Páshá,
> likewise called on Us. Wholly reliant on God, and without any reference to
> any need He might have had, or to any other matter, this Wronged One
> sojourned for a period of four months in that city. His actions were known
> and evident unto all, and none can deny them except such as hate Him, and
> speak not the truth. He that hath recognized God, recognizeth none other
> but Him. We have never liked, nor like We, to make mention of such
> things.
> Whenever high dignitaries of Persia came to that city
> (Constantinople) they would exert themselves to the utmost soliciting at every
> door such allowances and gifts as they might obtain. This Wronged One,
> however, if He hath done nothing that would redound to the glory of Persia,
> hath at least acted in a manner that could in no wise disgrace it. That which
> was done by his late Excellency (Mushíru'd-Dawlih) -- may God exalt his
> station -- was not actuated by his friendship towards this Wronged One, but
> rather was prompted by his own sagacious judgment, and by his desire to
> accomplish the service he secretly contemplated rendering his Government. I
> testify that he was so faithful in his service to his Government that dishonesty
> played no part, and was held in contempt, in the domain of his activities. It
> was he who was responsible for the arrival of these wronged ones in the Most
> Great Prison (‘Akká). As he was faithful, however, in the discharge of his
> duty, he deserveth Our commendation. This Wronged One hath, at all
> times, aimed and striven to exalt and advance the interests of both the
> government and the people, not to elevate His own station. A number of men
> have, now, gathered others about them, and have arisen to dishonor this
> Wronged One. He, nevertheless, beseecheth God -- hallowed and glorified be
> He -- to aid them to return unto Him, and assist them to compensate for
> that which escaped them, and repent before the door of His bounty. He,
> verily, is the Forgiving, the Merciful.218
> 
> Call Thou to remembrance Thine arrival in the City
> (Constantinople), how the Ministers of the Sultán thought Thee to be
> unacquainted with their laws and regulations, and believed Thee to be one of
> the ignorant. Say: Yes, by My Lord! I am ignorant of all things except what
> God hath, through His bountiful favor, been pleased to teach Me. To this
> We assuredly testify, and unhesitatingly confess it.
> Say: If the laws and regulations to which ye cleave be of your own
> making, We will, in no wise, follow them. Thus have I been instructed by
> Him Who is the All-Wise, the All-Informed. Such hath been My way in
> the past, and such will it remain in the future, through the power of God
> 
> and His might. This, indeed, is the true and right way. If they be ordained
> by God, bring forth, then, your proofs, if ye be of them that speak the truth.
> Say: We have written down in a Book which leaveth not unrecorded the
> work of any man, however insignificant, all that they have imputed to Thee,
> and all that they have done unto Thee.
> Say: It behoveth you, O Ministers of State, to keep the precepts of
> God, and to forsake your own laws and regulations, and to be of them who
> are guided aright. Better is this for you than all ye possess, did ye but know
> it. If ye transgress the commandment of God, not one jot or one tittle of all
> your works shall be acceptable in His sight. Ye shall, erelong, discover the
> consequences of that which ye shall have done in this vain life, and shall be
> repaid for them. This, verily, is the truth, the undoubted truth.
> How great the number of those who, in bygone ages, have committed
> the things ye have committed, and who, though superior to you in rank,
> have, in the end, returned unto dust, and been consigned to their inevitable
> doom! Would that ye might ponder the Cause of God in your hearts! Ye
> shall follow in their wake, and shall be made to enter a habitation wherein
> none shall be found to befriend or help you. Ye shall, of a truth, be asked of
> your doings, shall be called to account for your failure in duty with regard to
> the Cause of God, and for having disdainfully rejected His loved ones who,
> with manifest sincerity, have come unto you.
> It is ye who have taken counsel together regarding them, ye that
> have preferred to follow the promptings of your own desires, and forsaken the
> commandment of God, the Help in Peril, the Almighty.
> Say: What! Cleave ye to your own devices, and cast behind your
> backs the precepts of God? Ye, indeed, have wronged your own selves and
> others. Would that ye could perceive it! Say: If your rules and principles be
> founded on justice, why is it, then, that ye follow those which accord with
> your corrupt inclinations and reject such as conflict with your desires? By
> what right claim ye, then, to judge fairly between men? Are your rules and
> principles such as to justify your persecution of Him Who, at your bidding,
> hath presented Himself before you, your rejection of Him, and your infliction
> on Him every day of grievous injury? Hath He ever, though it be for one
> short moment, disobeyed you? All the inhabitants of Iraq, and beyond them
> every discerning observer, will bear witness to the truth of My words.
> Be fair in your judgment, O ye Ministers of State! What is it that
> We have committed that could justify Our banishment? What is the offense
> that hath warranted Our expulsion? It is We Who have sought you, and
> yet, behold how ye refused to receive Us! By God! This is a sore injustice that
> 
> ye have perpetrated -- an injustice with which no earthly injustice can
> measure. To this the Almighty is Himself a witness...219
> Narrate, O Servant, the things Thou didst behold at the time of
> Thine arrival in the City, that Thy testimony may endure amongst men, and
> serve as a warning unto them that believe. We found, upon Our arrival in
> the City, its governors and elders as children gathered about and disporting
> themselves with clay. We perceived no one sufficiently mature to acquire from
> Us the truths which God hath taught Us, nor ripe for Our wondrous words
> of wisdom. Our inner eye wept sore over them, and over their transgressions
> and their total disregard of the thing for which they were created. This is
> what We observed in that City, and which We have chosen to note down in
> Our Book, that it may serve as a warning unto them, and unto the rest of
> mankind.220
> 
> Know, then, that We came unto thy city at thine own behest, and
> entered therein with conspicuous honour.221
> 
> Later this Servant was summoned to Constantinople, whither We
> arrived accompanied by a poor band of exiles. At no time thereafter did We
> seek to meet with anyone, as We had no request to make and no aim in
> view but to demonstrate unto all that this Servant had no mischief in mind
> and had never associated with the sowers of sedition. By Him Who hath
> caused the tongues of all beings to speak forth His praise! While certain
> considerations rendered it difficult to make application to any quarter, such
> steps were perforce taken to protect certain souls. My Lord, verily, knoweth
> what is in Me, and He beareth witness unto the truth of what I say.222
> 
> O Shaykh! We have time and again stated that for a number of
> years We have extended Our aid unto His Majesty the Sháh. For years no
> untoward incident hath occurred in Persia. The reins of the stirrers of
> sedition among various sects were held firmly in the grasp of power. None
> hath transgressed his limits. By God! This people have never been, nor are
> they now, inclined to mischief. Their hearts are illumined with the light of the
> fear of God, and adorned with the adornment of His love. Their concern
> hath ever been and now is for the betterment of the world. Their purpose is to
> obliterate differences, and quench the flame of hatred and enmity, so that the
> whole earth may come to be viewed as one country.
> On the other hand, the officials of the Persian Embassy in the
> Great City (Constantinople) are energetically and assiduously seeking to
> exterminate these wronged ones. They desire one thing, and God desireth
> 
> another. Consider now what hath befallen the trusted ones of God in every
> land. At one time they have been accused of theft and larceny; at another
> they have been calumniated in a manner without parallel in this world.
> Answer thou fairly. What could be the results and consequences, in foreign
> countries, of the accusation of theft brought by the Persian Embassy against
> its own subjects? If this Wronged One was ashamed, it was not because of
> the humiliation it brought this servant, but rather because of the shame of its
> becoming known to the Ambassadors of foreign countries how incompetent
> and lacking in understanding are several eminent officials of the Persian
> Embassy. "Flingest thou thy calumnies into the face of Them Whom the one
> true God hath made the Trustees of the treasures of His seventh sphere?"
> Briefly, instead of seeking, as they should, through Him Who occupieth this
> sublime station, to attain unto the most exalted ranks, and to obtain His
> advice, they have exerted themselves and are striving their utmost to put out
> His light. However, according to what hath been reported, His Excellency
> the Ambassador Mu'ínu'l-Mulk, Mírzá Muhsín Khán -- may God assist
> him -- was, at that time, absent from Constantinople. Such things have
> happened because it was believed that His Majesty the Sháh of Persia --
> may the All-Merciful assist him -- was angry with them that have attained
> and revolve round the Sanctuary of Wisdom. God well knoweth and
> testifieth that this Wronged One hath, at all times, been cleaving fast unto
> whatever would be conducive to the glory of both the government and the
> people. God, verily, is sufficient Witness.
> 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 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."
> God alone -- exalted be His glory -- is cognizant of the things
> which befell this Wronged One. Every day bringeth a fresh report of stories
> current against Us at the Embassy in Constantinople. Gracious God! The
> sole aim of their machinations is to bring about the extermination of this
> servant. They are, however, oblivious of the fact that abasement in the path
> 
> of God is My true glory. In the newspapers the following hath been recorded:
> "Touching the fraudulent dealings of some of the exiles of 'Akká, and the
> excesses committed by them against several people, etc...." Unto them who
> are the exponents of justice and the daysprings of equity the intention of the
> writer is evident and his purpose clear. Briefly, he arose and inflicted upon
> Me divers tribulations, and treated Me with injustice and cruelty. By God!
> This Wronged One would not barter this place of exile for the Most
> Sublime Habitation. 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?"
> Such abasement hath been inflicted that each day they spread fresh
> calumnies. This Wronged One, however, cleaveth to seemly patience. Would
> that His Majesty the Sháh of Persia would ask for a report of the things
> which befell Us in Constantinople, that he might become fully acquainted
> with the true facts. O Sháh! I adjure thee by thy Lord, the God of Mercy, to
> look into this matter with the eye of fairness. Is there to be found a just man
> who will judge in this day according to that which God hath sent down in
> His Book? Where is the fair-minded person who will equitably consider
> what hath been perpetrated against Us without any clear token or proof?
> O Shaykh! Ponder the behavior of men. The inmates of the cities of
> knowledge and wisdom are sore perplexed asking themselves why it is that
> the Shi'ih sect, which regarded itself as the most learned, the most righteous,
> and the most pious of all the peoples of the world, hath turned aside in the
> Day of His Revelation, and hath shown a cruelty such as hath never been
> experienced. It is incumbent upon thee to reflect a while. From the inception
> of this sect until the present day how great hath been the number of the
> divines that have appeared, none of whom became cognizant of the nature of
> this Revelation. What could have been the cause of this waywardness? Were
> We to mention it, their limbs would cleave asunder. It is necessary for them
> to meditate, to meditate for a thousand thousand years, that haply they may
> attain unto a sprinkling from the ocean of knowledge, and discover the things
> whereof they are oblivious in this day.
> I was walking in the Land of Tá (Tihrán) -- the dayspring of the
> signs of thy Lord -- when lo, I heard the lamentation of the pulpits and the
> voice of their supplication unto God, blessed and glorified be He. They cried
> out and said: "O God of the world and Lord of the nations! Thou beholdest
> our state and the things which have befallen us by reason of the cruelty of
> 
> Thy servants. Thou hast created us and revealed us for Thy glorification and
> praise. Thou dost now hear what the wayward proclaim upon us in Thy
> days. By Thy might! Our souls are melted and our limbs are trembling.
> Alas, alas! Would that we had never been created and revealed by Thee!"223
> 
> One day, while in Constantinople, Kamál Páshá visited this
> Wronged One. Our conversation turned upon topics profitable unto man.
> He said that he had learned several languages. In reply We observed: "You
> have wasted your life. It beseemeth you and the other officials of the
> Government to convene a gathering and choose one of the divers languages,
> and likewise one of the existing scripts, or else to create a new language and
> a new script to be taught children in schools throughout the world. They
> would, in this way, be acquiring only two languages, one their own native
> tongue, the other the language in which all the peoples of the world would
> converse. Were men to take fast hold on that which hath been mentioned, the
> whole earth would come to be regarded as one country, and the people would
> be relieved and freed from the necessity of acquiring and teaching different
> languages." When in Our presence, he acquiesced, and even evinced great joy
> and complete satisfaction. We then told him to lay this matter before the
> officials and ministers of the Government, in order that it might be put into
> effect throughout the different countries. However, although he often returned
> to see Us after this, he never again referred to this subject, although that
> which had been suggested is conducive to the concord and the unity of the
> peoples of the world.224
> 
> Whenever high dignitaries of Persia came to that city
> (Constantinople) they would exert themselves to the utmost soliciting at every
> door such allowances and gifts as they might obtain. This Wronged One,
> however, if He hath done nothing that would redound to the glory of Persia,
> hath at least acted in a manner that could in no wise disgrace it. That which
> was done by his late Excellency (Mushíru'd-Dawlih) -- may God exalt his
> station -- was not actuated by his friendship towards this Wronged One, but
> rather was prompted by his own sagacious judgment, and by his desire to
> accomplish the service he secretly contemplated rendering his Government. I
> testify that he was so faithful in his service to his Government that dishonesty
> played no part, and was held in contempt, in the domain of his activities. It
> was he who was responsible for the arrival of these wronged ones in the Most
> Great Prison (‘Akká). As he was faithful, however, in the discharge of his
> duty, he deserveth Our commendation. This Wronged One hath, at all
> times, aimed and striven to exalt and advance the interests of both the
> 
> government and the people, not to elevate His own station. A number of men
> have, now, gathered others about them, and have arisen to dishonor this
> Wronged One. He, nevertheless, beseecheth God -- hallowed and glorified be
> He -- to aid them to return unto Him, and assist them to compensate for
> that which escaped them, and repent before the door of His bounty. He,
> verily, is the Forgiving, the Merciful.225
> 
> Would that His Majesty the Sháh of Persia -- may God
> perpetuate his sovereignty -- would inquire from the Consuls of the honored
> Persian Government who have been in this country, that he might become
> acquainted with the activities and behavior of this Wronged One. Briefly,
> they have incited a great many such as Akhtar and others, and are busying
> themselves in spreading calumnies. It is clear and evident that they will
> surround with their swords of hatred and their shafts of enmity the one
> whom they know to be an outcast among men and to have been banished
> from one country to another. This is not the first time that such iniquity hath
> been perpetrated, nor the first goblet that hath been dashed to the ground,
> nor the first veil that hath been rent in twain in the path of God, the Lord
> of the worlds. This Wronged One, however, remained calm and silent in the
> Most Great Prison, busying Himself with His own affairs, and completely
> detached from all else but God. Iniquity waxed so grievous that the pens of
> the world are powerless to record it.
> In this connection it is necessary to mention the following occurrence,
> that haply men may take fast hold of the cord of justice and truthfulness.
> Hájí Shaykh Muhammad ‘Alí -- upon him be the glory of God, the Ever-
> Abiding -- was a merchant of high repute, well-known unto most of the
> inhabitants of the Great City (Constantinople). Not long ago, when the
> Persian Embassy in Constantinople was secretly engaged in stirring up
> mischief, it was noticed that this believing and sincere soul was greatly
> distressed. Finally, one night he threw himself into the sea, but was rescued
> by some passers-by who chanced to come upon him at that moment. His act
> was widely commented upon and given varied interpretations by different
> people. Following this, one night he repaired to a mosque, and, as reported
> by the guardian of that place, kept vigil the whole night, and was occupied
> until the morning in offering, ardently and with tearful eyes, his prayers and
> supplications. Upon hearing him suddenly cease his devotions, the guardian
> went to him, and found that he had already surrendered his soul. An empty
> bottle was found by his side, indicating that he had poisoned himself. Briefly,
> the guardian, while greatly astonished, broke the news to the people. It was
> found out that he had left two testaments. In the first he recognized and
> 
> confessed the unity of God, that His Exalted Being had neither peer nor
> equal, and that His Essence was exalted above all praise, all glorification
> and description. He also testified to the Revelation of the Prophets and the
> holy ones, and recognized what had been written down in the Books of God,
> the Lord of all men. On another page, in which he had set down a prayer,
> he wrote these words in conclusion: "This servant and the loved ones of God
> are perplexed. On the one hand the Pen of the Most High hath forbidden all
> men to engage in sedition, contention or conflict, and on the other that same
> Pen hath sent down these most sublime words: 'Should anyone, in the
> presence of the Manifestation, discover an evil intention on the part of any
> soul, he must not oppose him, but must leave him to God.' Considering that
> on the one hand this binding command is clear and firmly established, and
> that on the other calumnies, beyond human strength to bear or endure, have
> been uttered, this servant hath chosen to commit this most grievous sin. I
> turn suppliantly unto the ocean of God's bounty and the heaven of Divine
> mercy, and hope that He will blot out with the pen of His grace and
> bounteousness the misdeeds of this servant. Though my transgressions be
> manifold, and unnumbered my evildoings, yet do I cleave tenaciously to the
> cord of His bounty, and cling unto the hem of His generosity. God is
> witness, and they that are nigh unto His Threshold know full well, that this
> servant could not bear to hear the tales related by the perfidious. I, therefore,
> have committed this act. If He chastise me, He verily is to be praised for
> what He doeth; and if He forgive me, His behest shall be obeyed."226
> 
> Several times calamities have overtaken you, and yet ye failed
> utterly to take heed. One of them was the conflagration which devoured most
> of the City with the flames of justice, and concerning which many poems were
> written, stating that no such fire had ever been witnessed. And yet, ye waxed
> more heedless. Plague, likewise, broke out, and ye still failed to give heed! Be
> expectant, however, for the wrath of God is ready to overtake you. Erelong
> will ye behold that which hath been sent down from the Pen of My
> command.227
> 
> IN THE COURT OF THE SULTÁN
> 
> O Shaykh! We had seized the reins of authority by the power of
> God and His Divine might, as He alone can seize, Who is the Mighty, the
> Strong. None had the power to stir up mischief or sedition. Now, however,
> as they have failed to appreciate this loving-kindness and these bounties, they
> have been, and will be, afflicted with the retribution which their acts must
> 
> entail. The State officials, considering the secret progress of the Extended
> Cord have, from every direction, incited and aided Mine adverSaríes. In the
> Great City (Constantinople) they have roused a considerable number of
> people to oppose this Wronged One. Things have come to such a pass that
> the officials in that city have acted in a manner which hath brought shame to
> both the government and the people. A distinguished siyyid, whose wellknown integrity, acceptable conduct, and commercial reputation, were
> recognized by the majority of fair-minded men, and who was regarded by all
> as a highly honored merchant, once visited Beirut. In view of his friendship
> for this Wronged One they telegraphed the Persian Dragoman informing
> him that this siyyid, assisted by his servant, had stolen a sum of money and
> other things and gone to 'Akká. Their design in this matter was to dishonor
> this Wronged One. And yet, far be it from the people of this country to
> allow themselves to be deflected, by these unseemly tales, from the straight
> path of uprightness and truth. Briefly, they have assaulted Me from every
> side, and are reinforcing Mine adversaries. This Wronged One, however,
> beseecheth the one true God to graciously assist every one in that which
> beseemeth these days. Day and night I fix My gaze on these perspicuous
> words, and recite: "O God, my God! I beseech Thee by the sun of Thy grace,
> and the sea of Thy knowledge, and the heaven of Thy justice, to aid them
> that have denied Thee to confess, and such as have turned aside from Thee to
> return, and those who have calumniated Thee to be just and fair-minded.
> Assist them, O my Lord, to return unto Thee, and to repent before the door
> of Thy grace. Powerful art Thou to do what Thou willest, and in Thy grasp
> are the reins of all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth. Praise be
> unto God, the Lord of the worlds."228
> 
> God alone -- exalted be His glory -- is cognizant of the things
> which befell this Wronged One. Every day bringeth a fresh report of stories
> current against Us at the Embassy in Constantinople. Gracious God! The
> sole aim of their machinations is to bring about the extermination of this
> servant. They are, however, oblivious of the fact that abasement in the path
> of God is My true glory. In the newspapers the following hath been recorded:
> "Touching the fraudulent dealings of some of the exiles of 'Akká, and the
> excesses committed by them against several people, etc...." Unto them who
> are the exponents of justice and the daysprings of equity the intention of the
> writer is evident and his purpose clear. Briefly, he arose and inflicted upon
> Me divers tribulations, and treated Me with injustice and cruelty. By God!
> This Wronged One would not barter this place of exile for the Most
> Sublime Habitation. 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?"
> Such abasement hath been inflicted that each day they spread fresh
> calumnies. This Wronged One, however, cleaveth to seemly patience. Would
> that His Majesty the Sháh of Persia would ask for a report of the things
> which befell Us in Constantinople, that he might become fully acquainted
> with the true facts. O Sháh! I adjure thee by thy Lord, the God of Mercy, to
> look into this matter with the eye of fairness. Is there to be found a just man
> who will judge in this day according to that which God hath sent down in
> His Book? Where is the fair-minded person who will equitably consider
> what hath been perpetrated against Us without any clear token or proof?229
> 
> JOURNEY FROM CONSTANTINOPLE TO
> ADRIANOPLE (December ?-12, 1863)
> 
> Know, then, that We came unto thy city at thine own behest, and
> entered therein with conspicuous honour. They expelled Us, however, from
> thy city with an abasement with which no abasement on earth can compare,
> if thou be of them that are well-informed. They made Us journey until We
> reached the place230 which none entereth except such as have rebelled against
> the authority of the sovereign, and as are numbered with the transgressors.
> All this, notwithstanding that We had never disobeyed thee, though it be for
> a single moment, for when We heard thy bidding We observed it and
> submitted to thy will. In dealing with Us, however, thy ministers neither
> honoured the standards of God and His commandments, nor heeded that
> which hath been revealed to the Prophets and Messengers. They showed Us
> no mercy and committed against Us that which no one among the faithful
> hath ever wrought against his fellow, nor any believer inflicted upon an
> infidel. God knoweth and is a witness unto the truth of Our words.
> When they expelled Us from thy city, they placed Us in such
> conveyances as the people use to carry baggage and the like. Such was the
> treatment We received at their hands, shouldst thou wish to know the truth.
> Thus were We sent away, and thus were We brought to the city which they
> regard as the abode of rebels. Upon our arrival, We could find no house in
> which to dwell, and perforce resided in a place where none would enter save
> the most indigent stranger. There We lodged for a time, after which, suffering
> increasingly from the confined space, We sought and rented houses which by
> 
> reason of the extreme cold had been vacated by their occupants. Thus in the
> depth of winter we were constrained to make our abode in houses wherein
> none dwell except in the heat of summer. Neither My family, nor those who
> accompanied Me, had the necessary raiment to protect them from the cold in
> that freezing weather.
> Would that thy ministers had dealt with Us according to the
> principles they uphold amongst themselves! For, by God, they dealt with Us
> neither in accordance with the commandments of God, nor with the practices
> they uphold, nor with the standards current amongst men, nor even with the
> manner in which the destitute of the earth receive a wayfarer. Such is the
> account of what We suffered at their hands, and which We have related unto
> thee in a language of truthfulness and sincerity.
> All this befell Me, though I had come unto them at their own
> behest and did not oppose their authority, which deriveth from thine own.
> Thus did We accept and observe their bidding. They, however, appear to
> have forgotten that which God hath commanded. He saith, and His Word
> is the truth: "Act with humility towards the believers." Methinks that their
> only concern was their own comfort and repose, and that their ears were deaf
> to the sighs of the poor and the cries of the oppressed. They seem to imagine
> that they have been created from pure light, while others have been fashioned
> out of dust. How wretched are their imaginings! We have all been created
> from a sorry germ.231
> 
> Beware lest ye act as did the King of Islám232 when We came unto
> him at his bidding. His ministers pronounced judgement against Us with
> such injustice that all creation lamented and the hearts of those who are nigh
> unto God were consumed. The winds of self and passion move them as they
> will, and We found them all bereft of constancy. They are, indeed, of those
> that are far astray.233
> 
> What did it profit thee, and such as are like thee, to slay, year after
> year, so many of the oppressed, and to inflict upon them manifold afflictions,
> when they have increased a hundredfold, and ye find yourselves in complete
> bewilderment, knowing not how to relieve your minds of this oppressive
> thought. ...His Cause transcends any and every plan ye devise. Know this
> much: Were all the governments on earth to unite and take My life and the
> lives of all who bear this Name, this Divine Fire would never be quenched.
> His Cause will rather encompass all the kings of the earth, nay all that hath
> been created from water and clay.... Whatever may yet befall Us, great shall
> be our gain, and manifest the loss wherewith they shall be afflicted.234
> 
> O people of Constantinople! Lo, from your midst We hear the
> baleful hooting of the owl. Hath the drunkenness of passion laid hold upon
> you, or is it that ye are sunk in heedlessness? O Spot that art situate on the
> shores of the two seas! The throne of tyranny hath,verily, been established
> upon thee, and the flame of hatred hath been kindled within thy bosom, in
> such wise that the Concourse on high and they who circle around the
> Exalted Throne have wailed and lamented. We behold in thee the foolish
> ruling over the wise, and darkness vaunting itself against the light. Thou art
> indeed filled with manifest pride. Hath thine outward splendour made thee
> vainglorious? By Him Who is the Lord of mankind! It shall soon perish,
> and thy daughters and thy widows and all the kindreds that
> dwell within thee shall lament. Thus informeth thee the All-Knowing, the
> All-Wise.235
> 
> IN ADRIANOPLE
> (December 12, 1863-August 12, 1868)
> 
> The cruelties inflicted by My oppressors have bowed Me down, and
> turned My hair white. Shouldst thou present thyself before My throne, thou
> wouldst fail to recognize the Ancient Beauty, for the freshness of His
> countenance is altered, and its brightness hath faded, by reason of the
> oppression of the infidels.236
> 
> Say: Verily the poison from them who have joined partners with
> God hath indeed penetrated the Most Holy Fingers and hath hindered them
> from writing.237
> 
> O Muhammad! He Who is the Spirit hath, verily, issued from
> His habitation, and with Him have come forth the souls of God's chosen
> ones and the realities of His Messengers. Behold, then, the dwellers of the
> realms on high above Mine head, and all the testimonies of the Prophets in
> My grasp. Say: Were all the divines, all the wise men, all the kings and
> rulers on earth to gather together, I, in very truth, would confront them, and
> would proclaim the verses of God, the Sovereign, the Almighty, the All-
> Wise. I am He Who feareth no one, though all who are in heaven and all
> who are on earth rise up against me.... This is Mine hand which God hath
> turned white for all the worlds to behold. This is My staff; were We to cast
> it down, it would, of a truth, swallow up all created things.238
> 
> Such are the outpourings ... from the clouds of Divine Bounty that
> within the space of an hour the equivalent of a thousand verses hath been
> revealed...So great is the grace vouchsafed in this day that in a single day and
> night, were an amanuensis capable of accomplishing it to be found, the
> equivalent of the Persian Bayán would be sent down from the heaven of
> Divine holiness...I swear by God! In those days the equivalent of all that
> hath been sent down aforetime unto the Prophets hath been revealed...That
> which hath already been revealed in this land (Adrianople), secretaries are
> incapable of transcribing. It has, therefore, remained for the most part
> untranscribed.239
> 
> Regarding inheritance, that which the Primal Point hath ordained -
> - may the souls of all else but Him be offered up for His sake -- is well
> pleasing. The existing heirs should receive their allotted shares of the
> inheritance, while a statement of the remainder must be submitted to the
> Court of the Most High. In His hand is the source of authority; He
> ordaineth as He pleaseth. In this regard, a law was revealed in the Land of
> Mystery, temporarily awarding the missing heirs' inheritance to the existing
> heirs until such time as the House of Justice shall be established, when the
> decree concerning this will be promulgated. The inheritance, however, of those
> who emigrated in the same year as the Ancient Beauty, hath been awarded
> to their heirs, and this is a bounty of God bestowed upon them.240
> 
> Would that thy ministers had dealt with Us according to the
> principles they uphold amongst themselves! For, by God, they dealt with Us
> neither in accordance with the commandments of God, nor with the practices
> they uphold, nor with the standards current amongst men, nor even with the
> manner in which the destitute of the earth receive a wayfarer. Such is the
> account of what We suffered at their hands, and which We have related unto
> thee in a language of truthfulness and sincerity.
> All this befell Me, though I had come unto them at their own
> behest and did not oppose their authority, which deriveth from thine own.
> Thus did We accept and observe their bidding. They, however, appear to
> have forgotten that which God hath commanded. He saith, and His Word
> is the truth: "Act with humility towards the believers." Methinks that their
> only concern was their own comfort and repose, and that their ears were deaf
> to the sighs of the poor and the cries of the oppressed. They seem to imagine
> that they have been created from pure light, while others have been fashioned
> out of dust. How wretched are their imaginings! We have all been created
> from a sorry germ.
> 
> I swear by God, O King! It is not My wish to make My plaint to
> thee against them that persecute Me. I only plead My grief and My sorrow to
> God, Who hath created Me and them, Who well knoweth our state and
> Who watcheth over all things. My wish is to warn them of the consequences
> of their actions, if perchance they might desist from treating others as they
> have treated Me, and be of them that heed My warning.
> The tribulations that have touched Us, the destitution from which
> We suffer, the various troubles with which We are encompassed, shall all
> pass away, as shall pass away the pleasures in which they delight and the
> affluence they enjoy. This is the truth which no man on earth can reject. The
> days in which We have been compelled to dwell in the dust will soon be
> ended, as will the days in which they occupied the seats of honour. God shall,
> assuredly, judge with truth between Us and them, and He, verily, is the best
> of judges.
> We render thanks unto God for whatsoever hath befallen Us, and
> We patiently endure the things He hath ordained in the past or will ordain
> in the future. In Him have I placed My trust; and into His hands have I
> committed My Cause. He will, certainly, repay all them that endure with
> patience and put their confidence in Him. His is the creation and its empire.
> He exalteth whom He will, and whom He will He doth abase. He shall not
> be asked of His doings. He, verily, is the All-Glorious, the Almighty.
> Let thine ear be attentive, O King, to the words We have addressed
> to thee. Let the oppressor desist from his tyranny, and cut off the perpetrators
> of injustice from among them that profess thy faith. By the righteousness of
> God! The tribulations We have sustained are such that any pen that
> recounteth them cannot but be overwhelmed with anguish. No one of them
> that truly believe and uphold the unity of God can bear the burden of their
> recital. So great have been Our sufferings that even the eyes of Our enemies
> have wept over Us, and beyond them those of every discerning person. And to
> all these trials have We been subjected, in spite of Our action in approaching
> thee, and in bidding the people to enter beneath thy shadow, that thou
> mightest be a stronghold unto them that believe in and uphold the unity of
> God.241
> 
> After the arrival of this Servant in this, the city of Adrianople,
> some of the people of ‘Iráq and elsewhere inquired about the meaning of the
> term "rendering assistance unto God" which hath been mentioned in the
> Holy Scriptures. Several answers were sent out in reply, one of which is set
> forth in these pages, that it may be clearly demonstrated in the court of thy
> presence that this Servant hath had no end in view but to promote the
> 
> betterment and well-being of the world. And if certain of the divine favours
> which, undeserving as I may be, God hath pleased to bestow upon Me be not
> plain and manifest, this much at least will be clear and apparent, that He,
> in His surpassing mercy and infinite grace, hath not deprived Mine heart of
> the ornament of reason.242
> 
> Erelong shall the exponents of wealth and power banish Us from
> the land of Adrianople to the city of 'Akká. According to what they say, it
> is the most desolate of the cities of the world, the most unsightly of them in
> appearance, the most detestable in climate, and the foulest in water. It is as
> though it were the metropolis of the owl, within whose precincts naught can
> be heard save the echo of its cry. Therein have they resolved to imprison this
> Youth, to shut against our faces the doors of ease and comfort, and to deprive
> us of every worldly benefit throughout the remainder of our days.243
> 
> The day is approaching when the Land of Mystery and what is
> beside it shall be changed, and shall pass out of the hands of the King, and
> commotions shall appear, and the voice of lamentation shall be raised, and
> the evidences of mischief shall be revealed on all sides, and confusion shall
> spread by reason of that which hath befallen these captives at the hands of
> the hosts of oppression. The course of things shall be altered, and conditions
> shall wax so grievous, that the very sands on the desolate hills will moan,
> and the trees on the mountain will weep, and blood will flow out of all
> things. Then wilt thou behold the people in sore distress.244
> 
> 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.245
> 
> 'Have the stars fallen?' Say: 'Yea, when He Who is the Self-
> Subsisting dwelt in the Land of Mystery.’246
> 
> Consider the Sultán of Turkey! He did not want war, but those
> like you247 desired it. When its fires were enkindled and its flames rose high,
> the government and the people were thereby weakened. Unto this beareth
> witness every man of equity and perception. Its calamities waxed so great
> that the smoke thereof surrounded the Land of Mystery and its environs,
> and what had been revealed in the Tablet of the Sultán was made manifest.
> Thus hath it been decreed in the Book, at the behest of God, the Help in
> Peril, the Self-Subsisting.248
> 
> Such are the outpourings ... from the clouds of Divine Bounty that
> within the space of an hour the equivalent of a thousand verses hath been
> revealed...So great is the grace vouchsafed in this day that in a single day and
> night, were an amanuensis capable of accomplishing it to be found, the
> equivalent of the Persian Bayán would be sent down from the heaven of
> Divine holiness...I swear by God! In those days the equivalent of all that
> hath been sent down aforetime unto the Prophets hath been revealed...That
> which hath already been revealed in this land (Adrianople), secretaries are
> incapable of transcribing. It has, therefore, remained for the most part
> untranscribed.249
> 
> Erelong shall the exponents of wealth and power banish Us from
> the land of Adrianople to the city of 'Akká. According to what they say, it
> is the most desolate of the cities of the world, the most unsightly of them in
> appearance, the most detestable in climate, and the foulest in water. It is as
> though it were the metropolis of the owl, within whose precincts naught can
> be heard save the echo of its cry. Therein have they resolved to imprison this
> Youth, to shut against our faces the doors of ease and comfort, and to deprive
> us of every worldly benefit throughout the remainder of our days.250
> 
> JOURNEY FROM ADRIANOPLE TO GALLIPOLI251
> (August 12-16, 1868)
> 
> O exponent of might and power! These young children and these
> poor ones in God did not need to be accompanied by officers and soldiers.
> Upon our arrival in Gallipoli, a major by the name of 'Umar came into
> Our presence. God is well aware of what he said. After some exchanges in
> which his own innocence and thy guilt were mentioned, We declared: "From
> the outset, a gathering should have been convened at which the learned men
> of this age could have met with this Youth in order to determine what offence
> these servants have committed. But now the matter hath gone beyond such
> 
> considerations, and, according to thine own assertion, thou art charged with
> incarcerating Us in the most desolate of cities. There is a matter, which, if
> thou findest it possible, I request thee to submit to His Majesty the Sultán,
> that for ten minutes this Youth be enabled to meet him, so that he may
> demand whatsoever he deemeth as a sufficient testimony and regardeth as
> proof of the veracity of Him Who is the Truth. Should God enable Him to
> produce it, let him, then, release these wronged ones, and leave them to
> themselves."
> He promised to transmit this message, and to give Us his reply.
> We received, however, no news from him252. Although it becometh not Him
> Who is the Truth to present Himself before any person, inasmuch as all
> have been created to obey Him, yet in view of the condition of these little
> children and the large number of women so far removed from their friends
> and countries, We have acquiesced in this matter. In spite of this nothing
> hath resulted. 'Umar himself is alive and accessible. Inquire from him, that
> the truth may be made known unto you.253
> 
> O nightingale! Incline thine ear unto the voice of the All-Glorious
> on this night when armed troops have surrounded Us while We remain in a
> state of utmost joy. O would that our blood might be shed upon the earth
> and our bodies cast upon the dust in the path of God! This, indeed, is My
> desire and the desire of whosoever hath sought Me and attained unto My
> most wondrous, Mine incomparable Kingdom.
> Know thou, O servant, that one day, upon awakening, We found
> the beloved of God at the mercy of Our adverSaríes. Sentinels were posted at
> every gate and no one was permitted to enter or leave. Indeed, they
> perpetrated a sore injustice, for the loved ones of God and His kindred were
> left on the first night without food. Such was the fate of those for whose sake
> the world and all that is therein have been created. Woe betide the
> perpetrators and those who led them into such evil! Erelong will God
> consume their souls in the fire. He, verily, is the fiercest of avengers.
> The people surrounded the house, and Muslims and Christians
> wept over Us, and the voice of lamentation was upraised between earth and
> heaven by reason of what the hands of the oppressors had wrought. We
> perceived that the weeping of the people of the Son exceeded the weeping of
> others -- a sign for such as ponder.254
> 
> The consuls of that city [Adrianople] gathered in the presence of
> this Youth at the hour of His departure and expressed their desire to aid
> Him. They, verily, evinced toward Us manifest affection.255
> 
> "After Our departure from Adrianople, a discussion arose among
> the government officials in Constantinople as to whether We and Our
> companions should not be thrown into the sea. The report of such a
> discussion reached Persia, and gave rise to a rumour that We had actually
> suffered that fate. In Khurásán particularly, Our friends were greatly
> perturbed. Mírzá Ahmad-i-Azghandí, as soon as he was informed of this
> news, was reported to have asserted that under no circumstances could he
> credit such a rumour. 'The Revelation of the Báb,' he said, 'must, if this be
> true, be regarded as utterly devoid of foundation.' The news of Our safe
> arrival in the prison-city of 'Akká rejoiced the hearts of Our friends,
> deepened the admiration of the believers of Khurásán for the faith of Mírzá
> Ahmad, and increased their confidence him."256
> 
> GALLIPOLI
> (August 18-21, 1868)
> 
> One of My companions offered up his life, cutting his throat with
> his own hands for the love of God, an act unheard of in bygone centuries and
> which God hath set apart for this Revelation as an evidence of the power of
> His might.257 He, verily, is the Unconstrained, the All-Subduing. As for
> the one who thus slew himself in ‘Iráq258, he truly is the King and Beloved of
> Martyrs, and that which he evinced was a testimony from God unto the
> peoples of the earth. Such souls have been influenced by the Word of God,
> have tasted the sweetness of His remembrance, and are so transported by the
> breezes of reunion that they have detached themselves from all that dwell on
> earth and turned unto the Divine Countenance with faces beaming with
> light. And though they have committed an act which God hath forbidden,
> He hath nevertheless forgiven them as a token of His mercy. He, verily, is
> the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Compassionate. So enraptured were these souls
> by Him Who is the All-Compelling that the reins of volition slipped from
> their grasp, until at last they ascended to the dwelling of the Unseen and
> entered the presence of God, the Almighty, the All-Knowing.
> Say: This Youth hath departed out of this country and deposited
> beneath every tree and every stone a trust, which God will erelong bring forth
> through the power of truth. Thus hath the True One come and the command
> of Him Who is the Ordainer, the All-Wise, been fulfilled. The hosts of
> earth and heaven are powerless to resist His Cause, nor can all the kings
> and rulers of the world ever frustrate His purpose. Say: Adversity is the oil
> which feedeth the flame of this Lamp and by which its light is increased, did
> ye but know. Indeed, the repudiation of the froward serveth but to proclaim
> 
> this Faith and to spread the Cause of God and His Revelation throughout
> the world.
> Great is your blessedness, inasmuch as ye have forsaken your homes
> and wandered the land for the love of your Lord, the Almighty, the Ancient
> of Days, until ye entered the Land of Mystery at a time when the fire of
> oppression was ablaze and the croaking of the raven of discord had been
> raised. Ye are My partners in My tribulations, for ye were present with Us
> during the darksome night in which the hearts of those who testify to the
> unity of God were agitated. Ye entered this land for the sake of Our love,
> and departed therefrom through Our command. By the righteousness of God!
> Because of you the earth itself glorieth over heaven. How excellent is this
> most sublime, this glorious and exalted bounty! Ye have been deprived of
> your nest, O birds of eternity, for the sake of your Lord, the Unconstrained,
> but your true abode is beneath the wings of the grace of the All-Merciful.
> Blessed are they that understand.259
> 
> "Tell the king that this territory will pass out of his hands, and his
> affairs will be thrown into confusion...Not I speak these words, but God
> speaketh them."260
> 
> “It would have been meet for His Majesty the Sultán to have
> gathered an assemby and called Us to be present, that he should have
> investigated the matter, and had he then found any portent of sedition, any
> sign of anything contrary to the Will of God, to have meted out this
> treatment to which he hath now resorted. He should have asked Us to
> present him proofs of what We profess. Should he have found Us wanting,
> then he could have subjected Us to whatever he wished. He should not have
> allowed such wrongdoing, such enmity, such injuries, without reason, soleby
> by following the behest of authors of mischief.”261
> 
> "After Our departure from Adrianople, a discussion arose among
> the government officials in Constantinople as to whether We and Our
> companions should not be thrown into the sea. The report of such a
> discussion reached Persia, and gave rise to a rumour that We had actually
> suffered that fate. In Khurásán particularly, Our friends were greatly
> perturbed. Mírzá Ahmad-i-Azghandí, as soon as he was informed of this
> news, was reported to have asserted that under no circumstances could he
> credit such a rumour. 'The Revelation of the Báb,' he said, 'must, if this be
> true, be regarded as utterly devoid of foundation.'”262
> 
> IN THE MOST GREAT PRISON IN ‘Akká
> (August 31, 1868-October, 1870)
> 
> "After Our departure from Adrianople, a discussion arose among
> the government officials in Constantinople as to whether We and Our
> companions should not be thrown into the sea. The report of such a
> discussion reached Persia, and gave rise to a rumour that We had actually
> suffered that fate. In Khurásán particularly, Our friends were greatly
> perturbed. Mírzá Ahmad-i-Azghandí, as soon as he was informed of this
> news, was reported to have asserted that under no circumstances could he
> credit such a rumour. 'The Revelation of the Báb,' he said, 'must, if this be
> true, be regarded as utterly devoid of foundation.' The news of Our safe
> arrival in the prison-city of 'Akká rejoiced the hearts of Our friends,
> deepened the admiration of the believers of Khurásán for the faith of Mírzá
> Ahmad, and increased their confidence him.
> "From Our Most Great Prison We were moved to address to the
> several rulers and crowned heads of the world Epistles in which We
> summoned them to arise and embrace the Cause of God. To the Sháh of
> Persia We sent Our messenger Badí', into whose hands We entrusted the
> Tablet. It was he who raised it aloft before the eyes of the multitude and,
> with uplifted voice, appealed to his sovereign to heed the words that Tablet
> contained. The rest of the Epistles likewise reached their destination. To the
> Tablet We addressed to the Emperor of France, an answer was received
> from his minister, the original of which is now in the possession of the Most
> Great Branch.263 To him We addressed these words: 'Bid the high priest, O
> Monarch of France, to cease ringing his bells, for, lo! the Most Great Bell,
> which the hands of the will of the Lord thy God are ringing, is made
> manifest in the person of His chosen One.' The Epistle We addressed to the
> Czar of Russia, alone failed to reach it destination. Other Tablets, however,
> have reached him, and that Epistle will eventually be delivered into his
> hands.
> "Be thankful to God for having enabled you to recognize His
> Cause. Whoever has received this blessing must, prior to his acceptance, have
> performed some deed which, though he himself was unaware of its character,
> was ordained by God as a means whereby he has been guided to find and
> embrace the Truth. As to those who have remained deprived of such a
> blessing, their acts alone have hindered them from recognising the truth of
> this Revelation. We cherish the hope that you, who have attained to this
> light, will exert your utmost to banish the darkness of superstition and
> unbelief from the midst of the people. May your deeds proclaim your faith
> 
> and enable you to lead the erring into the paths of eternal salvation. The
> memory of this night will never be forgotten. May it never be effaced by the
> passage of time, and may its mention linger for ever on the lips of men."264
> 
> Upon Our arrival, We were welcomed with banners of light,
> whereupon the Voice of the Spirit cried out saying: 'Soon will all that dwell
> on earth be enlisted under these banners.'265
> 
> Upon our arrival, we were surrounded by guards and confined
> together, men and women, young and old alike, in the army barracks. The
> first night all were deprived of either food or drink, for the sentries were
> guarding the gate of the barracks and permitted no one to leave. No one gave
> a thought to the plight of these wronged ones. They even begged for water,
> and were refused.
> 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.
> All this is but a drop in the ocean of the wrongs that have been
> inflicted upon Us, and still ye are not satisfied! The officials enforce every day
> a new decree, and no end is in sight to their tyranny. Night and day they
> conceive new schemes. They have assigned each prisoner, from the government
> storehouse, a daily allowance of three loaves of bread that no one can eat.
> From the foundation of the world until the present day a cruelty such as this
> hath neither been seen nor heard of.266
> 
> Know thou, that upon Our arrival at this Spot, We chose to
> designate it as the 'Most Great Prison.' Though previously subjected in
> another land (Tihrán) to chains and fetters, We yet refused to call it by that
> name. Say: Ponder thereon, O ye endued with understanding!267
> 
> Upon Our arrival at this Prison, We purposed to transmit to the
> kings the messages of their Lord, the Mighty, the All-Praised. Though We
> have transmitted to them, in several Tablets, that which We were
> commanded, yet We do it once again as a token of God's grace. Perchance
> they may recognize the Lord, Who hath come down in the clouds with
> manifest sovereignty.268
> 
> Meditate on the world and the state of its people. He, for Whose
> sake the world was called into being, hath been imprisoned in the most
> desolate of cities, ['Akká] by reason of that which the hands of the wayward
> have wrought. From the horizon of His prison-city He summoneth mankind
> unto the Dayspring of God, the Exalted, the Great.269
> 
> And finally, I was cast by the transgressors into the prison-city of
> 'Akká, and my kindred were made captives in Baghdád. The power of Thy
> might beareth me witness, O my God! Every trouble that hath touched me
> in Thy path hath added to my joy and increased my gladness. I swear by
> Thee, O Thou Who art the King of Kings! None of the kings of the earth
> hath power to hinder me from remembering Thee or from extolling Thy
> virtues. Were they to be leagued -- as they have been leagued -- against me,
> and to brandish their sharpest swords and most afflictive spears against me,
> I would not hesitate to magnify Thy name before all them that are in Thy
> heaven and on Thy earth. Nay rather, I would cry out and say: "This, O
> my Beloved, is my face which I have offered up for Thy face, and this is my
> spirit which I have sacrificed for Thy spirit, and this is my blood that
> seetheth in my veins, in its longing to be shed for love of Thee and in Thy
> path."270
> 
> O my God! Thou beholdest the Lord of all mankind confined in
> His Most Great Prison, calling aloud Thy Name, gazing upon Thy face,
> proclaiming that which hath enraptured the denizens of Thy kingdoms of
> revelation and of creation. O my God! I behold Mine own Self captive in the
> hands of Thy servants, yet the light of Thy sovereignty and the revelations of
> Thine invincible power shine resplendent from His face, enabling all to know
> of a certainty that Thou art God, and that there is none other God but
> Thee. Neither can the power of the powerful frustrate Thee, nor the
> ascendancy of the rulers prevail against Thee. Thou doest whatsoever Thou
> willest by virtue of Thy sovereignty which encompasseth all created things,
> and ordainest that which Thou pleasest through the potency of Thy behest
> which pervadeth the entire creation.271
> 
> Do ye imagine that He seeketh His own interests, when He hath,
> at all times, been threatened by the swords of the enemies; or that He seeketh
> the vanities of the world, after He hath been imprisoned in the most desolate
> of cities? Be fair in your judgement and follow not the footsteps of the
> unjust.272
> 
> Ye 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.273
> 
> Most of Our companions now lie sick in this prison, and none
> knoweth what befell Us, except God, the Almighty, the All-Knowing. In
> the days following Our arrival, two of these servants hastened to the realms
> above. For an entire day the guards insisted that, until they were paid for the
> shrouds and burial, those blessed bodies could not be removed, although no
> one had requested any help from them. At that time we were devoid of
> earthly means, and pleaded that they leave the matter unto us and allow
> those present to carry the bodies, but they refused. Finally, a carpet was
> taken to the bazaar to be sold, and the sum obtained was delivered to the
> guards. Later, it was learned that they had merely dug a shallow grave into
> which they had placed both blessed bodies, although they had taken twice the
> amount required for shrouds and burial.
> The pen is powerless to depict and the tongue faileth to describe the
> trials which We have suffered. Yet sweeter than honey to Me is the bitterness
> of such tribulations. Would that at every instant all the afflictions of the
> world could, in the path of God and for the sake of His love, be visited upon
> this evanescent Soul Who is immersed in the ocean of divine knowledge!
> We implore God for patience and forbearance, inasmuch as thou
> art but a feeble creature and bereft of comprehension. Wert thou to awaken
> and inhale the fragrance of the breezes that waft from the retreats of eternity,
> thou wouldst readily abandon all that thou dost possess and in which thou
> dost rejoice, and choose to abide in one of the dilapidated rooms of this Most
> Great Prison. Beseech God to grant thee such mature understanding as to
> enable thee to distinguish praiseworthy actions from those which merit blame.
> Peace be upon him who followeth the way of guidance!274
> 
> Know thou, moreover, that We have been cast into an afflictive
> Prison, and are encompassed with the hosts of tyranny, as a result of what
> the hands of the infidels have wrought. Such is the gladness, however, which
> the Youth hath tasted that no earthly joy can compare unto it. By God! The
> harm He suffereth at the hands of the oppressor can never grieve His heart,
> nor can He be saddened by the ascendancy of such as have repudiated His
> truth.
> Say: Tribulation is a horizon unto My Revelation. The day star of
> grace shineth above it, and sheddeth a light which neither the clouds of men's
> idle fancy nor the vain imaginations of the aggressor can obscure.
> Follow thou the footsteps of thy Lord, and remember His servants even as
> He doth remember thee, undeterred by either the clamor of the heedless ones
> or the sword of the enemy.... Spread abroad the sweet savors of thy Lord,
> and hesitate not, though it be for less than a moment, in the service of His
> Cause. The day is approaching when the victory of thy Lord, the Ever-
> Forgiving, the Most Bountiful, will be proclaimed.275
> 
> Every unbiased observer will readily admit that, ever since the
> dawn of His Revelation, this wronged One hath invited all mankind to turn
> their faces towards the Day Spring of Glory, and hath forbidden corruption,
> hatred, oppression, and wickedness. And yet, behold what the hand of the
> oppressor hath wrought! No pen dare describe his tyranny. Though the
> purpose of Him Who is the Eternal Truth hath been to confer everlasting
> life upon all men, and ensure their security and peace, yet witness how they
> have arisen to shed the blood of His loved ones, and have pronounced on
> Him the sentence of death.
> The instigators of this oppression are those very persons who,
> though so foolish, are reputed the wisest of the wise. Such is their blindness
> that, with unfeigned severity, they have cast into this fortified and afflictive
> Prison Him, for the servants of Whose Threshold the world hath been
> created. The Almighty, however, in spite of them and those that have
> repudiated the truth of this "Great Announcement," hath transformed this
> Prison House into the Most Exalted Paradise, the Heaven of Heavens.
> We did not refuse such material benefits as could relieve Us from
> Our afflictions. Every one of Our companions, however, will bear Us witness
> that Our holy court is sanctified from, and far above, such material benefits.
> We have nevertheless accepted, while confined in this Prison, those things of
> which the infidels have striven to deprive Us. If a man be found willing to
> rear, in Our name, an edifice of pure gold or silver, or a house begemmed
> with stones of inestimable value, such a wish will no doubt be granted. He,
> 
> verily, doeth what He willeth, and ordaineth that which He pleaseth. Leave
> hath, moreover, been given to whosoever may desire to raise, throughout the
> length and breadth of this land, noble and imposing structures, and dedicate
> the rich and sacred territories adjoining the Jordan and its vicinity to the
> worship and service of the one true God, magnified be His glory, that the
> prophecies recorded by the Pen of the Most High in the sacred Scriptures
> may be fulfilled, and that which God, the Lord of all worlds, hath purposed
> in this most exalted, this most holy, this mighty, and wondrous Revelation
> may be made manifest.
> We have, of old, uttered these words: Spread thy skirt, O
> Jerusalem! Ponder this in your hearts, O people of Bahá, and render thanks
> unto your Lord, the Expounder, the Most Manifest.276
> 
> Ye have plundered and unjustly despoiled a group of people who
> have never rebelled in your domains, nor disobeyed your government, but
> rather kept to themselves and engaged day and night in the remembrance of
> God. Later, when the order was issued to banish this Youth, all were filled
> with dismay. The officials in charge of My expulsion declared, however:
> "These others have not been charged with any offence and have not been
> expelled by the government. Should they desire to accompany you, no one will
> oppose them." These hapless souls therefore paid their own expenses, forsook
> all their possessions, and, contenting themselves with Our presence and
> placing their whole trust in God, journeyed once again with Him until the
> fortress of 'Akká became the prison of Bahá.
> Upon our arrival, we were surrounded by guards and confined
> together, men and women, young and old alike, in the army barracks. The
> first night all were deprived of either food or drink, for the sentries were
> guarding the gate of the barracks and permitted no one to leave. No one gave
> a thought to the plight of these wronged ones. They even begged for water,
> and were refused.
> 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…
> All this is but a drop in the ocean of the wrongs that have been
> inflicted upon Us, and still ye are not satisfied! The officials enforce every day
> a new decree, and no end is in sight to their tyranny. Night and day they
> conceive new schemes. They have assigned each prisoner, from the government
> storehouse, a daily allowance of three loaves of bread that no one can eat.
> 
> From the foundation of the world until the present day a cruelty such as this
> hath neither been seen nor heard of.277
> 
> While in prison We have revealed a Book which We have entitled
> 'The Most Holy Book'. We have enacted laws therein and adorned it with
> the commandments of thy Lord, Who exerciseth authority over all that are
> in the heavens and on the earth. Say: Take hold of it, O people, and observe
> that which hath been sent down in it of the wondrous precepts of your Lord,
> the Forgiving, the Bountiful. It will truly prosper you both in this world and
> in the next and will purge you of whatsoever ill beseemeth you. He is indeed
> the Ordainer, the Expounder, the Giver, the Generous, the Gracious, the
> All-Praised.278
> 
> So passed My days, until they ended in this Prison (‘Akká) which
> hath made the earth to tremble and the heavens to sigh. Happy that one who
> hath cast away his vain imaginings, when He Who was hid came with the
> standards of His signs. We, verily, have announced unto men this Most
> Great Revelation, and yet the people are in a state of strange stupor."
> Thereupon, a Voice was raised from the direction of Hijaz, calling
> aloud and saying: "Great is thy blessedness, O 'Akká, in that God hath
> made thee the dayspring of His Most Sweet Voice, and the dawn of His
> most mighty signs. Happy art thou in that the Throne of Justice hath been
> established upon thee, and the Daystar of God's loving-kindness and bounty
> hath shone forth above thy horizon. Well is it with every fair-minded person
> that hath judged fairly Him Who is the Most Great Remembrance, and
> woe betide him that hath erred and doubted."279
> 
> More grievous became Our plight from day to day, nay, from hour
> to hour, until they took Us forth from Our prison and made Us, with
> glaring injustice, enter the Most Great Prison. And if anyone ask them:
> "For what crime were they imprisoned?", they would answer and say:
> "They, verily, sought to supplant the Faith with a new religion!" If that
> which is ancient be what ye prefer, wherefore, then, have ye discarded that
> which hath been set down in the Torah and the Evangel? Clear it up, O
> men! By My life! There is no place for you to flee to in this day. If this be
> My crime, then Muhammad, the Apostle of God, committed it before Me,
> and before Him He Who was the Spirit of God, and yet earlier He Who
> conversed with God. And if My sin be this, that I have exalted the Word of
> God and revealed His Cause, then indeed am I the greatest of sinners! Such
> a sin I will not barter for the kingdoms of earth and heaven.280
> 
> And further We have said: "More grievous became Our plight
> from day to day, nay, from hour to hour, until they took Us forth from Our
> prison and made Us, with glaring injustice, enter the Most Great Prison.
> And if anyone ask them: 'For what crime were they imprisoned?' they would
> answer and say: 'They, verily, sought to supplant the Faith with a new
> religion!' If that which is ancient be what ye prefer, wherefore, then, have ye
> discarded that which hath been set down in the Torah and the Evangel?
> Clear it up, O men! By My life! There is no place for you to flee to in this
> day. If this be My crime, then Muhammad, the Apostle of God, committed
> it before Me, and before Him He Who was the Spirit of God (Jesus
> Christ), and yet earlier He Who conversed with God (Moses). And if My
> sin be this, that I have exalted the Word of God and revealed His Cause,
> then indeed am I the greatest of sinners! Such a sin I will not barter for the
> kingdoms of earth and heaven."281
> 
> On every side the flame of oppression and tyranny can be discerned.
> On the one hand, tidings have reached Us that Our loved ones have been
> arrested in the land of Tá (Tihrán) and this notwithstanding that the sun,
> and the moon, and the land, and the sea all testify that this people are
> adorned with the adornment of fidelity, and have clung and will cling to
> naught except that which can ensure the exaltation of the government, and
> the maintenance of order within the nation, and the tranquillity of the
> people.
> O Shaykh! We have time and again stated that for a number of
> years We have extended Our aid unto His Majesty the Sháh. For years no
> untoward incident hath occurred in Persia. The reins of the stirrers of
> sedition among various sects were held firmly in the grasp of power. None
> hath transgressed his limits. By God! This people have never been, nor are
> they now, inclined to mischief. Their hearts are illumined with the light of the
> fear of God, and adorned with the adornment of His love. Their concern
> hath ever been and now is for the betterment of the world. Their purpose is to
> obliterate differences, and quench the flame of hatred and enmity, so that the
> whole earth may come to be viewed as one country.
> On the other hand, the officials of the Persian Embassy in the
> Great City (Constantinople) are energetically and assiduously seeking to
> exterminate these wronged ones. They desire one thing, and God desireth
> another. Consider now what hath befallen the trusted ones of God in every
> land. At one time they have been accused of theft and larceny; at another
> they have been calumniated in a manner without parallel in this world.
> Answer thou fairly. What could be the results and consequences, in foreign
> 
> countries, of the accusation of theft brought by the Persian Embassy against
> its own subjects? If this Wronged One was ashamed, it was not because of
> the humiliation it brought this servant, but rather because of the shame of its
> becoming known to the Ambassadors of foreign countries how incompetent
> and lacking in understanding are several eminent officials of the Persian
> Embassy. "Flingest thou thy calumnies into the face of Them Whom the one
> true God hath made the Trustees of the treasures of His seventh sphere?"
> Briefly, instead of seeking, as they should, through Him Who occupieth this
> sublime station, to attain unto the most exalted ranks, and to obtain His
> advice, they have exerted themselves and are striving their utmost to put out
> His light. However, according to what hath been reported, His Excellency
> the Ambassador Mu'ínu'l-Mulk, Mírzá Muhsín Khán -- may God assist
> him -- was, at that time, absent from Constantinople. Such things have
> happened because it was believed that His Majesty the Sháh of Persia --
> may the All-Merciful assist him -- was angry with them that have attained
> and revolve round the Sanctuary of Wisdom. God well knoweth and
> testifieth that this Wronged One hath, at all times, been cleaving fast unto
> whatever would be conducive to the glory of both the government and the
> people. God, verily, is sufficient Witness.
> 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 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 Baha, 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."
> God alone -- exalted be His glory -- is cognizant of the things
> which befell this Wronged One. Every day bringeth a fresh report of stories
> current against Us at the Embassy in Constantinople. Gracious God! The
> sole aim of their machinations is to bring about the extermination of this
> servant. They are, however, oblivious of the fact that abasement in the path
> of God is My true glory. In the newspapers the following hath been recorded:
> "Touching the fraudulent dealings of some of the exiles of 'Akká, and the
> excesses committed by them against several people, etc...." Unto them who
> are the exponents of justice and the daysprings of equity the intention of the
> 
> writer is evident and his purpose clear. Briefly, he arose and inflicted upon
> Me divers tribulations, and treated Me with injustice and cruelty. By God!
> This Wronged One would not barter this place of exile for the Most
> Sublime Habitation. 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?"
> Such abasement hath been inflicted that each day they spread fresh
> calumnies. This Wronged One, however, cleaveth to seemly patience. Would
> that His Majesty the Sháh of Persia would ask for a report of the things
> which befell Us in Constantinople, that he might become fully acquainted
> with the true facts. O Sháh! I adjure thee by thy Lord, the God of Mercy, to
> look into this matter with the eye of fairness. Is there to be found a just man
> who will judge in this day according to that which God hath sent down in
> His Book? Where is the fair-minded person who will equitably consider
> what hath been perpetrated against Us without any clear token or proof?282
> 
> IN PRIVATE RESIDENCES IN ‘AKKÁ
> (October, 1870-June 1877)283
> 
> In the Name of God, the Most Ancient, the Most Great.
> Indeed the hearts of the sincere are consumed in the fire of
> separation284: Where is the gleaming of the light of Thy Countenance, O
> Beloved of the worlds?
> Those who are near unto Thee have been abandoned in the
> darkness of desolation: Where is the shining of the morn of Thy reunion, O
> Desire of the worlds?
> The bodies of Thy chosen ones lie quivering on distant sands:
> Where is the ocean of Thy presence, O Enchanter of the worlds?
> Longing hands are uplifted to the heaven of Thy grace and
> generosity: Where are the rains of Thy bestowal, O Answerer of the worlds?
> The infidels have arisen in tyranny on every hand: Where is the
> compelling power of Thine ordaining pen, O Conqueror of the worlds?
> The barking of dogs is loud on every side: Where is the lion of the
> forest of Thy might, O Chastiser of the worlds?
> Coldness hath gripped all mankind: Where is the warmth of Thy
> love, O Fire of the worlds?
> 
> Calamity hath reached its height: Where are the signs of Thy
> succor, O Salvation of the worlds?
> Darkness hath enveloped most of the peoples: Where is the
> brightness of Thy splendor, O Radiance of the worlds?
> The necks of men are stretched out in malice: Where are the swords
> of Thy vengeance, O Destroyer of the worlds?
> Abasement hath reached its lowest depth: Where are the emblems
> of Thy glory, O Glory of the worlds?
> Sorrows have afflicted the Revealer of Thy Name, the All-
> Merciful: Where is the joy of the Dayspring of Thy Revelation, O Delight of
> the worlds?
> Anguish hath befallen all the peoples of the earth: Where are the
> ensigns of Thy gladness, O Joy of the worlds?
> Thou seest the Dawning Place of Thy signs veiled by evil
> suggestions: Where are the fingers of Thy might, O Power of the worlds?
> Sore thirst hath overcome all men: Where is the river of Thy
> bounty, O Mercy of the worlds?
> Greed hath made captive all mankind: Where are the embodiments
> of detachment, O Lord of the worlds?
> Thou seest this Wronged One lonely in exile: Where are the hosts
> of the heaven of Thy Command, O Sovereign of the worlds?
> I have been forsaken in a foreign land: Where are the emblems of
> Thy faithfulness, O Trust of the worlds?
> The agonies of death have laid hold on all men: Where is the
> surging of Thine ocean of eternal life, O Life of the worlds?
> The whisperings of Satan have been breathed to every creature:
> Where is the meteor of Thy fire, O Light of the worlds?
> The drunkenness of passion hath perverted most of mankind:
> Where are the daysprings of purity, O Desire of the worlds?
> Thou seest this Wronged One veiled in tyranny among the
> Syrians285: Where is the radiance of Thy dawning light, O Light of the
> worlds?
> Thou seest Me forbidden to speak forth: Then from where will
> spring Thy melodies, O Nightingale of the worlds?
> Most of the people are enwrapped in fancy and idle imaginings:
> Where are the exponents of Thy certitude, O Assurance of the worlds?
> Baha is drowning in a sea of tribulation: Where is the Ark of Thy
> salvation, O Savior of the worlds?
> 
> Thou seest the Dayspring of Thine utterance in the darkness of
> creation: Where is the sun of the heaven of Thy grace, O Lightgiver of the
> worlds?
> The lamps of truth and purity, of loyalty and honor, have been put
> out: Where are the signs of Thine avenging wrath, O Mover of the worlds?
> Canst Thou see any who have championed Thy Self, or who ponder
> on what hath befallen Him in the pathway of Thy love? Now doth My pen
> halt, O Beloved of the worlds?
> The branches of the Divine Lote-Tree lie broken by the onrushing
> gales of destiny: Where are the banners of Thy succor, O Champion of the
> worlds?
> This Face is hidden in the dust of slander: Where are the breezes of
> Thy compassion, O Mercy of the worlds?
> The robe of sanctity is sullied by the people of deceit: Where is the
> vesture of Thy holiness, O Adorner of the worlds?
> The sea of grace is stilled for what the hands of men have wrought:
> Where are the waves of Thy bounty, O Desire of the worlds?
> The door leading to the Divine Presence is locked through the
> tyranny of Thy foes: Where is the key of Thy bestowal, O Unlocker of the
> worlds?
> The leaves are yellowed by the poisoning winds of sedition: Where is
> the downpour of the clouds of Thy bounty, O Giver of the worlds?
> The universe is darkened with the dust of sin: Where are the
> breezes of Thy forgiveness, O Forgiver of the worlds?
> This Youth is lonely in a desolate land: Where is the rain of Thy
> heavenly grace, O Bestower of the worlds?
> O Supreme Pen, We have heard Thy most sweet call in the eternal
> realm: Give Thou ear unto what the Tongue of Grandeur uttereth, O
> Wronged One of the worlds?
> Were it not for the cold, how would the heat of Thy words prevail,
> O Expounder of the worlds?
> Were it not for calamity, how would the sun of Thy patience shine,
> O Light of the worlds?
> Lament not because of the wicked. Thou wert created to bear and
> endure, O Patience of the worlds.
> How sweet was Thy dawning on the horizon of the Covenant
> among the stirrers of sedition, and Thy yearning after God, O Love of the
> worlds.
> By Thee the banner of independence was planted on the highest
> peaks, and the sea of bounty surged, O Rapture of the worlds.
> 
> By Thine aloneness the Sun of Oneness shone, and by Thy
> banishment the land of Unity was adorned. Be patient, O Thou Exile of
> the worlds.
> We have made abasement the garment of glory, and affliction the
> adornment of Thy temple, O Pride of the worlds.
> Thou seest the hearts are filled with hate, and to overlook is Thine,
> O Thou Concealer of the sins of the worlds.
> When the swords flash, go forward! When the shafts fly, press
> onward! O Thou Sacrifice of the worlds.
> Dost Thou wail, or shall I wail? Rather shall I weep at the fewness
> of Thy champions, O Thou Who hast caused the wailing of the worlds.
> Verily, I have heard Thy call, O All-Glorious Beloved; and now is
> the face of Baha flaming with the heat of tribulation and with the fire of Thy
> shining word, and He hath risen up in faithfulness at the place of sacrifice,
> looking toward Thy pleasure, O Ordainer of the worlds.
> O ‘Alí-Akbar, thank thy Lord for this Tablet whence thou canst
> breathe the fragrances of My meekness, and know what hath beset Us in the
> path of God, the Adored of all the worlds.
> Should all the servants read and ponder this, there shall be kindled
> in their veins a fire that shall set aflame the worlds.286
> 
> IN MAZRA’IH, HOUSE OF ‘ABDU’LLÁH PÁSHÁ
> (June 1877-September 1879)287
> 
> “In Adrianople We used to meet with some of the people and gave
> permission to some to attain Our presence. But while in the Most Great
> Prison We did not meet with anyone288 and have completely closed the door
> of association with the people. Now the Master has taken upon Himself
> this arduous task for Our comfort. He is a mighty shield facing the world
> and its peoples and so He has relieved Us [from every care]. At first He
> secured the Mansion of Mazra'ih for Us and We stayed there, then the
> Mansion of Bahjí.”289
> 
> “In His Tablets revealed in this period Bahá'u'lláh refers to the
> beauty of the countryside. In a Tablet to the illustrious Afnan, Aqa Mírzá
> Áqa, entitled Núru'd-Dín, He writes about the delightful scenery at
> Mazra'ih. He describes in cheerful language the view of the sea on the one
> side and the hills on the other, and speaks of the charm of the trees laden
> with oranges which He likens to balls of fire!”290
> 
> IN BAHJÍ, HOUSE OF UDI KHAMMAR
> (September 1879-May 29, 1892)
> 
> “In Adrianople We used to meet with some of the people and gave
> permission to some to attain Our presence. But while in the Most Great
> Prison We did not meet with anyone291 and have completely closed the door
> of association with the people. Now the Master has taken upon Himself
> this arduous task for Our comfort. He is a mighty shield facing the world
> and its peoples and so He has relieved Us [from every care]. At first He
> secured the Mansion of Mazra'ih for Us and We stayed there, then the
> Mansion of Bahjí. He is so occupied in the service of the Cause that for
> weeks He does not find the opportunity to come to Bahjí. We are engaged in
> meeting with the believers and revealing the verses of God, while He labours
> hard and faces every ordeal and suffering. Because to deal and associate with
> these people is the most arduous task of all.”292
> "Praise be to God that thou hast attained!... Thou hast come to see
> a prisoner and an exile.... We desire but the good of the world and the
> happiness of the nations; yet they deem us a stirrer up of strife and sedition
> worthy of bondage and banishment.... That all nations should become one in
> faith and all men as brothers; that the bonds of affection and unity between
> the sons of men should be strengthened; that diversity of religion should cease,
> and differences of race be annulled - what harm is there in this?... Yet so it
> shall be; these fruitless strifes, these ruinous wars shall pass away, and the
> 'Most Great Peace' shall come.... Do not you in Europe need this also? Is
> not this that which Christ foretold?... Yet do we see your kings and rulers
> lavishing their treasures more freely on means for the destruction of the
> human race than on that which would conduce to the happiness of
> mankind.... These strifes and this bloodshed and discord must cease, and all
> men be as one kindred and one family.... Let not a man glory in this, that
> he loves his country; let him rather glory in this, that he loves his kind...."293
> 
> VISITS TO THE GARDEN OF RIDVÁN
> (1877-1892)
> 
> “He is God, Glorified be He, Grandeur and Might are His!
> “On the morning of the blessed Friday we proceeded from the
> Mansion and entered the Garden. Every tree uttered a word, and every leaf
> sang a melody. The trees proclaimed: 'Behold the evidences of God's Mercy'
> and the twin streams recited in the eloquent tongue the sacred verse 'From us
> all things were made alive'. Glorified be God! Mysteries were voiced by them,
> 
> which provoked wonderment. Methought: in which school were they educated,
> and from whose presence had they acquired their learning? Yea! This
> Wronged One knoweth and He saith: 'From God, the All-Encompassing,
> the Self-Subsistent.'
> “Upon Our being seated, Radiyih, upon her be My glory, attained
> Our presence on thy behalf, laid the table of God's bounty and in thy name
> extended hospitality to all present. In truth, all that which stimulateth the
> appetite and pleaseth the eye was offered, and indeed that which delighteth
> the ear could also be heard as the leaves were stirred by the Will of God, and
> from this movement a refreshing voice was raised, as if uttering a blissful call
> inviting the absent to this Feast. God's power and the perfection of His
> handiwork could enjoyably be seen in the blossoms, the fruits, the trees, the
> leaves and the streams. Praised be God who hath thus confirmed thee and
> her.
> “In brief, all in the Garden were recipients of the choicest bounties
> and in the end expressed their thanksgiving unto their Lord. O that all
> God's beloved would have been present on this day!
> “We beseech God, exalted be He, to cause to descend upon thee at
> every moment, a blessing and a mercy and a measure of divine grace from
> His presence. He is the Forgiving, the All-Glorious.
> “We send greetings to His loved ones, and supplicate for each one of
> them that which is worthy of mention and is acceptable in His presence.
> Peace be upon thee, and upon God's sincere servants. Praise be to Him, the
> Lord of all mankind.”294
> 
> FOUR VISITS TO HAIFA
> (1890-1891)295
> 
> All glory be to this Day, the Day in which the fragrances of mercy
> have been wafted over all created things, a Day so blest that past ages and
> centuries can never hope to rival it, a Day in which the countenance of the
> Ancient of Days hath turned towards His holy seat. Thereupon the voices of
> all created things, and beyond them those of the Concourse on High, were
> heard calling aloud: 'Haste thee, O Carmel, for lo, the light of the
> countenance of God, the Ruler of the Kingdom of Names and Fashioner of
> the heavens, hath been lifted upon thee.'
> 
> Seized with transports of joy, and raising high her voice, she thus
> exclaimed: 'May my life be a sacrifice to Thee, inasmuch as Thou hast fixed
> Thy gaze upon me, hast bestowed upon me Thy bounty, and hast directed
> 
> towards me Thy steps. Separation from Thee, O Thou Source of everlasting
> life, hath well nigh consumed me, and my remoteness from Thy presence hath
> burned away my soul. All praise be to Thee for having enabled me to
> hearken to Thy call, for having honoured me with Thy footsteps, and for
> having quickened my soul through the vitalizing fragrance of Thy Day and
> the shrilling voice of Thy Pen, a voice Thou didst ordain as Thy trumpet-call
> amidst Thy people. And when the hour at which Thy resistless Faith was to
> be made manifest did strike, Thou didst breathe a breath of Thy spirit into
> Thy Pen, and lo, the entire creation shook to its very foundations, unveiling
> to mankind such mysteries as lay hidden within the treasuries of Him Who
> is the Possessor of all created things.'
> No sooner had her voice reached that most exalted Spot than We
> made reply: 'Render thanks unto thy Lord, O Carmel. The fire of thy
> separation from Me was fast consuming thee, when the ocean of My presence
> surged before thy face, cheering thine eyes and those of all creation, and filling
> with delight all things visible and invisible. Rejoice, for God hath in this
> Day established upon thee His throne, hath made thee the dawning-place of
> His signs and the dayspring of the evidences of His Revelation. Well is it
> with him that circleth around thee, that proclaimeth the revelation of thy
> glory, and recounteth that which the bounty of the Lord thy God hath
> showered upon thee. Seize thou the Chalice of Immortality in the name of
> thy Lord, the All-Glorious, and give thanks unto Him, inasmuch as He,
> in token of His mercy unto thee, hath turned thy sorrow into gladness, and
> transmuted thy grief into blissful joy. He, verily, loveth the spot which hath
> been made the seat of His throne, which His footsteps have trodden, which
> hath been honoured by His presence, from which He raised His call, and
> upon which He shed His tears.
> 'Call out to Zion, O Carmel, and announce the joyful tidings: He
> that was hidden from mortal eyes is come! His all-conquering sovereignty is
> manifest; His all-encompassing splendour is revealed. Beware lest thou
> hesitate or halt. Hasten forth and circumambulate the City of God that
> hath descended from heaven, the celestial Kaaba round which have circled in
> adoration the favoured of God, the pure in heart, and the company of the
> most exalted angels. Oh, how I long to announce unto every spot on the
> surface of the earth, and to carry to each one of its cities, the glad-tidings of
> this Revelation -- a Revelation to which the heart of Sinai hath been
> attracted, and in whose name the Burning Bush is calling: "Unto God, the
> Lord of Lords, belong the kingdoms of earth and heaven." Verily this is the
> Day in which both land and sea rejoice at this announcement, the Day for
> which have been laid up those things which God, through a bounty beyond
> 
> the ken of mortal mind or heart, hath destined for revelation. Ere long will
> God sail His Ark upon thee, and will manifest the people of Baha who
> have been mentioned in the Book of Names.'
> Sanctified be the Lord of all mankind, at the mention of Whose
> name all the atoms of the earth have been made to vibrate, and the Tongue
> of Grandeur hath been moved to disclose that which had been wrapt in His
> knowledge and lay concealed within the treasury of His might. He, verily,
> through the potency of His name, the Mighty, the All-Powerful, the Most
> High, is the ruler of all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth.296
> 
> HIS ASCENSION
> (May 29, 1892)
> 
> When ye desire to perform this prayer, turn ye towards the Court of
> My Most Holy Presence, this Hallowed Spot that God hath made the
> Centre round which circle the Concourse on High, and which He hath
> decreed to be the Point of Adoration for the denizens of the Cities of
> Eternity, and the Source of Command unto all that are in heaven and on
> earth; and when the Sun of Truth and Utterance shall set, turn your faces
> towards the Spot that We have ordained for you.297
> If any differences arise amongst you, behold Me standing before
> your face, and overlook the faults of one another for My name's sake and as
> a token of your love for My manifest and resplendent Cause. We love to see
> you at all times consorting in amity and concord within the paradise of My
> good-pleasure, and to inhale from your acts the fragrance of friendliness and
> unity, of loving-kindness and fellowship. Thus counselleth you the All-
> Knowing, the Faithful. We shall always be with you; if We inhale the
> perfume of your fellowship, Our heart will assuredly rejoice, for naught else
> can satisfy Us. To this beareth witness every man of true understanding.298
> 
> Should differences arise amongst you over any matter, refer it to
> God while the Sun still shineth above the horizon of this Heaven and, when
> it hath set, refer ye to whatsoever hath been sent down by Him. This, verily,
> is sufficient unto the peoples of the world. Say: Let not your hearts be
> perturbed, O people, when the glory of My Presence is withdrawn, and the
> ocean of My utterance is stilled. In My presence amongst you there is a
> wisdom, and in My absence there is yet another, inscrutable to all but God,
> the Incomparable, the All-Knowing. Verily, We behold you from Our realm
> of glory, and shall aid whosoever will arise for the triumph of Our Cause
> 
> with the hosts of the Concourse on high and a company of Our favoured
> angels.299
> 
> When the ocean of My presence hath ebbed and the Book of My
> Revelation is ended, turn your faces toward Him Whom God hath
> purposed, Who hath branched [‘Abdu’l-Bahá] from this Ancient Root.300
> 
> O people of the world! When the Mystic Dove will have winged its
> flight from its Sanctuary of Praise and sought its far-off goal, its hidden
> habitation, refer ye whatsoever ye understand not in the Book to Him Who
> hath branched [‘Abdu’l-Bahá] from this mighty Stock.301
> 
> The Will of the divine Testator is this: It is incumbent upon the
> Aghsan, the Afnan and My Kindred to turn, one and all, their faces
> towards the Most Mighty Branch. Consider that which We have revealed in
> Our Most Holy Book: 'When the ocean of My presence hath ebbed and the
> Book of My Revelation is ended, turn your faces toward Him Whom God
> hath purposed, Who hath branched from this Ancient Root.' The object of
> this sacred verse is none other except the Most Mighty Branch [‘Abdu'l-
> Bahá]. Thus have We graciously revealed unto you Our potent Will, and I
> am verily the Gracious, the All-Powerful. Verily God hath ordained the
> station of the Greater Branch [Muhammad-’Alí] to be beneath that of the
> Most Great Branch [‘Abdu'l-Bahá]. He is in truth the Ordainer, the All-
> Wise. We have chosen 'the Greater' after 'the Most Great', as decreed by
> Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.302
> 
> The everlasting Candle shineth in its naked glory. Behold how it
> hath consumed every mortal veil. O ye moth-like lovers of His light! Brave
> every danger, and consecrate your souls to its consuming flame. O ye that
> thirst after Him! Strip yourselves of every earthly affection, and hasten to
> embrace your Beloved. With a zest that none can equal make haste to attain
> unto Him. The Flower, thus far hidden from the sight of men, is unveiled to
> your eyes. In the open radiance of His glory He standeth before you. His
> voice summoneth all the holy and sanctified beings to come and be united
> with Him. Happy is he that turneth thereunto; well is it with him that hath
> attained, and gazed on the light of so wondrous a countenance.303
> 
> Open the doors of your hearts. He Who is the Spirit verily
> standeth before them. Wherefore banish ye Him Who hath purposed to
> draw you nigh unto a Resplendent Spot? Say: We, in truth, have opened
> 
> unto you the gates of the Kingdom. Will ye bar the doors of your houses in
> My face? This indeed is naught but a grievous error. He, verily, hath again
> come down from heaven, even as He came down from it the first time.
> Beware lest ye dispute that which He proclaimeth, even as the people before
> you disputed His utterances. Thus instructeth you the True One, could ye
> but perceive it.304
> 
> Great is indeed your blessedness inasmuch as His unfailing grace
> hath been vouchsafed unto you and ye have been aided to recognize this
> Cause -- a Cause through whose potency the heavens have been folded
> together and every lofty and towering mountain hath been scattered in dust.
> Moreover through Our boundless grace We make mention of your
> mother who hath been privileged to recognize God. We send her Our
> greetings from this glorious station. We remember every one of you, men and
> women, and from this Spot -- the Scene of incomparable glory -- regard you
> all as one soul and send you the joyous tidings of divine blessings which have
> preceded all created things, and of My remembrance that pervadeth everyone,
> whether young or old. The glory of God rest upon you, O people of Bahá.
> Rejoice with exceeding gladness through My remembrance, for He is indeed
> with you at all times.305
> 
> BAHÁ’U’LLÁH ABOUT PEOPLE
> PERSECUTIONS OF HIS FOLLOWERS
> 
> Gracious God! This is the day whereon the wise should seek the
> advice of this Wronged One, and ask Him Who is the Truth what things
> are conducive to the glory and tranquillity of men. And yet, all are earnestly
> striving to put out this glorious and shining light, and are diligently seeking
> either to establish Our guilt, or to voice their protest against Us. Matters
> have come to such a pass, that the conduct of this Wronged One hath, in
> every way, been grossly misrepresented, and in a manner which it would be
> unseemly to mention. One of Our friends hath reported that among the
> residents of the Great City (Constantinople) he had heard with the greatest
> regret someone state that, each year, a sum of fifty thousand tumans was
> being despatched from his native land to 'Akká! It hath not, however, been
> made clear who had disbursed the sum, nor through whose hands it had
> passed!
> Briefly, this Wronged One hath, in the face of all that hath befallen
> Him at their hands, and all that hath been said of Him, endured patiently,
> and held His peace, inasmuch as it is Our purpose, through the loving
> providence of God -- exalted be His glory -- and His surpassing mercy, to
> abolish, through the force of Our utterance, all disputes, war, and bloodshed,
> from the face of the earth. Under all conditions We have, in spite of what
> they have said, endured with seemly patience, and have left them to God. In
> answer to this particular imputation, however, We have replied, that if that
> which he affirmeth be true, it behooveth him to be thankful to Him Who is
> the Lord of all being, and the King of the seen and unseen, for having raised
> up in Persia One Who, though a prisoner and with none to help and assist
> Him, hath succeeded in establishing His ascendency over that land, and in
> drawing from it a yearly revenue. Such an achievement should be praised
> rather than censured, if he be of them that judge equitably. Should anyone
> seek to be acquainted with the condition of this Wronged One, let him be
> told that these captives whom the world hath persecuted and the nations
> wronged have, for days and nights, been entirely denied the barest means of
> subsistence. We are loth to mention such things, neither have We had, nor
> do We have now, any desire to complain against Our accuser. Within the
> walls of this prison a highly esteemed man was for some time obliged to
> break stones that he might earn a living, whilst others had, at times, to
> nourish themselves with that Divine sustenance which is hunger! We entreat
> God -- exalted and glorified be He -- to aid all men to be just and fair-
> 
> minded, and to graciously assist them to repent and return unto Him. He,
> verily, heareth, and is ready to answer.
> Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! Thou seest what hath
> befallen this Wronged One at the hands of them that have not associated
> with Me, and who have arisen to harm and abase Me, in a manner which
> no pen can describe, nor tongue recount, nor can any Tablet sustain its
> weight. Thou hearest the cry of Mine heart, and the groaning of Mine inmost
> being, and the things that have befallen Thy trusted ones in Thy cities and
> Thy chosen ones in Thy land, at the hands of such as have broken Thy
> Covenant and Thy Testament. I beseech Thee, O my Lord, by the sighs of
> Thy lovers throughout the world, and by their lamentation in their
> remoteness from the court of Thy presence, and by the blood that hath been
> shed for love of Thee, and by the hearts that have melted in Thy path, to
> protect Thy loved ones from the cruelty of such as have remained unaware of
> the mysteries of Thy Name, the Unconstrained. Assist them, O my Lord,
> by Thy power that hath prevailed over all things, and aid them to be patient
> and long-suffering. Thou art the All-Powerful, the Almighty, the All-
> Bountiful. No God is there but Thee, the Generous, the Lord of grace
> abounding.306
> 
> O Shaykh! Time and again have I declared, and now yet again I
> affirm, that for two score years We have, through the grace of God and by
> His irresistible and potent will, extended such aid to His Majesty the Sháh
> -- may God assist him -- as the exponents of justice and of equity would
> regard as incontestable and absolute. None can deny it, unless he be a
> transgressor and sinner, or one who would hate Us or doubt Our truth.
> How very strange that until now the Ministers of State and the
> representatives of the people have alike remained unaware of such
> conspicuous and undeniable service, and, if apprized of it, have, for reasons
> of their own, chosen to ignore it! Previous to these forty years controversies
> and conflicts continually prevailed and agitated the servants of God. But
> since then, aided by the hosts of wisdom, of utterance, of exhortations and
> understanding, they have all seized and taken fast hold of the firm cord of
> patience and of the shining hem of fortitude, in such wise that this wronged
> people endured steadfastly whatever befell them, and committed everything
> unto God, and this notwithstanding that in Mázindarán and at Rasht a
> great many have been most hideously tormented. Among them was his
> honor, Hájí Násir, who, unquestionably, was a brilliant light that shone
> forth above the horizon of resignation. After he had suffered martyrdom, they
> plucked out his eyes and cut off his nose, and inflicted on him such
> 
> indignities that strangers wept and lamented, and secretly raised funds to
> support his wife and children.
> O Shaykh! My Pen is abashed to recount what actually took place.
> In the land of Sád (Isfáhán) the fire of tyranny burned with such a hot flame
> that every fair-minded person groaned aloud. By thy life! The cities of
> knowledge and of understanding wept with such a weeping that the souls of
> the pious and of the God-fearing were melted. The twin shining lights,
> Hasan and Husayn (The King of Martyrs and the Beloved of Martyrs)
> offered up spontaneously their lives in that city. Neither fortune, nor wealth,
> nor glory, could deter them! God knoweth the things which befell them and
> yet the people are, for the most part, unaware!
> Before them one named Kázim and they who were with him, and
> after them, his honor Ashraf, all quaffed the draught of martyrdom with the
> utmost fervor and longing, and hastened unto the Supreme Companion. In
> like manner, at the time of Sardár Azíz Khán, that godly man, Mírzá
> Mustafa, and his fellow martyrs, were arrested, and despatched unto the
> Supreme Friend in the All-Glorious Horizon. Briefly, in every city the
> evidences of a tyranny, beyond like or equal, were unmistakably clear and
> manifest, and yet none arose in self-defence! Call thou to mind his honor
> Badí', who was the bearer of the Tablet to His Majesty the Sháh, and
> reflect how he laid down his life. That knight, who spurred on his charger in
> the arena of renunciation, threw down the precious crown of life for the sake
> of Him Who is the Incomparable Friend.
> O Shaykh! If things such as these are to be denied, what shall,
> then, be deemed worthy of credence? Set forth the truth, for the sake of God,
> and be not of them that hold their peace. They arrested his honor Najaf-
> ‘Alí, who hastened, with rapture and great longing, unto the field of
> martyrdom, uttering these words: "We have kept both Bahá and the khunbaha (bloodmoney)!" With these words he yielded up his spirit. Meditate on
> the splendor and glory which the light of renunciation, shining from the upper
> chamber of the heart of Mullá ‘Alí-Ján, hath shed. He was so carried away
> by the breezes of the Most Sublime Word and by the power of the Pen of
> Glory that to him the field of martyrdom equalled, nay outrivalled, the
> haunts of earthly delights. Ponder upon the conduct of Abá-Basír and Siyyid
> Ashraf-i-Zanjání. They sent for the mother of Ashraf to dissuade her son
> from his purpose. But she spurred him on until he suffered a most glorious
> martyrdom.
> O Shaykh! This people have passed beyond the narrow straits of
> names, and pitched their tents upon the shores of the sea of renunciation.
> They would willingly lay down a myriad lives, rather than breathe the word
> 
> desired by their enemies. They have clung to that which pleaseth God, and
> are wholly detached and freed from the things which pertain unto men. They
> have preferred to have their heads cut off rather than utter one unseemly
> word. Ponder this in thine heart. Methinks they have quaffed their fill of the
> ocean of renunciation. The life of the present world hath failed to withhold
> them from suffering martyrdom in the path of God.
> In Mázindarán a vast number of the servants of God were
> exterminated. The Governor, under the influence of calumniators, robbed a
> great many of all that they possessed. Among the charges he laid against
> them was that they had been laying up arms, whereas upon investigation it
> was found out that they had nothing but an unloaded rifle! Gracious God!
> This people need no weapons of destruction, inasmuch as they have girded
> themselves to reconstruct the world. Their hosts are the hosts of goodly deeds,
> and their arms the arms of upright conduct, and their commander the fear of
> God. Blessed that one that judgeth with fairness. By the righteousness of
> God! Such hath been the patience, the calm, the resignation and contentment
> of this people that they have become the exponents of justice, and so great
> hath been their forbearance, that they have suffered themselves to be killed
> rather than kill, and this notwithstanding that these whom the world hath
> wronged have endured tribulations the like of which the history of the world
> hath never recorded, nor the eyes of any nation witnessed. What is it that
> could have induced them to reconcile themselves to these grievous trials, and
> to refuse to put forth a hand to repel them? What could have caused such
> resignation and serenity? The true cause is to be found in the ban which the
> Pen of Glory hath, day and night, chosen to impose, and in Our assumption
> of the reins of authority, through the power and might of Him Who is the
> Lord of all mankind.
> Remember the father of Badí'. They arrested that wronged one, and
> ordered him to curse and revile his Faith. He, however, through the grace of
> God and the mercy of his Lord, chose martyrdom, and attained thereunto. If
> ye would reckon up the martyrs in the path of God, ye could not count them.
> Consider his honor Siyyid Ismá'íl -- upon him be the peace of God, and His
> loving-kindness -- how, before daybreak he was wont to dust, with his own
> turban, the doorstep of My house, and in the end, whilst standing on the
> banks of the river, with his eyes fixed on that same house, offered up, by his
> own hand, his life.
> Do thou ponder on the penetrative influence of the Word of God.
> Every single one of these souls was first ordered to blaspheme and curse his
> faith, yet none was found to prefer his own will to the Will of God.307
> 
> O Shaykh! While hemmed in by tribulations this Wronged One is
> occupied in setting down these words. On every side the flame of oppression
> and tyranny can be discerned. On the one hand, tidings have reached Us
> that Our loved ones have been arrested in the land of Tá (Tihrán) and this
> notwithstanding that the sun, and the moon, and the land, and the sea all
> testify that this people are adorned with the adornment of fidelity, and have
> clung and will cling to naught except that which can ensure the exaltation of
> the government, and the maintenance of order within the nation, and the
> tranquillity of the people.
> O Shaykh! We have time and again stated that for a number of
> years We have extended Our aid unto His Majesty the Sháh. For years no
> untoward incident hath occurred in Persia. The reins of the stirrers of
> sedition among various sects were held firmly in the grasp of power. None
> hath transgressed his limits. By God! This people have never been, nor are
> they now, inclined to mischief. Their hearts are illumined with the light of the
> fear of God, and adorned with the adornment of His love. Their concern
> hath ever been and now is for the betterment of the world. Their purpose is to
> obliterate differences, and quench the flame of hatred and enmity, so that the
> whole earth may come to be viewed as one country.
> On the other hand, the officials of the Persian Embassy in the
> Great City (Constantinople) are energetically and assiduously seeking to
> exterminate these wronged ones. They desire one thing, and God desireth
> another. Consider now what hath befallen the trusted ones of God in every
> land. At one time they have been accused of theft and larceny; at another
> they have been calumniated in a manner without parallel in this world.
> Answer thou fairly. What could be the results and consequences, in foreign
> countries, of the accusation of theft brought by the Persian Embassy against
> its own subjects? If this Wronged One was ashamed, it was not because of
> the humiliation it brought this servant, but rather because of the shame of its
> becoming known to the Ambassadors of foreign countries how incompetent
> and lacking in understanding are several eminent officials of the Persian
> Embassy. "Flingest thou thy calumnies into the face of Them Whom the one
> true God hath made the Trustees of the treasures of His seventh sphere?"
> Briefly, instead of seeking, as they should, through Him Who occupieth this
> sublime station, to attain unto the most exalted ranks, and to obtain His
> advice, they have exerted themselves and are striving their utmost to put out
> His light. However, according to what hath been reported, His Excellency
> the Ambassador Mu'ínu'l-Mulk, Mírzá Muhsín Khán -- may God assist
> him -- was, at that time, absent from Constantinople. Such things have
> happened because it was believed that His Majesty the Sháh of Persia --
> 
> may the All-Merciful assist him -- was angry with them that have attained
> and revolve round the Sanctuary of Wisdom. God well knoweth and
> testifieth that this Wronged One hath, at all times, been cleaving fast unto
> whatever would be conducive to the glory of both the government and the
> people. God, verily, is sufficient Witness.
> 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 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 Baha, 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."
> God alone -- exalted be His glory -- is cognizant of the things
> which befell this Wronged One. Every day bringeth a fresh report of stories
> current against Us at the Embassy in Constantinople. Gracious God! The
> sole aim of their machinations is to bring about the extermination of this
> servant. They are, however, oblivious of the fact that abasement in the path
> of God is My true glory. In the newspapers the following hath been recorded:
> "Touching the fraudulent dealings of some of the exiles of 'Akká, and the
> excesses committed by them against several people, etc...." Unto them who
> are the exponents of justice and the daysprings of equity the intention of the
> writer is evident and his purpose clear. Briefly, he arose and inflicted upon
> Me divers tribulations, and treated Me with injustice and cruelty. By God!
> This Wronged One would not barter this place of exile for the Most
> Sublime Habitation. 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?"
> Such abasement hath been inflicted that each day they spread fresh
> calumnies. This Wronged One, however, cleaveth to seemly patience. Would
> that His Majesty the Sháh of Persia would ask for a report of the things
> which befell Us in Constantinople, that he might become fully acquainted
> with the true facts. O Sháh! I adjure thee by thy Lord, the God of Mercy, to
> 
> look into this matter with the eye of fairness. Is there to be found a just man
> who will judge in this day according to that which God hath sent down in
> His Book? Where is the fair-minded person who will equitably consider
> what hath been perpetrated against Us without any clear token or proof?
> O Shaykh! Ponder the behavior of men. The inmates of the cities of
> knowledge and wisdom are sore perplexed asking themselves why it is that
> the Shi'ih sect, which regarded itself as the most learned, the most righteous,
> and the most pious of all the peoples of the world, hath turned aside in the
> Day of His Revelation, and hath shown a cruelty such as hath never been
> experienced. It is incumbent upon thee to reflect a while. From the inception
> of this sect until the present day how great hath been the number of the
> divines that have appeared, none of whom became cognizant of the nature of
> this Revelation. What could have been the cause of this waywardness? Were
> We to mention it, their limbs would cleave asunder. It is necessary for them
> to meditate, to meditate for a thousand thousand years, that haply they may
> attain unto a sprinkling from the ocean of knowledge, and discover the things
> whereof they are oblivious in this day.308
> 
> Lauded be Thy name, O Lord my God! How great is Thy might
> and Thy sovereignty; how vast Thy strength and Thy dominion! Thou hast
> called into being Him Who speaketh in Thy name before all who are in Thy
> heaven and on Thy earth, and hast bidden Him cry out amongst Thy
> creatures.
> No sooner had a word gone forth from His lips, however, than the
> divines among Thy people turned back from Him, and the learned among
> Thy servants caviled at His signs. Thereby the fire of oppression was kindled
> in Thy land, until the kings themselves rose up to put out Thy light, O
> Thou Who art the King of kings!
> Hostility waxed so intense that my kindred and my loved ones were
> made captives in Thy land, and they that are dear to Thee were hindered
> from gazing on Thy beauty and from turning in the direction of Thy mercy.
> This hostility failed to cause the fire that burned within them to subside. The
> enemy finally carried away as captive Him Who is the Manifestation of Thy
> beauty and the Revealer of Thy signs, and confined Him in the fortress-town
> of 'Akká, and sought to hinder Him from remembering Thee and from
> magnifying Thy name. Thy servant, however, could not be restrained from
> carrying out what Thou hadst bidden Him fulfill. Above the horizon of
> tribulation He hath lifted up His voice and He crieth out, summoning all
> the inmates of heaven and all the inhabitants of the earth to the immensity of
> Thy mercy and the court of Thy grace. Day and night He sendeth down the
> 
> signs of Thine omnipotent power and revealeth the clear tokens of Thy
> majesty, so that the souls of Thy creatures may be drawn towards Thee, that
> they may forsake themselves and turn unto Thee, and may flee from their
> misery and seek the tabernacle of Thy riches, and may haste away from their
> wretchedness into the court of Thy majesty and glory.
> This is the Lamp which the light of Thine own Essence hath lit,
> and whose radiance the winds of discord can never extinguish. This is the
> Ocean that moveth by the power of Thy sovereign might, and whose waves
> the influence of the infidels that have disbelieved in the Judgment Day can
> never still. This is the Sun that shineth in the heaven of Thy will and the
> splendor of which the veils of the workers of iniquity and the doubts of the
> evil doers can never cloud.
> I yield Thee thanks, O my God, for that Thou hast offered me up
> as a sacrifice in Thy path, and made me a target for the arrows of afflictions
> as a token of Thy love for Thy servants, and singled me out for all manner
> of tribulation for the regeneration of Thy people.
> How sweet to my taste is the savor of woes sent by Thee, and how
> dear to my heart the dispositions of Thy providence! Perish the soul that
> fleeth from the threats of kings in its attempt to save itself in Thy days! I
> swear by Thy glory! Whoso hath quaffed the living waters of Thy favors can
> fear no trouble in Thy path, neither can he be deterred by any tribulation
> from remembering Thee or from celebrating Thy praise.
> I beseech Thee, O Thou Who art my Governor and the Possessor
> of all names, to protect them that have branched out from me (Afnan),
> whom Thou hast caused to be related to Thyself, and to whom Thou hast, in
> this Revelation, shown Thy special favor, and whom Thou hast summoned
> to draw nigh unto Thee and to turn towards the horizon of Thy Revelation.
> Withhold not from them, O my Lord, the outpourings of Thy mercy or the
> effulgence of the Day-Star of Thy grace. Enable them to distinguish
> themselves amongst Thy people, that they may exalt Thy word and promote
> Thy Cause. Aid them, O my God, to do Thy will and pleasure.309
> 
> HAJÍ SIYYID ‘ALĺ MUHAMMAD SHÍRÁZÍ,
> THE BÁB
> 
> 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-Muhammad, 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.
> "God," said He, "is My witness, O people! I am come to you with
> a Revelation from the Lord, your God, the Lord of your fathers of old.
> Look not, O people, at the things ye possess. Look rather at the things God
> hath sent down unto you. This, surely, will be better for you than the whole
> of creation, could ye but perceive it. Repeat the gaze, O people, and consider
> the testimony of God and His proof which are in your possession, and
> compare them unto the Revelation sent down unto you in this Day, that the
> truth, the infallible truth, may be indubitably manifested unto you. Follow
> not, O people, the steps of the Evil One; follow ye the Faith of the All-
> Merciful, and be ye of them that truly believe. What would it profit man, if
> he were to fail to recognize the Revelation of God? Nothing whatever. To
> this Mine own Self, the Omnipotent, the Omniscient, the All-Wise, will
> testify."
> The more He exhorted them, the fiercer grew their enmity, till, at
> the last, they put Him to death with shameful cruelty. The curse of God be
> upon the oppressors!
> A few believed in Him; few of Our servants are the thankful.
> These He admonished, in all His Tablets -- nay, in every passage of His
> wondrous writings -- not to give themselves up in the Day of the promised
> Revelation to anything whatever, be it in the heaven or in the earth. "O
> people!" said He, "I have revealed Myself for His 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."310
> 
> And yet, ye have failed to incline your ears unto His bidding, have
> disregarded His law, have rejected His counsel as recorded in His Book, and
> have been of them that have strayed far from Him. How many those who,
> 
> every year, and every month, have because of you been put to death! How
> manifold the injustices ye have perpetrated -- injustices the like of which the
> eye of creation hath not seen, which no chronicler hath ever recorded! How
> numerous the Bábes and sucklings who were made orphans, and the fathers
> who lost their sons, because of your cruelty, O ye unjust doers! How oft hath
> a sister pined away and mourned over her brother, and how oft hath a wife
> lamented after her husband and sole sustainer!
> Your iniquity waxed greater and greater until ye slew Him Who
> had never taken His eyes away from the face of God, the Most Exalted, the
> Most Great. [The Báb] Would that ye had put Him to death after the
> manner men are wont to put one another to death! Ye slew Him, however,
> in such circumstances as no man hath ever witnessed. The heavens wept sore
> over Him, and the souls of them who are nigh unto God cried out for His
> affliction. Was He not a Scion of your Prophet's ancient House? Had not
> His fame as a direct descendant of the Apostle been spread abroad amongst
> you? Why, then, did ye inflict upon Him what no man, however far ye may
> look back, hath inflicted upon another? By God! The eye of creation hath
> never beheld your like. Ye slay Him Who is a Scion of your Prophet's
> House, and rejoice and make merry while seated on your seats of honour! Ye
> utter your imprecations against them who were before you, and who have
> perpetrated what ye have perpetrated, and remain yourselves all the time
> unaware of your enormities!
> Be fair in your judgement. Did they whom ye curse, upon whom ye
> invoke evil, act differently from yourselves? Have they not slain the
> descendant of their Prophet [Imám Husayn] as ye have slain the descendant
> of your own? Is not your conduct similar to their conduct? Wherefore, then,
> claim ye to be different from them, O ye sowers of dissension amongst
> men?311
> 
> Magnify Thou, O Lord my God, Him Who is the Primal Point,
> the Divine Mystery, the Unseen Essence, the Day-Spring of Divinity, and
> the Manifestation of Thy Lordship, through Whom all the knowledge of the
> past and all the knowledge of the future were made plain, through Whom
> the pearls of Thy hidden wisdom were uncovered, and the mystery of Thy
> treasured name disclosed, Whom Thou hast appointed as the Announcer of
> the One through Whose name the letter B and the letter E have been joined
> and united, through Whom Thy majesty, Thy sovereignty and Thy might
> were made known, through Whom Thy words have been sent down, and
> Thy laws set forth with clearness, and Thy signs spread abroad, and Thy
> Word established, through Whom the hearts of Thy chosen ones were laid
> 
> bare, and all that were in the heavens and all that were on the earth were
> gathered together, Whom Thou hast called ‘Alí-Muhammad in the kingdom
> of Thy names, and the Spirit of Spirits in the Tablets of Thine irrevocable
> decree, Whom Thou hast invested with Thine own title, unto Whose name
> all other names have, at Thy bidding and through the power of Thy might,
> been made to return, and in Whom Thou hast caused all Thine attributes
> and titles to attain their final consummation. To Him also belong such
> names as lay hid within Thy stainless tabernacles, in Thine invisible world
> and Thy sanctified cities.
> Magnify Thou, moreover, such as have believed in Him and in His
> signs and have turned towards Him, from among those that have
> acknowledged Thy unity in His Latter Manifestation -- a Manifestation
> whereof He hath made mention in His Tablets, and in His Books, and in
> His Scriptures, and in all the wondrous verses and gem-like utterances that
> have descended upon Him. It is this same Manifestation Whose covenant
> Thou hast bidden Him establish ere He had established His own covenant.
> He it is Whose praise the Bayán hath celebrated. In it His excellence hath
> been extolled, and His truth established, and His sovereignty proclaimed,
> and His Cause perfected. Blessed is the man that hath turned unto Him,
> and fulfilled the things He hath commanded, O Thou Who art the Lord of
> the worlds and the Desire of all them that have known Thee!
> Praised be Thou, O my God, inasmuch as Thou hast aided us to
> recognize and love Him. I, therefore, beseech Thee by Him and by Them
> Who are the Day-Springs of Thy Divinity, and the Manifestations of Thy
> Lordship, and the Treasuries of Thy Revelation, and the Depositories of
> Thine inspiration, to enable us to serve and obey Him, and to empower us to
> become the helpers of His Cause and the dispersers of His adverSaríes.
> Powerful art Thou to do all that pleaseth Thee. No God is there beside
> Thee, the Almighty, the All-Glorious, the One Whose help is sought by all
> men!312
> 
> Do Thou bless, O Lord my God, the Primal Point, through
> Whom the point of creation hath been made to revolve in both the visible and
> invisible worlds, Whom Thou hast designated as the One whereunto should
> return whatsoever must return unto Thee, and as the Revealer of whatsoever
> may be manifested by Thee. Do Thou also bless such of His Letters as have
> not turned away from Thee, who have been firmly established in Thy love,
> and clung steadfastly to Thy good-pleasure. Bless Thou, likewise, as long as
> Thine own Self endureth and Thine own Essence doth last, them that have
> 
> suffered martyrdom in Thy path. Thou art, verily, the Ever-Forgiving, the
> Most Merciful.
> Moreover, I beseech Thee, O my God, by Him Whom Thou hast
> announced unto us in all Thy Tablets and Thy Books and Thy Scrolls and
> Thy Scriptures, through Whom the kingdom of names hath been convulsed,
> and all that lay hid in the breasts of them that have followed their evil and
> corrupt desires hath been revealed, -- I beseech Thee to strengthen us in our
> love for Him, to make us steadfast in His Cause, to help us befriend His
> loved ones and challenge His enemies. Shield us, then, O my God, from the
> mischief wrought by them that have denied Thy presence, and turned away
> from Thy face, and resolved to put an end to the life of Him Who is the
> Manifestation of Thine own Self.
> O my God and my Master! Thou knowest how they have disgraced
> Thy Cause and dishonored Thee among Thy creatures, how they have joined
> Thine enemies, that they may undermine Thy Revelation and injure Thee.
> Lay hold on them with the power of Thy wrath and might, O my God, and
> expose their shameful acts and their wickedness, that whatever is hid in their
> breasts may be revealed unto the people that dwell within Thy land, O Thou
> Who art the Inflictor of trials, the Fashioner of nations, and the Bestower of
> favors! No God is there beside Thee, the All-Glorious, the Most
> Bountiful.313
> 
> A praise which is exalted above every mention or description
> beseemeth the Adored One, the Possessor of all things visible and invisible,
> Who hath enabled the Primal Point to reveal countless Books and Epistles
> and Who, through the potency of His sublime Word, hath called into being
> the entire creation, whether of the former or more recent generations.
> Moreover He hath in every age and cycle, in conformity with His
> transcendent wisdom, sent forth a divine Messenger to revive the dispirited
> and despondent souls with the living waters of His utterance, One Who is
> indeed the Expounder, the true Interpreter, inasmuch as man is unable to
> comprehend that which hath streamed forth from the Pen of Glory and is
> recorded in His heavenly Books. Men at all times and under all conditions
> stand in need of one to exhort them, guide them and to instruct and teach
> them. Therefore He hath sent forth His Messengers, His Prophets and
> chosen ones that they might acquaint the people with the divine purpose
> underlying the revelation of Books and the raising up of Messengers, and
> that everyone may become aware of the trust of God which is latent in the
> reality of every soul.314
> 
> Reflect, O Shaykh, upon the Shi'ih sect. How many the edifices
> which they reared with the hands of idle fancies and vain imaginings, and
> how numerous the cities which they built! At length those vain imaginings
> were converted into bullets and aimed at Him Who is the Prince of the
> world. Not one single soul among the leaders of that sect acknowledged Him
> in the Day of His Revelation! Whenever His blessed name was mentioned,
> all would say: "May God hasten the joy His coming will bring!" On the day
> of the Revelation of that Sun of Truth, however, all, as hath been observed,
> have exclaimed, saying: "May God hasten His chastisement!" He Who was
> the Essence of being and Lord of the seen and unseen they suspended, and
> committed what made the Tablet to weep, and the Pen to groan, and the
> cries of the sincere to break forth, and the tears of the favored ones to flow.315
> 
> ÁSĺYIH KHÁNUM, NAVVÁB,
> THE MOST EXALTED LEAF
> 
> The first Spirit through which all spirits were revealed, and the first
> Light by which all lights shone forth, rest upon thee, O Most Exalted Leaf,
> thou who hast been mentioned in the Crimson Book! Thou art the one
> whom God created to arise and serve His own Self, and the Manifestation of
> His Cause, and the Day-Spring of His Revelation, and the Dawning-Place
> of His signs, and the Source of His commandments; and Who so aided thee
> that thou didst turn with thy whole being unto Him, at a time when His
> servants and handmaidens had turned away from His Face. ...Happy art
> thou, O My handmaiden, and My Leaf, and the one mentioned in My
> Book, and inscribed by My Pen of Glory in My Scrolls and Tablets.
> ...Rejoice thou, at this moment, in the most exalted Station and the Allhighest Paradise, and the Abhá Horizon, inasmuch as He Who is the
> Lord of Names hath remembered thee. We bear witness that thou didst
> attain unto all good, and that God hath so exalted thee, that all honor and
> glory circled around thee.316
> 
> O Navváb! O Leaf that hath sprung from My Tree, and been My
> companion! My glory be upon thee, and My loving-kindness, and My mercy
> that hath surpassed all beings. We announce unto thee that which will
> gladden thine eye, and assure thy soul, and rejoice thine heart. Verily, thy
> Lord is the Compassionate, the All-Bountiful. God hath been and will be
> pleased with thee, and hath singled thee out for His own Self, and chosen
> thee from among His handmaidens to serve Him, and hath made thee the
> companion of His Person in the day-time and in the night-season.317
> 
> Hear thou Me once again, God is well-pleased with thee, as a
> token of His grace and a sign of His mercy. He hath made thee to be His
> companion in every one of His worlds, and hath nourished thee with His
> meeting and presence, so long as His Name, and His Remembrance, and
> His Kingdom, and His Empire shall endure. Happy is the handmaid that
> hath mentioned thee, and sought thy good-pleasure, and humbled herself
> before thee, and held fast unto the cord of thy love. Woe betide him that
> denieth thy exalted station, and the things ordained for thee from God, the
> Lord of all names, and him that hath turned away from thee, and rejected
> thy station before God, the Lord of the mighty throne.318
> 
> O faithful ones! Should ye visit the resting-place of the Most
> Exalted Leaf, who hath ascended unto the Glorious Companion, stand ye
> and say: 'Salutation and blessing and glory upon thee, O Holy Leaf that
> hath sprung from the Divine Lote-Tree! I bear witness that thou hast
> believed in God and in His signs, and answered His Call, and turned unto
> Him, and held fast unto His cord, and clung to the hem of His grace, and
> fled thy home in His path, and chosen to live as a stranger, out of love for
> His presence and in thy longing to serve Him. May God have mercy upon
> him that draweth nigh unto thee, and remembereth thee through the things
> which My Pen hath voiced in this, the most great station. We pray God that
> He may forgive us, and forgive them that have turned unto thee, and grant
> their desires, and bestow upon them, through His wondrous grace, whatever
> be their wish. He, verily, is the Bountiful, the Generous. Praise be to God,
> He Who is the Desire of all worlds; and the Beloved of all who recognize
> Him.319
> 
> ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ, THE MOST MIGHTY BRANCH
> 
> There hath branched from the Sadratu’l-Muntahá this sacred and
> glorious Being, this Branch of Holiness; well is it with him that hath sought
> His shelter and abideth beneath His shadow. Verily the Limb of the Law
> of God hath sprung forth from this Root which God hath firmly implanted
> in the Ground of His Will, and Whose Branch hath been so uplifted as to
> encompass the whole of creation. Magnified be He, therefore, for this
> sublime, this blessed, this mighty, this exalted Handiwork!... A Word hath,
> as a token of Our grace, gone forth from the Most Great Tablet -- a Word
> which God hath adorned with the ornament of His own Self, and made it
> sovereign over the earth and all that is therein, and a sign of His greatness
> and power among its people ...Render thanks unto God, O people, for His
> 
> appearance; for verily He is the most great Favor unto you, the most perfect
> bounty upon you; and through Him every mouldering bone is quickened.
> Whoso turneth towards Him hath turned towards God, and whoso turneth
> away from Him hath turned away from My beauty, hath repudiated My
> Proof, and transgressed against Me. He is the Trust of God amongst you,
> His charge within you, His manifestation unto you and His appearance
> among His favored servants... We have sent Him down in the form of a
> human temple. Blest and sanctified be God Who createth whatsoever He
> willeth through His inviolable, His infallible decree. They who deprive
> themselves of the shadow of the Branch, are lost in the wilderness of error,
> are consumed by the heat of worldly desires, and are of those who will
> assuredly perish.320
> 
> O Thou Who art the apple of Mine eye! My glory, the ocean of My
> loving-kindness, the sun of My bounty, the heaven of My mercy rest upon
> Thee. We pray God to illumine the world through Thy knowledge and
> wisdom, to ordain for Thee that which will gladden Thine heart and impart
> consolation to Thine eyes...The glory of God rest upon Thee, and upon
> whosoever serveth Thee and circleth around Thee. Woe, great woe, betide him
> that opposeth and injureth Thee. Well is it with him that sweareth fealty to
> Thee; the fire of hell torment him who is Thine enemy...We have made Thee
> a shelter for all mankind, a shield unto all who are in heaven and on earth,
> a stronghold for whosoever hath believed in God, the Incomparable, the All-
> Knowing. God grant that through Thee He may protect them, may enrich
> and sustain them, that He may inspire Thee with that which shall be a
> wellspring of wealth unto all created things, an ocean of bounty unto all men,
> and the dayspring of mercy unto all peoples.321
> 
> Thou knowest, O my God, that I desire for Him naught except
> that which Thou didst desire, and have chosen Him for no purpose save that
> which Thou hadst intended for Him. Render Him victorious, therefore,
> through Thy hosts of earth and heaven...Ordain, I beseech Thee, by the
> ardor of My love for Thee and My yearning to manifest Thy Cause, for
> Him, as well as for them that love Him, that which Thou hast destined for
> Thy Messengers and the Trustees of Thy Revelation. Verily, Thou art the
> Almighty, the All-Powerful.322
> 
> Praise be to Him Who hath honored the Land of Bá (Beirut)
> through the presence of Him round Whom all names revolve. All the atoms
> of the earth have announced unto all created things that from behind the gate
> 
> of the Prison-city there hath appeared and above its horizon there hath shone
> forth the Orb of the beauty of the great, the Most Mighty Branch of God --
> His ancient and immutable Mystery -- proceeding on its way to another
> land. Sorrow, thereby, hath enveloped this Prison-city, whilst another land
> rejoiceth... Blessed, doubly blessed, is the ground which His footsteps have
> trodden, the eye that hath been cheered by the beauty of His countenance, the
> ear that hath been honored by hearkening to His call, the heart that hath
> tasted the sweetness of His love, the breast that hath dilated through His
> remembrance, the pen that hath voiced His praise, the scroll that hath borne
> the testimony of His writings."323
> 
> MÍRZÁ MIHDĺ, THE PUREST BRANCH
> 
> Lauded be Thy name, O Lord my God! Thou seest me in this day
> shut up in my prison, and fallen into the hands of Thine adverSaríes, and
> beholdest my son (The Purest Branch) lying on the dust before Thy face. He
> is Thy servant, O my Lord, whom Thou hast caused to be related to Him
> Who is the Manifestation of Thyself and the Day-Spring of Thy Cause.
> At his birth he was afflicted through his separation from Thee,
> according to what had been ordained for him through Thine irrevocable
> decree. And when he had quaffed the cup of reunion with Thee, he was cast
> into prison for having believed in Thee and in Thy signs. He continued to
> serve Thy Beauty until he entered into this Most Great Prison. Thereupon I
> offered him up, O my God, as a sacrifice in Thy path. Thou well knowest
> what they who love Thee have endured through this trial that hath caused the
> kindreds of the earth to wail, and beyond them the Concourse on high to
> lament.
> I beseech Thee, O my Lord, by him and by his exile and his
> imprisonment, to send down upon such as loved him what will quiet their
> hearts and bless their works. Potent art Thou to do as Thou willest. No
> God is there but Thee, the Almighty, the Most Powerful.324
> 
> At this very moment, My son is being washed before My face, after
> Our having sacrificed him in the Most Great Prison. Thereat have the
> dwellers of the Abhá Tabernacle wept with a great weeping, and such as
> have suffered imprisonment with this Youth in the path of God, the Lord of
> the promised Day, lamented. Under such conditions My Pen hath not been
> prevented from remembering its Lord, the Lord of all nations. It summoneth
> the people unto God, the Almighty, the All-Bountiful. This is the day
> 
> whereon he that was created by the light of Bahá has suffered martyrdom, at
> a time when he lay imprisoned at the hands of his enemies...
> Upon thee, O Branch of God! be the remembrance of God and His
> praise, and the praise of all that dwell in the Realm of Immortality, and of
> all the denizens of the Kingdom of Names. Happy art thou in that thou
> hast been faithful to the Covenant of God and His Testament, until Thou
> didst sacrifice thyself before the face of thy Lord, the Almighty, the
> Unconstrained. Thou, in truth, hast been wronged, and to this testifieth the
> Beauty of Him, the Self-Subsisting. Thou didst, in the first days of thy life,
> bear that which hath caused all things to groan, and made every pillar to
> tremble. Happy is the one that remembereth thee, and draweth nigh, through
> thee, unto God, the Creator of the Morn.325
> 
> Glorified art Thou, O Lord, my God! Thou seest me in the hands
> of Mine enemies, and My son bloodstained before Thy face, O Thou in
> Whose hands is the kingdom of all names. I have, O my Lord, offered up
> that which Thou hast given Me, that Thy servants may be quickened and
> all that dwell on earth be united.326
> 
> Blessed art thou, and blessed he that turneth unto thee, and visiteth
> thy grave, and draweth nigh, through thee, unto God, the Lord of all that
> was and shall be.... I testify that thou didst return in meekness unto thine
> abode. Great is thy blessedness and the blessedness of them that hold fast
> unto the hem of thy outspread robe.... Thou art, verily, the trust of God and
> His treasure in this land. Erelong will God reveal through thee that which
> He hath desired. He, verily, is the Truth, the Knower of things unseen.
> When thou wast laid to rest in the earth, the earth itself trembled in its
> longing to meet thee. Thus hath it been decreed, and yet the people perceive
> not.... Were We to recount the mysteries of thine ascension, they that are
> asleep would waken, and all beings would be set ablaze with the fire of the
> remembrance of My Name, the Mighty, the Loving.327
> 
> BAHĺYYIH KHÁNUM,
> THE GREATEST HOLY LEAF
> 
> He is the Eternal! This is My testimony for her who hath heard
> My voice and drawn nigh unto Me. Verily, she is a leaf that hath sprung
> from this preexistent Root. She hath revealed herself in My name and tasted
> of the sweet savours of My holy, My wondrous pleasure. At one time We
> gave her to drink from My honeyed Mouth, at another caused her to partake
> 
> of My mighty, My luminous Kawthar. Upon her rest the glory of My name
> and the fragrance of My shining robe.328
> 
> Let these exalted words be thy love-song on the tree of Baha, O
> thou most holy and resplendent Leaf: 'God, besides Whom is none other
> God, the Lord of this world and the next!' Verily, We have elevated thee to
> the rank of one of the most distinguished among thy sex, and granted thee,
> in My court, a station such as none other woman hath surpassed. Thus have
> We preferred thee and raised thee above the rest, as a sign of grace from Him
> Who is the Lord of the throne on high and earth below. We have created
> thine eyes to behold the light of My countenance, thine ears to hearken unto
> the melody of My words, thy body to pay homage before My throne. Do thou
> render thanks unto God, thy Lord, the Lord of all the world.
> How high is the testimony of the Sadratu’l-Muntahá for its leaf;
> how exalted the witness of the Tree of Life unto its fruit! Through My
> remembrance of her a fragrance laden with the perfume of musk hath been
> diffused; well is it with him that hath inhaled it and exclaimed: 'All praise
> be to Thee, O God, my Lord the most glorious!' How sweet thy presence
> before Me; how sweet to gaze upon thy face, to bestow upon thee My lovingkindness, to favour thee with My tender care, to make mention of thee in
> this, My Tablet - a Tablet which I have ordained as a token of My hidden
> and manifest grace unto thee. 329
> 
> O My Leaf! Hearken thou unto My Voice: Verily there is none
> other God but Me, the Almighty, the All-Wise. I can well inhale from thee
> the fragrance of My love and the sweet-smelling savour wafting from the
> raiment of My Name, the Most Holy, the Most Luminous. Be astir upon
> God's Tree in conformity with thy pleasure and unloose thy tongue in praise
> of thy Lord amidst all mankind. Let not the things of the world grieve thee.
> Cling fast unto this divine Lote-Tree from which God hath graciously caused
> thee to spring forth. I swear by My life! It behoveth the lover to be closely
> joined to the loved one, and here indeed is the Best-Beloved of the world.330
> 
> ‘ALĺ-AKBAR-I-NARÁQĺ
> 
> O Pen of the Ancient of Days! Call Thou to remembrance ‘Alí331,
> he who sojourned with Thee in ‘Iráq until the Daystar of the world departed
> therefrom. He forsook his home to attain the court of Thy presence at a time
> when We were captive in the hands of such as have been deprived of the sweet
> savours of the All-Merciful. Grieve not at what hath befallen Us and thee
> 
> in the path of God. Rest assured and persevere. He, verily, rendereth
> victorious those who love Him, and His might is equal to all things. Whoso
> turneth unto Him brighteneth thereby the faces of the Concourse on high,
> and unto this God Himself is My witness.332
> 
> ‘ALĺ-AKBAR SHÁHMÍRZÁDĺ
> 
> Praise and thanksgiving beseem the Lord of manifest dominion
> Who hath adorned the mighty prison with the presence of their honours ‘Alí-
> Akbar and Amín333, and hath illumined it with the light of certitude,
> constancy and assurance. The glory of God and the glory of all that are in
> the heavens and on the earth be upon them.
> Light and glory, greeting and praise be upon the Hands of His
> Cause, through whom the light of fortitude hath shone forth and the truth
> hath been established that the authority to choose rests with God, the
> Powerful, the Mighty, the Unconstrained, through whom the ocean of bounty
> hath surged and the fragrance of the gracious favours of God, the Lord of
> mankind, hath been diffused. We beseech Him -- exalted is He -- to shield
> them through the power of His hosts, to protect them through the potency of
> His dominion and to aid them through His indomitable strength which
> prevaileth over all created things. Sovereignty is God's, the Creator of the
> heavens and the Lord of the Kingdom of Names.334
> 
> ISMÁ’ĺL-I-KÁSHÁNĺ, DHABĺH, ANĺS
> 
> Forsake Thy mention of the Chief, O Pen, and call to
> remembrance Anís335, that intimate of the love of God who severed himself
> from the wayward and the infidel. He tore the veils asunder in such wise that
> the inmates of Paradise could hear them being rent. Glorified be God, the
> Sovereign, the Powerful, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.336
> 
> O Pen of Revelation! Call Thou to remembrance him [Anís]
> whose letter reached Us during this darksome night. He it is who wandered
> from region to region until he entered the City, [Adrianople] seeking the
> shelter of the mercy of his Lord, the Almighty, the Most High. Eagerly
> awaiting the favours of his Lord, he dwelt therein for a night, but departed
> therefrom the following morning as bidden by God, filling with sorrow the
> heart of this Youth. To this the Almighty is Himself a witness.
> Great is thy blessedness, for thou hast received the wine of utterance
> from the hand of the All-Merciful, and became so enraptured by the sweet
> 
> fragrance of the Best-Beloved as to renounce thy comfort and to be numbered
> with them that have hastened unto His Paradise, the Dawning-Place of the
> signs of thy Lord, the Gracious, the Peerless. Happy the one who hath
> quaffed the wine of inner mysteries from the countenance of his Lord and
> been intoxicated by this pure and crystal draught. By God! It causeth every
> true believer to soar in the heaven of majesty and grandeur, and transmuteth
> every doubt into certainty.
> Grieve not at what hath befallen thee, but put thy whole trust in
> God, the Almighty, the All-Knowing, the Wise. Raise thy house upon the
> solid foundation of divine utterances, and give praise to thy Lord. He, verily,
> shall suffice thee above all the peoples of the earth.
> God hath, in truth, inscribed your names upon a Tablet wherein
> are enshrined the hidden secrets of all that hath been. Erelong shall the
> faithful call to remembrance your exile and all your journeys in His path.
> He, verily, loveth those who love Him, and is the helper of the sincere. By the
> righteousness of God! The eyes of the Concourse on high are fixed upon you
> and their fingers point towards you. Thus doth the bounty of your Lord
> encompass you. Would that the people might recognize that which hath
> escaped them in the days of God, the All-Glorious, the All-Praised.
> Render thanks unto God for having aided thee to know Him and
> to enter within the precincts of His court at a time when the ungodly
> surrounded the family of thy Lord and His loved ones, and expelled them
> from their homes with manifest cruelty, intending to separate us at the shore
> of the sea. Verily, thy Lord is aware of that which lieth concealed within the
> breasts of the unbelievers. Say: Even should ye tear our bodies asunder, ye
> could not banish from our hearts the love of God. We were of a truth created
> for sacrifice, and in this do we take pride before all creation.
> O thou who art set aglow with the fire of the love of God! Know
> thou that thy letter hath reached Us and that We have been apprised of its
> contents. We beseech God to confirm thee in His love and in His good
> pleasure, to assist thee in the promotion of His Cause, and to number thee
> with such as have arisen for the triumph of His Faith.337
> 
> HÁJÍ MULLÁ HADĺ SABZIVÁRĺ
> 
> Christ saith: 'Thou hast granted to children that whereof the
> learned and the wise are deprived.' The sage of Sabzivár338 hath said: 'Alas!
> Attentive ears are lacking, otherwise the whisperings of the Sinaic Bush
> could be heard from every tree.' In a Tablet to a man of wisdom who had
> made enquiry as to the meaning of Elementary Reality339, We addressed this
> 
> famous sage in these words: 'If this saying is truly thine, how is it that thou
> hast failed to hearken unto the Call which the Tree of Man hath raised
> from the loftiest heights of the world? If thou didst hear the Call yet fear and
> the desire to preserve thy life prompted thee to remain heedless to it, thou art
> such a person as hath never been nor is worthy of mention; if thou hast not
> heard it, then thou art bereft of the sense of hearing.' In brief, such men are
> they whose words are the pride of the world, and whose deeds are the shame
> of the nations.340
> 
> JAMÁLU’D-DĺN-I-AFGHÁNĺ
> 
> Gracious God! A thing hath recently happened which caused great
> astonishment. It is reported that a certain person [Jamálu’d-Dín-i-Afghání]
> went to the seat of the imperial throne in Persia and succeeded in winning the
> good graces of some of the nobility by his ingratiating behaviour. How pitiful
> indeed, how deplorable! One wondereth why those who have been the symbols
> of highest glory should now stoop to boundless shame. What is become of
> their high resolve? Whither is gone the sense of dignity and honour? The sun
> of glory and wisdom hath unceasingly been shining above the horizon of
> Persia, but nowadays it hath sunk to such a low level that certain dignitaries
> have allowed themselves to be treated as playthings in the hands of the
> foolish. The aforesaid person hath written such things concerning this people
> in the Egyptian press and in the Beirut Encyclopedia that the well-informed
> and the learned were astonished. He proceeded then to Paris where he
> published a newspaper entitled Urvatu'l-Vuthqa [The Sure Handle] and
> sent copies thereof to all parts of the world. He also sent a copy to the Prison
> of 'Akká, and by so doing he meant to show affection and to make amends
> for his past actions. In short, this Wronged One hath observed silence in
> regard to him. We entreat God, the True One, to protect him and to shed
> upon him the light of justice and fairness. It behoveth him to say:
> O God my God! Thou seest me standing before the door of Thy
> forgiveness and benevolence, turning my gaze toward the horizon of Thy
> bountiful favours and manifold blessings. I beg of Thee by Thy sweet accents
> and by the shrill voice of Thy Pen, O Lord of all mankind, to graciously aid
> Thy servants as it befitteth Thy days and beseemeth the glory of Thy
> manifestation and Thy majesty. Verily potent art Thou to do whatsoever
> Thou willest. All they that dwell in the heavens and on the earth bear
> witness to Thy power and Thy might, to Thy glory and Thy bounteousness.
> Praise be to Thee, O Lord of the worlds and the Well-Beloved of the heart
> of every man of understanding!
> 
> Thou beholdest, O my God, the essence of poverty seeking the ocean
> of Thy wealth and the substance of iniquity yearning for the waters of Thy
> forgiveness and Thy tender mercy. Grant Thou, O my God, that which
> beseemeth Thy great glory and befitteth the loftiness of Thy boundless grace.
> Thou art in truth the All-Bountiful, the Lord of grace abounding, the
> Ordainer, the All-Wise. No God is there but Thee, the Most Powerful, the
> All-Compelling, the Omnipotent.341
> 
> HÁJÍ MÍRZÁ KARĺM KHÁN-I-KIRMÁNĺ
> 
> Inasmuch as they have not apprehended the meaning of Knowledge,
> and have called by that name those images fashioned by their own fancy and
> which have sprung from the embodiments of ignorance, they therefore have
> inflicted upon the Source of Knowledge that which thou hast heard and
> witnessed.
> For instance, a certain man,[Hájí Mírzá Karím Khán-i-Kirmání]
> reputed for his learning and attainments, and accounting himself as one of
> the pre-eminent leaders of his people, hath in his book denounced and vilified
> all the exponents of true learning. This is made abundantly clear by his
> explicit statements as well as by his allusions throughout his book. As We
> had frequently heard about him, We purposed to read some of his works.
> Although We never felt disposed to peruse other peoples' writings, yet as
> some had questioned Us concerning him, We felt it necessary to refer to his
> books, in order that We might answer Our questioners with knowledge and
> understanding. His works, in the Arabic tongue, were, however, not
> available, until one day a certain man informed Us that one of his
> compositions, entitled Irshadu'l-'Avam,[Guidance unto the Ignorant] could
> be found in this city. From this title We perceived the odour of conceit and
> vainglory, inasmuch as he hath imagined himself a learned man and
> regarded the rest of the people ignorant. His worth was in fact made known
> by the very title he had chosen for his book. It became evident that its author
> was following the path of self and desire, and was lost in the wilderness of
> ignorance and folly. Methinks, he had forgotten the well-known tradition
> which sayeth: "Knowledge is all that is knowable; and might and power, all
> creation." Notwithstanding, We sent for the book, and kept it with Us a
> few days. It was proBábly referred to twice. The second time, We accidentally
> came upon the story of the "Mi'raj"[Night Ascension] of Muhammad, of
> Whom was spoken: "But for Thee, I would not have created the spheres."
> We noticed that he had enumerated some twenty or more sciences, the
> knowledge of which he considered to be essential for the comprehension of the
> 
> mystery of the "Mi'raj". We gathered from his statements that unless a man
> be deeply versed in them all, he can never attain to a proper understanding of
> this transcendent and exalted theme. Among the specified sciences were the
> science of metaphysical abstractions, of alchemy, and natural magic. Such
> vain and discarded learnings, this man hath regarded as the pre-requisites of
> the understanding of the sacred and abiding mysteries of divine Knowledge.
> Gracious God! Such is the measure of his understanding. And yet,
> behold what cavils and calumnies he hath heaped upon those Embodiments
> of God's infinite knowledge! How well and true is the saying: "Flingest thou
> thy calumnies unto the face of Them Whom the one true God hath made the
> Trustees of the treasures of His seventh sphere?" Not one understanding
> heart or mind, not one among the wise and learned, hath taken notice of
> these preposterous statements. And yet, how clear and evident it is to every
> discerning heart that this so-called learning is and hath ever been, rejected by
> Him Who is the one true God. How can the knowledge of these sciences,
> which are so contemptible in the eyes of the truly learned, be regarded as
> essential to the apprehension of the mysteries of the "Mi'raj," whilst the
> Lord of the "Mi'raj" Himself was never burdened with a single letter of
> these limited and obscure learnings, and never defiled His radiant heart with
> any of these fanciful illusions? How truly hath he said: "All human
> attainment moveth upon a lame ass, whilst Truth, riding upon the wind,
> darteth across space." By the righteousness of God! Whoso desireth to
> fathom the mystery of this "Mi'raj," and craveth a drop from this ocean, if
> the mirror of his heart be already obscured by the dust of these learnings, he
> must needs cleanse and purify it ere the light of this mystery can be reflected
> therein.
> In this day, they that are submerged beneath the ocean of ancient
> Knowledge, and dwell within the ark of divine wisdom, forbid the people
> such idle pursuits. Their shining breasts are, praise be to God, sanctified
> from every trace of such learning, and are exalted above such grievous veils.
> We have consumed this densest of all veils, with the fire of the love of the
> Beloved -- the veil referred to in the saying: "The most grievous of all veils is
> the veil of knowledge." Upon its ashes, We have reared the tabernacle of
> divine knowledge. We have, praise be to God, burned the "veils of glory"
> with the fire of the beauty of the Best-Beloved. We have driven from the
> human heart all else but Him Who is the Desire of the world, and glory
> therein. We cleave to no knowledge but His Knowledge, and set our hearts
> on naught save the effulgent glories of His light.
> We were surprised exceedingly when We observed that his one
> purpose was to make the people realize that all these learnings were possessed
> 
> by him. And yet, I swear by God that not one breath, blowing from the
> meads of divine knowledge, hath ever been wafted upon his soul, nor hath he
> ever unravelled a single mystery of ancient wisdom. Nay, were the meaning of
> Knowledge ever to be expounded unto him, dismay would fill his heart, and
> his whole being would shake to its foundation. Notwithstanding his base
> and senseless statements, behold to what heights of extravagance his claims
> have reached!
> Gracious God! How great is Our amazement at the way the people
> have gathered around him, and have borne allegiance to his person! Content
> with transient dust, these people have turned their face unto it, and cast
> behind their backs Him Who is the Lord of Lords. Satisfied with the
> croaking of the crow and enamoured with the visage of the raven, they have
> renounced the melody of the nightingale and the charm of the rose. What
> unspeakable fallacies the perusal of this pretentious book hath revealed!
> They are too unworthy for any pen to describe, and too base for one
> moment's attention. Should a touchstone be found, however, it would
> instantly distinguish truth from falsehood, light from darkness, and sun from
> shadow.
> Among the sciences which this pretender hath professed is that of
> alchemy. We cherish the hope that either a king or a man of preeminent
> power may call upon him to translate this science from the realm of fancy to
> the domain of fact and from the plane of mere pretension to that of actual
> achievement. Would that this unlearned and humble Servant, who never laid
> any pretension to such things, nor even regarded them as the criterion of true
> knowledge, might undertake the same task, that thereby the truth might be
> known and distinguished from falsehood. But of what avail! All this
> generation could offer Us were wounds from its darts, and the only cup it
> proffered to Our lips was the cup of its venom. On our neck We still bear
> the scar of chains, and upon Our body are imprinted the evidences of an
> unyielding cruelty.
> And as to this man's attainments, his ignorance, understanding
> and belief, behold what the Book which embraceth all things hath revealed;
> "Verily, the tree of Zaqqum [Infernal tree] shall be the food of the
> Athim."[Sinner or sinful. See Qur’án 44:43-44] And then follow certain
> verses, until He saith: "Taste this, for thou forsooth art the mighty
> Karím!"[Honourable. See Qur’án 44:49] Consider how clearly and
> explicitly he hath been described in God's incorruptible Book! This man,
> moreover, feigning humility, hath in his own book referred to himself as the
> "athim servant": "Athim" in the Book of God, mighty among the common
> herd, "Karím" in name!
> 
> Ponder the blessed verse, so that the meaning of the words: "There
> is neither a thing green nor sere but it is noted in the unerring
> Book,"[Qur’án 6:59] may be imprinted upon the tablet of thy heart.
> Notwithstanding, a multitude bear him allegiance. They have rejected the
> Moses of knowledge and justice, and clung to the Samiri [A magician
> contemporary with Moses. See Qur’án 20:85-95] of ignorance. They have
> turned away their eyes from the Day-star of truth which shineth in the divine
> and everlasting heaven, and have utterly ignored its splendour.
> O my brother! A divine Mine only can yield the gems of divine
> knowledge, and the fragrance of the mystic Flower can be inhaled only in the
> ideal Garden, and the lilies of ancient wisdom can blossom nowhere except
> in the city of a stainless heart. "In a rich soil, its plants spring forth
> abundantly by permission of its Lord, and in that soil which is bad, they
> spring forth but scantily."[Qur'án 7:57]342
> 
> Call ye to mind Karim, and how, when We summoned him unto
> God, he waxed disdainful, prompted by his own desires; yet We had sent
> him that which was a solace to the eye of proof in the world of being and the
> fulfilment of God's testimony to all the denizens of earth and heaven. As a
> token of the grace of Him Who is the All-Possessing, the Most High, We
> bade him embrace the Truth. But he turned away until, as an act of justice
> from God, angels of wrath laid hold upon him. Unto this We truly were a
> witness.343
> 
> MÍRZÁ ABU’L-QASIM FARAHANI
> 
> His Majesty Muhammad Sháh, despite the excellence of his rank,
> committed two heinous deeds. One was the order to banish the Lord of the
> Realms of Grace and Bounty, the Primal Point; and the other, the murder
> of the Prince of the City of Statesmanship and Literary Accomplishment.344
> 
> The faults of kings, like their favours, can be great. A king who is
> not deterred by the vainglory of power and authority from observing justice,
> nor is deprived of the splendours of the day-star of equity by luxury, riches,
> glory or the marshalling of hosts and legions shall occupy a high rank and a
> sublime station amongst the Concourse on high. It is incumbent upon
> everyone to extend aid and to manifest kindness to so noble a soul. Well is it
> with the king who keepeth a tight hold on the reins of his passion,
> restraineth his anger and preferreth justice and fairness to injustice and
> tyranny.345
> 
> We entreat His Majesty the Sháh, -- may God, hallowed and
> glorified be He, assist him -- himself to ponder upon these things, and to
> judge with equity and justice. Although in recent years a number of the
> faithful have, in most of the cities of Persia, suffered themselves to be killed
> rather than kill, yet the hatred smouldering in certain hearts hath blazed
> more fiercely than before. For the victims of oppression to intercede in favor of
> their enemies is, in the estimation of rulers, a princely deed. Some must have
> certainly heard that this oppressed people have, in that city (Ishqabad),
> pleaded with the Governor on behalf of their murderers, and asked for the
> mitigation of their sentence. Take, then, good heed, ye who are men of
> insight!346
> 
> MĺRZÁ SA’ĺD KHÁN, MINISTER OF THE SHÁH
> 
> Pause for but a little while and reflect, O Minister, and be fair in
> thy judgement. What is it that We have committed that could justify thee in
> having slandered Us unto the King's Ministers, in following thy desires, in
> perverting the truth, and in uttering thy calumnies against Us? We have
> never met each other except when We met thee in thy father's house, in the
> days when the martyrdom of Imám Husayn was being commemorated. On
> those occasions no one could have had the chance of making known to others
> his views and beliefs in conversation or in discourse. Thou wilt bear witness
> to the truth of My words, if thou be of the truthful. I have frequented no
> other gatherings in which thou couldst have learned My mind or in which
> any other could have done so. How, then, didst thou pronounce thy verdict
> against Me, when thou hadst not heard My testimony from Mine own lips?
> Hast thou not heard what God, exalted be His glory, hath said: "Say not
> to everyone who meeteth you with a greeting, 'Thou art not a believer'."
> "Thrust not away those who cry to their Lord at morn and even, craving to
> behold His face." Thou hast indeed forsaken what the Book of God hath
> prescribed, and yet thou deemest thyself to be a believer!
> Despite what thou hast done I entertain -- and to this God is My
> witness -- no ill will against thee, nor against anyone, though from thee and
> others We receive such hurt as no believer in the unity of God can sustain.
> My cause is in the hand of none except God, and My trust is in no one else
> but Him. Erelong shall your days pass away, as shall pass away the days of
> those who now, with flagrant pride, vaunt themselves over their neighbour.
> Soon shall ye be gathered together in the presence of God, and shall be asked
> of your doings, and shall be repaid for what your hands have wrought, and
> wretched is the abode of the wicked doers!
> 
> By God! Wert thou to realize what thou hast done, thou wouldst
> surely weep sore over thyself, and wouldst flee for refuge to God, and wouldst
> pine away and mourn all the days of thy life, till God will have forgiven thee,
> for He, verily, is the Most Generous, the All-Bountiful. Thou wilt, however,
> persist, till the hour of thy death, in thy heedlessness, inasmuch as thou hast,
> with all thine heart, thy soul and inmost being, busied thyself with the
> vanities of the world. Thou shalt, after thy departure, discover what We have
> revealed unto thee, and shalt find all thy doings recorded in the Book
> wherein the works of all them that dwell on earth, be they greater or less
> than the weight of an atom, are noted down. Heed, therefore, My counsel,
> and hearken thou, with the hearing of thine heart, unto My speech, and be
> not careless of My words, nor be of them that reject My truth. Glory not in
> the things that have been given thee. Set before thine eyes what hath been
> revealed in the Book of God, the Help in Peril, the All-Glorious: "And
> when they had forgotten their warnings, We set open to them the gates of all
> things," even as We did set open to thee and to thy like the gates of this
> earth and the ornaments thereof. Wait thou, therefore, for what hath been
> promised in the latter part of this holy verse, for this is a promise from Him
> Who is the Almighty, the All-Wise -- a promise that will not prove
> untrue.347
> 
> MÍRZÁ HUSAYN KHÁN, MUSHIRU’D-DAWLIH
> 
> His Excellency, the late Mírzá Husayn Khán, Mushiru'd-
> Dawlih, -- may God forgive him -- hath known this Wronged One, and he,
> no doubt, must have given to the Authorities a circumstantial account of the
> arrival of this Wronged One at the Sublime Porte, and of the things which
> He said and did. On the day of Our arrival the Government Official, whose
> duty it was to receive and entertain official visitors, met Us and escorted Us
> to the place he had been bidden to take Us. In truth, the Government
> showed these wronged ones the utmost kindness and consideration. The
> following day Prince Shuja'u'd-Dawlih, accompanied by Mírzá Safá, acting
> as the representatives of the late Mushiru'd-Dawlih, the Minister (accredited
> to the Imperial Court) came to visit Us. Others, among whom were several
> Ministers of the Imperial Government, and including the late Kamal Pasha,
> likewise called on Us. Wholly reliant on God, and without any reference to
> any need He might have had, or to any other matter, this Wronged One
> sojourned for a period of four months in that city. His actions were known
> and evident unto all, and none can deny them except such as hate Him, and
> speak not the truth. He that hath recognized God, recognizeth none other
> 
> but Him. We have never liked, nor like We, to make mention of such
> things.
> Whenever high dignitaries of Persia came to that city
> (Constantinople) they would exert themselves to the utmost soliciting at every
> door such allowances and gifts as they might obtain. This Wronged One,
> however, if He hath done nothing that would redound to the glory of Persia,
> hath at least acted in a manner that could in no wise disgrace it. That which
> was done by his late Excellency (Mushiru'd-Dawlih) -- may God exalt his
> station -- was not actuated by his friendship towards this Wronged One, but
> rather was prompted by his own sagacious judgment, and by his desire to
> accomplish the service he secretly contemplated rendering his Government. I
> testify that he was so faithful in his service to his Government that dishonesty
> played no part, and was held in contempt, in the domain of his activities. It
> was he who was responsible for the arrival of these wronged ones in the Most
> Great Prison (Akká). As he was faithful, however, in the discharge of his
> duty, he deserveth Our commendation. This Wronged One hath, at all
> times, aimed and striven to exalt and advance the interests of both the
> government and the people, not to elevate His own station. A number of men
> have, now, gathered others about them, and have arisen to dishonor this
> Wronged One. He, nevertheless, beseecheth God -- hallowed and glorified be
> He -- to aid them to return unto Him, and assist them to compensate for
> that which escaped them, and repent before the door of His bounty. He,
> verily, is the Forgiving, the Merciful.348
> 
> SIYYID MUHAMMAD ‘ALĺY-I-ISFÁHÁNĺ
> 
> Every one of this people well knoweth that Siyyid Muhammad was
> but one of Our servants. In the days when, as requested by the Imperial
> Ottoman Government, We proceeded to their Capital, he accompanied Us.
> Subsequently, he committed that which -- I swear by God -- hath caused the
> Pen of the Most High to weep and His Tablet to groan. We, therefore, cast
> him out; whereupon, he joined Mírzá Yahyá, and did what no tyrant hath
> ever done. We abandoned him, and said unto him: "Begone, O heedless
> one!" After these words had been uttered, he joined the order of the
> Mawlavis, and remained in their company until the time when We were
> summoned to depart.349
> 
> O thou who hast turned thy gaze towards My face! In these days
> there occurred that which hath plunged Me into dire sadness. Certain wrongdoers who profess allegiance to the Cause of God committed such deeds as
> 
> have caused the limbs of sincerity, of honesty, of justice, of equity to quake.
> One known individual [Siyyid Muhammad-’Alíy-i-Isfáhání] to whom the
> utmost kindness and favour had been extended perpetrated such acts as have
> brought tears to the eye of God. Formerly We uttered words of warning and
> premonition, then for a number of years We kept the matter secret that
> haply he might take heed and repent. But all to no purpose. In the end he
> bent his energies upon vilifying the Cause of God before the eyes of all men.
> He tore the veil of fairness asunder and felt sympathy neither for himself nor
> for the Cause of God. Now, however, the deeds of certain individuals have
> brought sorrows far more grievous than those which the deeds of the former
> had caused. Beseech thou God, the True One, that He may graciously
> enable the heedless to retract and repent. Verily He is the Forgiving, the
> Bountiful, the Most Generous.350
> 
> MÍRZÁ HADIY-I-DAWLAT-ABADI
> 
> It behooveth thee now to reflect upon the state of Mírzá Hadí
> Dawlat-Abadi and of Sad-i-Isfáhání (Sadru'l-'Ulama), who reside in the
> Land of Tá (Tihrán). No sooner had the former heard that he had been
> called a Bábí than he became so perturbed that his poise and dignity forsook
> him. He ascended the pulpits and spoke words which ill befitted him. From
> time immemorial the clay clods of the world have, wholly by reason of their
> love of leadership, perpetrated such acts as have caused men to err. Thou
> must not, however, imagine that all the faithful are such as these two. We
> have described unto thee the constancy, the firmness, the steadfastness, the
> certitude, the imperturbability and the dignity of the martyrs of this
> Revelation, that thou mayest be well-informed. My purpose in citing the
> passages from the Tablets to the kings and others hath been that thou
> mayest know of a certainty that this Wronged One hath not concealed the
> Cause of God, but hath proclaimed and delivered, in the most eloquent
> language, before the face of the world, the things He had been commissioned
> to set forth. Certain faint-hearted ones, however, such as Hadi and others,
> have tampered with the Cause of God and have, in their concern for this
> fleeting life, said and done that which caused the eye of justice to weep and
> the Pen of Glory to groan, notwithstanding their ignorance of the essentials of
> this Cause; whereas this Wronged One hath revealed it for the sake of God.
> O Hadi! Thou hast gone unto My brother and hast seen him. Set
> now thy face towards the court of this Wronged One, that haply the breezes
> of Revelation and the breaths of inspiration may assist thee and enable thee
> to attain thy goal. Whoever gazeth this day on My signs will distinguish
> 
> truth from falsehood as the sun from shadow, and will be made cognizant of
> the goal. God is aware and beareth Me witness that whatever hath been
> mentioned was for the sake of God, that haply thou mayest be the cause of
> the guidance of men, and mayest deliver the peoples of the world from idle
> fancies and vain imaginings. Gracious God! Until now they that have
> turned aside and denied Me have failed to recognize Who despatched that
> which was delivered unto the Herald -- the Primal Point! The knowledge of
> it is with God, the Lord of the worlds.351
> 
> O people of the Bayán! It is men like unto Hadi Dawlat-Abadi
> who, with turban and staff, [The insignia of a Mullá] have been the source
> of opposition and hindrance and have so grievously burdened the people with
> superstitions that even at the present time they still expect the appearance of
> a fictitious person from a fictitious place. Be ye warned, O men of
> understanding.
> O Hadi! Give ear unto the Voice of this trustworthy Counsellor:
> direct thy steps from the left unto the right, that is turn away from idle fancy
> unto certitude. Lead not the people into error. The divine Luminary shineth,
> His Cause is manifest and His signs are all-embracing. Set thy face towards
> God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. Renounce thy leadership for the
> sake of God and leave the people unto themselves. Thou art ignorant of the
> essential truth, thou art not acquainted therewith.
> O Hadi! Be thou of one face in the path of God. When in company
> with the infidels, thou art an infidel and with the pious, thou art pious.
> Reflect thou upon such souls as offered up their lives and their substance in
> that land, that haply thou mayest be admonished and roused from slumber.
> Consider: who is to be preferred, he who preserveth his body, his life and his
> possessions or the one who surrendereth his all in the path of God? Judge
> thou fairly and be not of the unjust. Take fast hold of justice and adhere
> unto equity that perchance thou mayest not, for selfish motives, use religion
> as a snare, nor disregard the truth for the sake of gold. Indeed thine iniquity
> and the iniquity of such people as thyself have waxed so grievous that the
> Pen of Glory was moved to make such observations. Fear thou God. He
> Who heralded this Revelation hath declared: 'He shall proclaim under all
> conditions: "Verily, verily, I am God, no God is there but Me, the Help in
> Peril, the Self-Subsisting."'
> O people of the Bayán! Ye have been forbidden to contact the loved
> ones of God. Why hath this ban been imposed and for what purpose? Be ye
> fair, I adjure you by God, and be not of the heedless. Unto such as are
> endued with insight, and before the Most Great Beauty, the object of this
> 
> ban is known and evident; it is so that no one may become aware of his
> (Hadi's) secrets and deeds.
> O Hadi! Thou hast not been in Our company, thou art therefore
> ignorant of the Cause. Act not according to thine idle imaginings. Aside
> from these things, scrutinize the Writings with thine own eyes and ponder
> upon that which hath come to pass. Have pity upon thyself and upon the
> servants of God and be not the cause of waywardness like unto the people
> aforetime. The path is unmistakable and the proof is evident. Change
> injustice into justice and inequity into equity. We cherish the hope that the
> breaths of divine inspiration may strengthen thee and that thine inner ear
> may be enabled to hear the blessed words: 'Say, it is God, then leave them to
> entertain themselves with their cavillings.'[Qur’án 6:91] Thou has been
> there (Cyprus) and hast seen him (Mírzá Yahyá). Now speak forth with
> fairness. Do not misrepresent the matter, neither to thyself nor to the people.
> Thou art both ignorant and uninformed. Give ear unto the Voice of this
> Wronged One and hasten towards the ocean of divine knowledge that
> perchance thou mayest be adorned with the ornament of comprehension and
> mayest renounce all else but God. Hearken unto the Voice of this benevolent
> Counsellor, calling aloud, unveiled and manifest, before the faces of kings
> and their subjects, and summon the people of the world, one and all, unto
> Him Who is the Lord of Eternity. This is the Word from Whose horizon
> the day-star of unfailing grace shineth resplendent.
> O Hadi! This Wronged One, rid of all attachment to the world,
> hath striven with utmost endeavour to quench the fire of animosity and
> hatred which burneth fiercely in the hearts of the peoples of the earth. It
> behoveth every just and fair-minded person to render thanks unto God --
> exalted be His glory -- and to arise to promote this pre-eminent Cause, that
> fire may turn into light, and hatred may give way to fellowship and love. I
> swear by the righteousness of God! This is the sole purpose of this Wronged
> One. Indeed in proclaiming this momentous Cause and in demonstrating its
> Truth We have endured manifold sufferings, hardships and tribulations.
> Thou thyself wouldst bear witness unto that which We have mentioned,
> couldst thou but speak with fairness. Verily God speaketh the truth and
> leadeth the Way. He is the Powerful, the Mighty, the Gracious.352
> The disbelievers among the people of the Bayán are like the
> followers of the Shí’ih sect and walk in their footsteps. Leave them to their
> idle fancies and vain imaginings. They are in truth accounted with the lost in
> the Book of God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. The Shi'ih divines, one
> and all, are now engaged in reviling and denouncing the True One from their
> pulpits. Gracious God! Dawlat-Abádí too hath followed suit. He ascended
> 
> the pulpit and gave voice to that which hath caused the Tablet to cry out in
> anguish and the Pen to wail. Meditate upon his conduct and the conduct of
> Ashraf353 -- upon him be My glory and My tender mercy -- and likewise
> consider those loved ones who hastened to the place of martyrdom in My
> Name, and offered up their lives in the path of Him Who is the Desire of
> the world.354
> 
> SHAYKH MURTADA
> 
> Those doctors who have indeed drunk of the cup of renunciation
> have never interfered with this Servant. Thus, for example, Shaykh
> Murtada -- may God exalt his station and cause him to repose beneath the
> canopy of His grace! -- showed forth kindness during Our sojourn in ‘Iráq,
> and never spoke of this Cause otherwise than as God hath given leave. We
> beseech God to graciously assist all to do His will and pleasure.355
> 
> SULTÁN ‘ABDU’L-‘AZIZ
> 
> "Sultán ‘Abdu'l-'Azíz banished Us to this country in the greatest
> abasement, and since his object was to destroy Us and humble Us, whenever
> the means of glory and ease presented themselves, We did not reject them."356
> 
> "Now, praise be to God, the point when all the people of these
> regions are manifesting their submissiveness unto Us...The Ottoman Sultán,
> without any justification, or reason, arose to oppress Us, and sent Us to the
> fortress of 'Akká. His imperial farmán decreed that none should associate
> with Us, and that We should become the object of the hatred of every one.
> The Hand of Divine power, therefore, swiftly avenged Us. It first loosed the
> winds of destruction upon his two irreplaceable ministers and confidants,
> ‘Alí and Fu'ád, after which that Hand was stretched out to roll up the
> panoply of Azíz himself, and to seize him, as He only can seize, Who is the
> Mighty, the Strong."357
> 
> Every unbiased observer will readily admit that, ever since the
> dawn of His Revelation, this wronged One hath invited all mankind to turn
> their faces towards the Day Spring of Glory, and hath forbidden corruption,
> hatred, oppression, and wickedness. And yet, behold what the hand of the
> oppressor hath wrought! No pen dare describe his tyranny. Though the
> purpose of Him Who is the Eternal Truth hath been to confer everlasting
> life upon all men, and ensure their security and peace, yet witness how they
> 
> have arisen to shed the blood of His loved ones, and have pronounced on
> Him the sentence of death.
> The instigators of this oppression are those very persons who,
> though so foolish, are reputed the wisest of the wise. Such is their blindness
> that, with unfeigned severity, they have cast into this fortified and afflictive
> Prison Him, for the servants of Whose Threshold the world hath been
> created. The Almighty, however, in spite of them and those that have
> repudiated the truth of this "Great Announcement," hath transformed this
> Prison House into the Most Exalted Paradise, the Heaven of Heavens.358
> 
> MÍRZÁ YAHYÁ
> 
> O Shaykh! My Pen, verily, lamenteth over Mine own Self, and My
> Tablet weepeth sore over what hath befallen Me at the hands of one (Mírzá
> Yahyá) over whom We watched for successive years, and who, day and night,
> served in My presence, until he was made to err by one of My servants,
> named Siyyid Muhammad. Unto this bear witness My believing servants
> who accompanied Me in My exile from Baghdád to this, the Most Great
> Prison. And there befell Me at the hands of both of them that which made
> every man of understanding to cry out, and he who is endued with insight to
> groan aloud, and the tears of the fair-minded to flow.359
> 
> I am the one, O Lord, whose heart and soul, whose limbs, whose
> inner and outer tongue testify to Thy unity and Thy oneness, and bear
> witness that Thou art God and that there is no God but Thee. Thou didst
> bring mankind into being to know Thee and to serve Thy Cause, that their
> station might thereby be elevated upon Thine earth and their souls be
> uplifted by virtue of the things Thou hast revealed in Thy Scriptures, Thy
> Books and Thy Tablets. Yet no sooner didst Thou manifest Thyself and
> reveal Thy signs than they turned away from Thee and repudiated Thee and
> rejected that which Thou didst unveil before their eyes through the potency of
> Thy might and Thy power. They rose up to inflict harm upon Thee, to
> extinguish Thy light and to put out the flame that blazeth in Thy Burning
> Bush. Their iniquity waxed so grievous that they conspired to shed Thy
> blood and to violate Thy honour. And likewise acted he [Mírzá Yahyá]
> whom Thou hadst nurtured with the hand of Thy loving-kindness, hadst
> protected from the mischief of the rebellious among Thy creatures and the
> froward amidst Thy servants, and whom Thou hadst set the task of writing
> Thy holy verses before Thy throne.
> 
> Alas! Alas! for the things he perpetrated in Thy days to such an
> extent that he violated Thy Covenant and Thy Testament, rejected Thy holy
> Writ, rose up in rebellion and committed that which caused the denizens of
> Thy Kingdom to lament. Then no sooner had he found his hopes shattered
> and had perceived the odour of utter failure than he raised his voice and gave
> tongue to that which caused Thy chosen ones, who are nigh unto Thee, and
> the inmates of the pavilion of glory, to be lost in bewilderment.360
> 
> And likewise, He saith: "They will even refuse unto that Tree,
> which is neither of the East nor of the West, the name believer, for were they
> so to name Him, they would fail to sadden Him." Hath thine ear, O world,
> heard with what helplessness these words were revealed from the dayspring of
> the will of Him Who is the Dawning-Place of all names? He saith: "I have
> educated all men, that they may recognize this Revelation, and yet the people
> of the Bayán refuse to concede even the name believer to that blessed Tree
> that belongeth neither to the East nor to the West." Alas, alas, for the
> things which have befallen Me! By God! There befell Me at the hands of
> him whom I have nurtured (Mírzá Yahyá), by day and by night, what hath
> caused the Holy Spirit, and the dwellers of the Tabernacle of the Grandeur
> of God, the Lord of this wondrous Day, to lament.361
> 
> Again I repeat, and plead with thee to carefully scrutinize that
> which hath been revealed. The breezes of utterance in this Revelation are not
> to be compared with those of former ages. This Wronged One hath been
> perpetually afflicted, and found no place of safety in which He could peruse
> either the writings of the Most Exalted One (the Báb) or those of any one
> else. About two months after Our arrival in ‘Iráq, following the command of
> His Majesty the Sháh of Persia -- may God assist him -- Mírzá Yahyá
> joined Us. We said unto him: "In accordance with the Royal command We
> have been sent unto this place. It is advisable for thee to remain in Persia.
> We will send Our brother, Mírzá Músá, to some other place. As your
> names have not been mentioned in the Royal decree, you can arise and render
> some service." Subsequently, this Wronged One departed from Baghdád, and
> for two years withdrew from the world. Upon Our return, We found that he
> had not left, and had postponed his departure. This Wronged One was
> greatly saddened. God testifieth and beareth Us witness that We have, at all
> times, been busied with the propagation of this Cause. Neither chains nor
> bonds, stocks nor imprisonment, have succeeded in withholding Us from
> revealing Our Self. In that land We forbad all mischief, and all unseemly
> and unholy deeds. Day and night We sent forth Our Tablets in every
> 
> direction. We had no other purpose except to edify the souls of men, and to
> exalt the blessed Word.
> We especially appointed certain ones to collect the writings of the
> Primal Point. When this was accomplished, We summoned Mírzá Yahyá
> and Mírzá Vahháb-i-Khurásání, known as Mírzá Javád, to meet in a
> certain place. Conforming with Our instructions, they completed the task of
> transcribing two copies of the works of the Primal Point. I swear by God!
> This Wronged One, by reason of His constant association with men, hath
> not looked at these books, nor gazed with outward eyes on these writings.
> When We departed, these writings were in the possession of these two
> persons. It was agreed that Mírzá Yahyá should be entrusted with them,
> and proceed to Persia, and disseminate them throughout that land. This
> Wronged One proceeded, at the request of the Ministers of the Ottoman
> Government to their capital. When We arrived in Mosul, We found that
> Mírzá Yahyá had left before Us for that city, and was awaiting Us there.
> Briefly, the books and writings were left in Baghdád, while he himself
> proceeded to Constantinople and joined these servants. God beareth now
> witness unto the things which have touched this Wronged One, for after We
> had so arduously striven, he (Mírzá Yahyá) abandoned the writings and
> joined the exiles. This Wronged One was, for a long period, overwhelmed by
> infinite sorrows until such time when, in pursuance of measures of which
> none but the one true God is aware, We despatched the writings unto
> another place and another country, owing to the fact that in Iraq all
> documents must every month be carefully examined, lest they rot and perish.
> God, however, preserved them and sent them unto a place which He had
> previously ordained. He, verily, is the Protector, the Succorer.
> Wherever this Wronged One went Mírzá Yahyá followed Him.
> Thou art thyself a witness and well knowest that whatever hath been said is
> the truth. The Siyyid of Isfáhán, however, surreptitiously duped him. They
> committed that which caused the greatest consternation. Would that thou
> wouldst inquire from the officials of the government concerning the conduct of
> Mírzá Yahyá in that land. Aside from all this, I adjure thee by God, the
> One, the Incomparable, the Lord of Strength, the Most Powerful, to
> carefully look into the communications addressed in his name to the Primal
> Point, that thou mayest behold the evidences of Him Who is the Truth as
> clear as the sun. Likewise, there proceeded from the words of the Point of the
> Bayán -- may the souls of all else but Him be sacrificed for His sake -- that
> which no veil can obscure, and which neither the veils of glory nor the veils
> interposed by such as have gone astray can hide. The veils have, verily, been
> rent asunder by the finger of the will of thy Lord, the Strong, the All-
> 
> Subduing, the All-Powerful. Yea, desperate is the state of such as have
> calumniated Me and envied Me. Not long ago it was stated that thou hadst
> ascribed the authorship of the Kitáb-i-Íqán and of other Tablets unto others.
> I swear by God! This is a grievous injustice. Others are incapable of
> apprehending their meaning, how much more of revealing them!
> Hasan-i-Mázindaráni was the bearer of seventy Tablets. Upon his
> death, these were not delivered unto those for whom they were intended, but
> were entrusted to one of the sisters of this Wronged One, who, for no reason
> whatever, had turned aside from Me. God knoweth what befell His Tablets.
> This sister had never lived with Us. I swear by the Sun of Truth that after
> these things had happened she never saw Mírzá Yahyá, and remained
> unaware of Our Cause, for in those days she had been estranged from Us.
> She lived in one quarter, and this Wronged One in another. As a token,
> however, of Our loving-kindness, our affection and mercy, We, a few days
> prior to Our departure, visited her and her mother, that haply she might
> quaff from the living waters of faith, and attain unto that which would draw
> her nigh unto God, in this day. God well knoweth and beareth Me witness,
> and she herself testifieth, that I had no thought whatsoever except this.
> Finally, she -- God be praised -- attained unto this through His grace, and
> was adorned with the adornment of love. After We were exiled and had
> departed from Iraq to Constantinople, however, news of her ceased to reach
> Us. Subsequent to Our separation in the Land of Tá (Tihrán), We ceased
> to meet Mírzá Ridá-Qulí, Our brother, and no special news reached Us
> concerning her. In the early days we all lived in one house, which later on
> was sold at auction, for a negligible sum, and the two brothers, Farmán-
> Farmá and Hisamu's-Saltánih, purchased it and divided it between
> themselves. After this occurred, We separated from Our brother. He
> established his residence close to the entrance of Masjid-i-Sháh, whilst We
> lived near the Gate of Shimírán. Thereafter, however, that sister displayed
> toward Us, for no reason whatever, a hostile attitude. This Wronged One
> held His peace under all conditions. However, Our late brother Mírzá
> Muhammad-Hasan's daughter -- upon him be the glory of God and His
> peace and His mercy -- who had been betrothed to the Most Great Branch
> (‘Abdu'l-Bahá) was taken by the sister of this Wronged One from Nur to
> her own house, and from there sent unto another place. Some of Our
> companions and friends in various places complained against this, as it was
> a very grievous act, and was disapproved by all the loved ones of God. How
> strange that Our sister should have taken her to her own house, and then
> arranged for her to be sent elsewhere! In spite of this, this Wronged One
> remained, and still remaineth, calm and silent. A word, however, was said
> 
> in order to tranquilize Our loved ones. God testifieth and beareth Me
> witness that whatever hath been said was the truth, and was spoken with
> sincerity. None of Our loved ones, whether in these regions or in that
> country, could believe Our sister capable of an act so contrary to decency,
> affection and friendship. After such a thing had occurred, they, recognizing
> that the way had been barred, conducted themselves in a manner well-known
> unto thyself and others. It must be evident, therefore, how intense was the
> grief which this act inflicted upon this Wronged One. Later on, she threw in
> her lot with Mírzá Yahyá. Conflicting reports concerning her are now
> reaching Us, nor is it clear what she is saying or doing. We beseech God --
> blessed and glorified be He -- to cause her to turn unto Him, and aid her to
> repent before the door of His grace. He, verily, is the Mighty, the Forgiving;
> and He is, in truth, the All-Powerful, the Pardoner.
> In another connection He, likewise, saith: "Were He to appear this
> very moment, I would be the first to adore Him, and the first to bow down
> before Him." Be fair, O people! The purpose of the Most Exalted One (the
> Báb) was to insure that the proximity of the Revelation should not withhold
> men from the Divine and everlasting Law, even as the companions of John
> (the Baptist) were prevented from acknowledging Him Who is the Spirit
> (Jesus). Time and again He hath said: "Suffer not the Bayán and all that
> hath been revealed therein to withhold you from that Essence of Being and
> Lord of the visible and invisible." Should any one, considering this binding
> injunction, cling unto the Bayán, such a one hath, verily, passed out of the
> shadow of the blessed and exalted Tree. Be fair, O people, and be not of the
> heedless.
> And likewise, He saith: "Let not names shut you out as by a veil
> from Him Who is their Lord, even the name of Prophet, for such a name is
> but a creation of His utterance." And likewise, He, in the seventh chapter
> of the second Vahid, saith: "O people of the Bayán! Act not as the people of
> the Qur'án have acted, for if ye do so, the fruits of your night will come to
> naught." And further, He saith -- glorified be His mention: "If thou
> attainest unto His Revelation, and obeyest Him, thou wilt have revealed the
> fruit of the Bayán; if not, thou art unworthy of mention before God. Take
> pity upon thyself. If thou aidest not Him Who is the Manifestation of the
> Lordship of God, be not, then, a cause of sadness unto Him." And further
> He saith -- magnified be His station: "If thou attainest not unto the
> Presence of God, grieve not, then, the Sign of God. Ye will renounce that
> which can profit them that acknowledge the Bayán, if ye renounce that which
> can harm Him. I know, however, that ye will refuse to do so."
> 
> O Hadí! Methinks it is by reason of these indubitable utterances
> that thou hast determined to blot out the Bayán. Give ear unto the voice of
> this Wronged One, and renounce this oppression that hath made the pillars
> of the Bayán to tremble. I have been neither in Chihriq nor in Máh-Kú. At
> the present time statements have been circulated among thy disciples identical
> with those made by the Shi'ihs who have said that the Qur'án is unfinished.
> These people also contend that this Bayán is not the original one. The copy
> in the handwriting of Siyyid Husayn is extant, as is also the copy in the
> handwriting of Mírzá Ahmad.362
> 
> Say: O source of perversion! Abandon thy willful blindness, and
> speak forth the truth amidst the people. I swear by God that I have wept
> for thee to see thee following thy selfish passions and renouncing Him Who
> fashioned thee and brought thee into being. Call to mind the tender mercy of
> thy Lord, and remember how We nurtured thee by day and by night for
> service to the Cause. Fear God, and be thou of the truly repentant. Granted
> that the people were confused about thy station, is it conceivable that thou
> thyself art similarly confused? Tremble before thy Lord and recall the days
> when thou didst stand before Our throne, and didst write down the verses
> that We dictated unto thee -- verses sent down by God, the Omnipotent
> Protector, the Lord of might and power. Beware lest the fire of thy
> presumptuousness debar thee from attaining to God's Holy Court. Turn
> unto Him, and fear not because of thy deeds. He, in truth, forgiveth
> whomsoever He desireth as a bounty on His part; no God is there but Him,
> the Ever-Forgiving, the All-Bounteous. We admonish thee solely for the
> sake of God. Shouldst thou accept this counsel, thou wilt have acted to thine
> own behoof; and shouldst thou reject it, thy Lord, verily, can well dispense
> with thee, and with all those who, in manifest delusion, have followed thee.
> Behold! God hath laid hold on him who led thee astray. Return unto God,
> humble, submissive and lowly; verily, He will put away from thee thy sins,
> for thy Lord, of a certainty, is the Forgiving, the Mighty, the All-
> Merciful.363
> 
> Say: O Yahyá (Azal), produce a single verse, if thou dost possess
> divinely-inspired knowledge. These words were formerly spoken by My
> Herald Who at this hour proclaimeth: 'Verily, verily, I am the first to adore
> Him.' Be fair, O My brother. Art thou able to express thyself when brought
> face to face with the billowing ocean of Mine utterance? Canst thou unloose
> thy tongue when confronted with the shrill voice of My Pen? Hast thou any
> power before the revelations of Mine omnipotence? Judge thou fairly, I adjure
> 
> thee by God, and call to mind when thou didst stand in the presence of this
> Wronged One and We dictated to thee the verses of God, the Help in Peril,
> the Self-Subsisting. Beware lest the source of falsehood withhold thee from the
> manifest Truth.
> O thou who hast fixed thy gaze upon My countenance! Say: O ye
> heedless ones! By reason of a droplet ye have deprived yourselves of the ocean
> of heavenly verses and for the sake of an insignificant atom ye have shut
> yourselves out from the splendours of the Day-Star of Truth. Who else but
> Baha hath the power to speak forth before the face of mankind? Judge ye
> fairly and be not of the unjust. Through Him the oceans have surged, the
> mysteries have been divulged and the trees have lifted up their voices
> exclaiming: The kingdoms of earth and heaven are God's, the Revealer of
> signs, the Fountainhead of clear tokens. Peruse ye the Persian Bayán
> revealed by Him Who heralded this Revelation and look at it with the eye of
> fairness. Verily He will guide you aright to His Path. At this moment He
> proclaimeth that which His tongue had formerly uttered when He was seated
> upon the throne of His most exalted Name.364
> 
> YAHYÁ’ĺ BÁBÍS365
> 
> 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-Muhammad, 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.
> "God," said He, "is My witness, O people! I am come to you with
> a Revelation from the Lord, your God, the Lord of your fathers of old.
> Look not, O people, at the things ye possess. Look rather at the things God
> hath sent down unto you. This, surely, will be better for you than the whole
> of creation, could ye but perceive it. Repeat the gaze, O people, and consider
> the testimony of God and His proof which are in your possession, and
> compare them unto the Revelation sent down unto you in this Day, that the
> 
> truth, the infallible truth, may be indubitably manifested unto you. Follow
> not, O people, the steps of the Evil One; follow ye the Faith of the All-
> Merciful, and be ye of them that truly believe. What would it profit man, if
> he were to fail to recognize the Revelation of God? Nothing whatever. To
> this Mine own Self, the Omnipotent, the Omniscient, the All-Wise, will
> testify."
> The more He exhorted them, the fiercer grew their enmity, till, at
> the last, they put Him to death with shameful cruelty. The curse of God be
> upon the oppressors!
> A few believed in Him; few of Our servants are the thankful. These He
> admonished, in all His Tablets -- nay, in every passage of His wondrous
> writings -- not to give themselves up in the Day of the promised Revelation to
> anything whatever, be it in the heaven or in the earth. "O people!" said He,
> "I have revealed Myself for His 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."
> And when after the lapse of a few years the heaven of Divine decree
> was cleft asunder, and the Beauty of the Báb appeared in the clouds of the
> names of God, arrayed in a new raiment, these same people maliciously rose
> up against Him, Whose light embraceth all created things. They broke His
> Covenant, rejected His truth, contended with Him, caviled at His signs,
> treated His testimony as falsehood, and joined the company of the infidels.
> Eventually, they determined to take away His life. Such is the state of them
> who are in a far-gone error!
> And when they realized their powerlessness to achieve their purpose,
> they arose to plot against Him. Witness how every moment they devise a
> fresh device to harm Him, that they may injure and dishonor the cause of
> God. Say: Woe be to you! By God! Your schemings cover you with shame.
> Your Lord, the God of mercy, can well dispense with all creatures. Nothing
> whatever can either increase or diminish the things He doth possess. If ye
> believe, to your own behoof will ye believe; and if ye believe not, ye yourselves
> will suffer. At no time can the hand of the infidel profane the hem of His
> Robe.
> 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.366
> 
> BAHÁ’U’LLÁH ON PLACES
> 
> TÁR
> 
> Thou hast made mention of the people of Tár367. We have set Our
> face toward the servants of God therein and advise them first to consider that
> which the Point of the Bayán hath revealed concerning this Revelation
> whereby all names and titles have been shaken, the idols of vain imaginings
> have crumbled and the Tongue of Grandeur hath, from the realm of glory,
> proclaimed: By the righteousness of God! The Hidden Treasure, the
> Impenetrable Mystery, hath been uncovered to men's eyes, causing all things,
> whether of the past or of the future, to rejoice. He hath said, and His word
> is the truth: 'Of all the tributes I have paid to Him Who is to come after
> Me, the greatest is this, My written confession, that no words of Mine can
> adequately describe Him, nor can any reference to Him in My Book, the
> Bayán, do justice to His Cause.'
> Moreover We counsel them to observe justice, equity, honesty, piety
> and that whereby both the Word of God and their own station will be
> exalted amongst men. Verily I am the One Who exhorteth with justice.
> Unto this beareth witness He from Whose Pen rivers of mercy have flowed
> and from Whose utterance fountains of living waters have streamed forth
> unto all created things. Immeasurably exalted is this boundless grace;
> immensely blessed is this resplendent favour.
> O people of Tár! Give ear unto the Call of Him Who doeth
> whatsoever He willeth. In truth He remindeth you of that which will draw
> you nigh unto God, the Lord of the worlds. He hath turned His face
> towards you from the Prison of 'Akká and hath revealed for your sakes
> what will immortalize your memory and your names in the Book which
> cannot be effaced and remaineth unaffected by the doubts of the froward.
> Cast away the things current amongst men and take fast hold on that
> whereunto ye are bidden by virtue of the Will of the Ordainer, the Ancient
> of Days. This is the Day wherein the divine Lote-Tree calleth aloud, saying:
> O people! Behold ye My fruits and My leaves, incline then your ears unto
> My rustling. Beware lest the doubts of men debar you from the light of
> certitude. The Ocean of utterance exclaimeth and saith: 'O ye dwellers on the
> earth! Behold My billowing waters and the pearls of wisdom and utterance
> which I have poured forth. Fear ye God and be not of the heedless.'
> In this Day a great festival is taking place in the Realm above; for
> whatsoever was promised in the sacred Scriptures hath been fulfilled. This is
> the Day of great rejoicing. It behoveth everyone to hasten towards the court of
> 
> His nearness with exceeding joy, gladness, exultation and delight and to
> deliver himself from the fire of remoteness.
> O people of Tár! Through the strengthening power of My Name
> seize ye the chalice of knowledge, drink then your fill in defiance of the people
> of the world who have broken the Covenant of God and His Testament,
> rejected His proofs and clear tokens, and cavilled at His signs which have
> pervaded all that are in heaven and on earth.
> The disbelievers among the people of the Bayán are like the
> followers of the Shi'ih sect and walk in their footsteps. Leave them to their
> idle fancies and vain imaginings. They are in truth accounted with the lost in
> the Book of God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. The Shí'ih divines, one
> and all, are now engaged in reviling and denouncing the True One from their
> pulpits. Gracious God! Dawlat-Abádí368 too hath followed suit. He
> ascended the pulpit and gave voice to that which hath caused the Tablet to
> cry out in anguish and the Pen to wail. Meditate upon his conduct and the
> conduct of Ashraf369 -- upon him be My glory and My tender mercy -- and
> likewise consider those loved ones who hastened to the place of martyrdom in
> My Name, and offered up their lives in the path of Him Who is the Desire
> of the world.
> The Cause is manifest, it shineth resplendent as the sun, but the
> people have become veils unto themselves. We entreat God that He may
> graciously assist them to return unto Him. He is, in truth, the Forgiving,
> the Merciful.
> O people of Tár! We send you greetings from this Spot and beseech
> God -- blessed and exalted is He -- to give you to drink the choice wine of
> constancy from the hand of His favour. Verily, He is the Lord of Bounty,
> the Gracious, the All-Praised. Leave ye unto themselves the immature ones
> of the world -- they that are moved by selfish desire and cling to the
> exponents of idle fancy. Verily He is your Helper and Succourer. He is, in
> truth, potent to do whatsoever He willeth. No God is there but Him, the
> One, the Peerless, the Mighty, the Most Great.370
> 
> TIHRÁN
> 
> I was walking in the Land of Tá (Tihrán) -- the dayspring of the
> signs of thy Lord -- when lo, I heard the lamentation of the pulpits and the
> voice of their supplication unto God, blessed and glorified be He. They cried
> out and said: "O God of the world and Lord of the nations! Thou beholdest
> our state and the things which have befallen us by reason of the cruelty of
> Thy servants. Thou hast created us and revealed us for Thy glorification and
> 
> praise. Thou dost now hear what the wayward proclaim upon us in Thy
> days. By Thy might! Our souls are melted and our limbs are trembling.
> Alas, alas! Would that we had never been created and revealed by Thee!"371
> 
> Referring to the land of Tá (Tihrán) We have revealed in the
> Kitáb-i-Aqdas that which will admonish mankind. They that perpetrate
> tyranny in the world have usurped the rights of the peoples and kindreds of
> the earth and are sedulously pursuing their selfish inclinations. The tyrant372
> of the land of Yá (Yazd), committed that which hath caused the Concourse
> on High to shed tears of blood.373
> 
> The events that have happened in Persia during the early years have
> truly saddened the well-favored and sincere ones. Each year witnessed a fresh
> massacre, pillage, plunder, and shedding of blood. At one time there
> appeared in Zanján that which caused the greatest consternation; at another
> in Nayríz, and at yet another in Tabarsí, and finally there occurred the
> episode of the Land of Tá (Tihrán). From that time onwards this Wronged
> One, assisted by the One True God -- exalted be His glory -- acquainted
> this oppressed people with the things which beseemed them. All have
> sanctified themselves from the things which they and others possess, and have
> clung unto, and fixed their eyes upon that which pertaineth unto God.374
> 
> ENDNOTES:
> E.G. Browne, in the Introduction to A Traveler’s Narrative,
> volume II, pp. xxxix-xl; cited in H.M. Balyuzi, E.G. Browne and
> The Bahá’í Faith, pp. 56-57; and in Shoghi Effendi, God Passes
> By, p. 194.
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the name preferred by ‘Abbas Effendi, called
> Sirru’llah and Ghusn-i-A’zam by his father, Bahá’u’lláh. ‘Abdu’l-
> Bahá was designated by Bahá’u’lláh in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas and
> Kitab-i-‘Ahd as the authoritative interpreter and expounder of his
> teachings and writings.
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, pp.
> 46-47.
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, pp.
> 46-47.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh,
> LXXXIII, pp. 165-166.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh,
> CXLVIII, pp. 317-318.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, XCV,
> p. 194.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 268.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, XXVII,
> p. 65.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Short Obligatory Prayer.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, XXIX,
> p. 70.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh,
> LXXVI, pp. 144-145.
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh, Ishraqat, in Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 111.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 246.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 3.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Asl-i-Kullu’l-i-Khayr, in Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 156
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, XIX,
> p. 46.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, XX, p.
> 49.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, XXI,
> pp. 49-50.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh,
> XXVII, pp. 66-67.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh,
> XXVIII, p. 70.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, XXIX,
> pp. 70-71.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh,
> LXXXIV, p. 166.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, XLIX,
> p. 102. Another passage which sets forth this duality is in Kitáb-i-
> ĺqán, pp. 177-180:
> “Thus, viewed from the standpoint of their oneness and sublime
> detachment, the attributes of Godhead, Divinity, Supreme
> Singleness, and Inmost Essence, have been and are applicable to
> those Essences of being, inasmuch as they all abide on the
> throne of divine Revelation, and are established upon the seat of
> divine Concealment. Through their appearance the Revelation of
> God is made manifest, and by their countenance the Beauty of
> 
> God is revealed. Thus it is that the accents of God Himself have
> been heard uttered by these Manifestations of the divine Being.
> “Viewed in the light of their second station -- the station of
> distinction, differentiation, temporal limitations, characteristics
> and standards, -- they manifest absolute servitude, utter
> destitution and complete self-effacement. Even as He saith: "I
> am the servant of God.[1] I am but a man like you."[Qur'án
> 18:110]
> “From these incontrovertible and fully demonstrated statements
> strive thou to apprehend the meaning of the questions thou hast
> asked, that thou mayest become steadfast in the Faith of God,
> and not be dismayed by the divergences in the utterances of His
> Prophets and Chosen Ones.
> “Were any of the all-embracing Manifestations of God to
> declare: "I am God!" He verily speaketh the truth, and no doubt
> attacheth thereto. For it hath been repeatedly demonstrated that
> through their Revelation, their attributes and names, the
> Revelation of God, His name and His attributes, are made
> manifest in the world. Thus, He hath revealed: "Those shafts
> were God's, not Thine!"[Qur'án 8:17] And also He saith: "In
> truth, they who plighted fealty unto thee, really plighted that
> fealty unto God."[ Qur'án 48:10] And were any of them to voice
> the utterance: "I am the Messenger of God," He also speaketh
> the truth, the indubitable truth. Even as He saith: "Muhammad
> is not the father of any man among you, but He is the Messenger
> of God."[ Qur'án 33:40] Viewed in this light, they are all but
> Messengers of that ideal King, that unchangeable Essence. And
> were they all to proclaim: "I am the Seal of the Prophets," they
> verily utter but the truth, beyond the faintest shadow of doubt.
> For they are all but one person, one soul, one spirit, one being,
> one revelation. They are all the manifestation of the "Beginning"
> and the "End," the "First" and the "Last," the "Seen" and
> "Hidden" -- all of which pertain to Him Who is the innermost
> Spirit of Spirits and eternal Essence of Essences. And were they
> to say: "We are the servants of God," this also is a manifest and
> indisputable fact. For they have been made manifest in the
> uttermost state of servitude, a servitude the like of which no man
> can possibly attain. Thus in moments in which these Essences of
> being were deeply immersed beneath the oceans of ancient and
> 
> everlasting holiness, or when they soared to the loftiest summits
> of divine mysteries, they claimed their utterance to be the Voice
> of divinity, the Call of God Himself. Were the eye of
> discernment to be opened, it would recognize that in this very
> state, they have considered themselves utterly effaced and nonexistent in the face of Him Who is the All-Pervading, the
> Incorruptible. Methinks, they have regarded themselves as utter
> nothingness, and deemed their mention in that Court an act of
> blasphemy. For the slightest whispering of self, within such a
> Court, is an evidence of self-assertion and independent
> existence. In the eyes of them that have attained unto that Court,
> such a suggestion is itself a grievous transgression. How much
> more grievous would it be, were aught else to be mentioned in
> that Presence, were man's heart, his tongue, his mind, or his
> soul, to be busied with anyone but the Well-Beloved, were his
> eyes to behold any countenance other than His beauty, were his
> ear to be inclined to any melody but His voice, and were his feet
> to tread any way but His way.”
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, p. 218.
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, p. 153.
> Qur’an 29:2; cited by Bahá’u’lláh in Kitáb-i-ĺqán, pp. 8-9; Gems
> of Divine Mysteries, p. 25; and by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in The Secret of
> Divine Civilization, pp. 26-27.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-ĺqán, pp. 3-4.
> Bahá’u’lláh, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 86.
> Bahá’u’lláh cited in Shoghi Effendi, The Promised Day is
> Come, p. 9.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh,
> CXXXVI, pp. 294-295.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, CLIII,
> p. 328.
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, VI, p.
> 10.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 77-78.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 140.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 153.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 80-81.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, XLI,
> pp. 90-91.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh,
> LXXVI, p. 148.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh,
> CXXVII, pp. 272-273.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 185-186.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 241-242.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh,
> XLVII, pp. 101-102.
> "As to the list of the prophets with whom Bahá'u'lláh identifies
> Himself in the passage found on pages 26 and 27 of 'The
> Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh their names are as follows: Abraham,
> Moses, Joseph, John the Baptist, Jesus, Imam Husayn, on whom
> Bahá'u'lláh has conferred and exceptionally exalted station (and)
> the Báb." (From letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to
> the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and
> Canada, August 7, 1936; in Lights of Guidance, p. 475; in U.S.
> Bahá’í News, No. 87 - September 1934 - page 1)
> "In the prayer mentioned above Bahá'u'lláh identifies Himself
> with Imám Husayn. This does not make him a Prophet, but his
> 
> position was very unique, and we know Bahá'u'lláh claims to be
> the 'return' of the Imám Husayn. He, in other words, identifies
> His Spirit with these Holy Souls gone before, that does not, of
> course, make Him in anyway their reincarnation. Nor does it
> mean all of them were Prophets.” (From a letter written on
> behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, February 8,
> 1949; in Lights of Guidance, p. 498; Directives from the
> Guardian, p. 58)
> Suratu’l-Damm, in Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of
> Bahá’u’lláh, XXXIX, pp. 88-90; Bahá’u’lláh cited by Shoghi
> Effendi, in The Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 26-27; Athar-i
> Qalam-i A'la, 4, http://reference.bahai.org/fa/t/b/Q4/q4-
> 58.html
> Necati Alkan translated this passage from the Suratu'z-Ziyara
> (revealed for Mullá Husayn's sister named "Warqatu'l-Firdaws"),
> in which Bahá’u’lláh, also mentioning the previously cited
> Prophets, represents Himself as Abel, who was killed by his
> brother Cain. The original is found in Athar-i Qalam-i A'la,
> 4:301; and also in Ma'idih-yi Asmani, 8:83, line 4:
> http://reference.bahai.org/fa/t/b/MAS8/mas8-83.html#pg83.
> The translator indicated that one can learn more about Cain at:
> http://www.answers.com/topic/cain
> “By the fig, by the olive. By Mount Sinai. By this City of Security
> (Makkah)” (Qur’án, At-Tín – The Figs, verses 1-3)
> Bahá’u’lláh, Suriy-i-Ra’is, in The Summons of the Lord of
> Hosts, pp. 143-144.
> According to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the Gospel of John verses 17:5 and
> 8:58 refer to Christ's pre-existence ('Abdu'l-Bahá's commentary
> on this verse in Some Answered Questions, Chapter 28, sections
> 3-5 [pp. 116-117]). "The soul or spirit of the individual comes
> into being with the conception of this physical body. The
> Prophets, unlike us, are pre-existent. The soul of Christ existed
> in the spiritual world before His birth in this world" (Shoghi
> Effendi, quoted in Helen Hornby, Lights of Guidance [New
> 
> Delhi: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1994] 505 (no. 1699). "Abortion
> and surgical operations for the purpose of preventing the birth
> of unwanted children are forbidden in the Cause unless there are
> circumstances which justify such actions on medical grounds, in
> which case the decision, at present, is left to the consciences of
> those concerned who must carefully weigh the medical advice in
> the light of the general guidance given in the Teachings. Beyond
> this nothing has been found in the Writings concerning specific
> methods or procedures to be used in family planning. It should
> be pointed out, however, that the Teachings state that the soul
> appears at conception, and that therefore it would be improper
> to use such a method, the effect of which would be to produce
> an abortion after conception has taken place." (From a letter
> written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an
> individual believer, May 23, 1975; in Lights of Guidance, #1155)
> Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas, K175.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas, K176.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas, K177.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh,
> LXXV, p. 147.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, LXV,
> pp. 244-245.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh,
> CXXXV, pp. 292-294.
> Bahá’u’lláh, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, pp. 51-52.
> The Báb.
> In the Bayán al-‘arabíyya and the Bayán-i-fársí.
> The Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh (1863ff).
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh.
> It is out of the bounty of Bahá’u’lláh that He has set forth these
> laws of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, otherwise it would have sufficed for
> His followers to adhere to the laws of the Báb.
> The Báb.
> Bahá’u’lláh (called Him Whom God shall make manifest in many of
> the Writings of the Báb).
> Distinctive to the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh is this station of
> “…the One, the Incomparable, the Omniscient, the All-Informed…” also
> referred to as “…this sublime and momentous Revelation…”
> (Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 13), and and
> “…this sublime, this beauteous Revelation…” (Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-
> Aqdas, K116, p. 61) and “…this sublime, this unique and wondrous
> Revelation…” (Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas, K143, p. 71) and
> “…whatever hath been set forth in His Books hath attained its final
> consummation in this most exalted Word…” (Bahá’u’lláh, The
> Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 19) “…the Dispensations of the
> past have attained their highest, their final consummation in the Law that
> hath branched out from this Most Great Ocean…” (Bahá’u’lláh, The
> Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 78) and “…this mighty, this
> sublime, and most holy Revelation…” (Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from
> the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, VI, p. 10) and “…this most exalted, this
> most holy, this mighty, and wondrous Revelation…”(Bahá’u’lláh,
> Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, LVIII, p. 117) and
> “…this pre-eminent and Glorious Revelation…” (Bahá’u’lláh,
> Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, XCI, p. 182) and
> “…this inestimable, this wondrous, and sublime Revelation…”
> (Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, XCII,
> p. 183) and “…this most sublime and momentous
> Revelation…”(Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of
> Bahá’u’lláh, CXXXII, p. 288) and “…this most effulgent, this most
> holy, and manifest Revelation…”(Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the
> Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 294) and “…this holy, this glorious, and
> exalted Revelation…”(Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of
> Bahá’u’lláh, CLIV, p. 330) and “…in this most mighty Revelation all
> 
> the Dispensations of the past have attained their highest and final
> consummation…” (Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of
> Bahá’u’lláh, CXV, p. 244) and “…this most mighty Revelation, all the
> Dispensations of the past have attained their highest, their final
> consummation” (Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of
> Bahá’u’lláh, CLXI, p. 340). He also wrote ““Were the breezes of
> Revelation to seize thee, thou wouldst flee the world, and turn unto the
> Kingdom, and wouldst expend all thou possessest, that thou mayest draw
> nigh unto this sublime Vision…” (Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of
> the Wolf, p. 56).
> God’s “bounteous favour”.
> This is not subject to human choice—rejection                       or
> acceptance—it is God’s decree and it is “irresistible”.
> Baha, or, in its superlative form, Abha.
> Manifestation of God.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas, K142-143.
> Bahá’í Prayers, p. 210 [Commentary: Why does Bahá’u’lláh
> encourage us to contemplate His sufferings, particularly
> whenever we face sufferings of our own? To remember Him in
> His days? I think it is because He wants us to see suffering from
> His point of view. From His point of view suffering is nothing
> at all of consequence, He will happily sacrifice His life for the
> glory of God, but there is one thing that causes Him real sorrow-
> -"I sorrow not for My captivity, nor for the things that have
> befallen Me at the hand of Mine enemies. Nay, My sorrows are
> occasioned by those who claim to be related to Me and yet
> commit that which causeth the voice of My lamentations to be
> lifted up and My tears to flow. We have exhorted them at length
> in various Tablets and beseech God to graciously assist them, to
> enable them to draw nigh unto Him and to confirm them in that
> which would bring peace to the hearts and tranquillity to the
> souls and would stay their hands from whatsoever ill-beseemeth
> His days." (Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 121) Once we see things
> 
> through His eyes, we know that we must be obedient to God's
> Will, we must treat everyone on earth with kindness, because to
> do other than this is to bring sorrow to our Lord. As He writes
> in the Arabic Hidden Words (#68): “Know ye not why We
> created you all from the same dust? That no one should exalt
> himself over the other. Ponder at all times in your hearts how ye
> were created. Since We have created you all from one same
> substance it is incumbent on you to be even as one soul, to walk
> with the same feet, eat with the same mouth and dwell in the
> same land, that from your inmost being, by your deeds and
> actions, the signs of oneness and the essence of detachment may
> be made manifest. Such is My counsel to you, O concourse of
> light! Heed ye this counsel that ye may obtain the fruit of
> holiness from the tree of wondrous glory.” Referring to our
> tendency to pick fights with one another, He writes: “If any
> differences arise amongst you, behold Me standing before your
> face, and overlook the faults of one another for My name's sake
> and as a token of your love for My manifest and resplendent
> Cause. We love to see you at all times consorting in amity and
> concord within the paradise of My good-pleasure, and to inhale
> from your acts the fragrance of friendliness and unity, of lovingkindness and fellowship. Thus counselleth you the All-
> Knowing, the Faithful. We shall always be with you; if We inhale
> the perfume of your fellowship, Our heart will assuredly rejoice,
> for naught else can satisfy Us. To this beareth witness every man
> of true understanding.” (Gleanings from the Writings of
> Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 315-316)]
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, XV,
> pp. 36-37.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-ĺqán, pp. 249-250; Shoghi Effendi has
> described Bahá’u’lláh’s sufferings during this period citing many
> passages from the Writings revealed at the time, in God Passes
> By, pp. 117-119:
> “The cup of Bahá'u'lláh's sorrows was now running over. All His
> exhortations, all His efforts to remedy a rapidly deteriorating
> situation, had remained fruitless. The velocity of His manifold
> woes was hourly and visibly increasing. Upon the sadness that
> 
> filled His soul and the gravity of the situation confronting Him,
> His writings, revealed during that somber period, throw
> abundant light. In some of His prayers He poignantly confesses
> that "tribulation upon tribulation" had gathered about Him, that
> "adverSaríes with one consent" had fallen upon Him, that
> "wretchedness" had grievously touched Him, and that "woes at their
> blackest" had befallen Him. God Himself He calls upon as a
> Witness to His "sighs and lamentations," His "powerlessness, poverty
> and destitution," to the "injuries" He sustained, and the "abasement"
> He suffered. "So grievous hath been My weeping," He, in one of these
> prayers, avows, "that I have been prevented from making mention of Thee
> and singing Thy praises." "So loud hath been the voice of My lamentation,"
> He, in another passage, avers, "that every mother mourning for her
> child would be amazed, and would still her weeping and her grief." "The
> wrongs which I suffer," He, in His Lawh-i-Maryam, laments, "have
> blotted out the wrongs suffered by My First Name (the Báb) from the
> Tablet of creation." "O Maryam!" He continues, "From the Land of Ta
> (Tihrán), after countless afflictions, We reached Iraq, at the bidding of the
> Tyrant of Persia, where, after the fetters of Our foes, We were afflicted with
> the perfidy of Our friends. God knoweth what befell Me thereafter!" And
> again: "I have borne what no man, be he of the past or of the future, hath
> borne or will bear." "Oceans of sadness," He testifies in the Tablet of
> Kullu't-Ta'am, "have surged over Me, a drop of which no soul could bear
> to drink. Such is My grief that My soul hath well nigh departed from My
> body." "Give ear, O Kamal!" He, in that same Tablet, depicting His
> plight, exclaims, "to the voice of this lowly, this forsaken ant, that hath
> hid itself in its hole, and whose desire is to depart from your midst, and
> vanish from your sight, by reason of that which the hands of men have
> wrought. God, verily, hath been witness between Me and His servants."
> And again: "Woe is Me, woe is Me!... All that I have seen from the day
> on which I first drank the pure milk from the breast of My mother until this
> moment hath been effaced from My memory, in consequence of that which the
> hands of the people have committed." Furthermore, in His Qasídiy-i-
> Varqá'íyyih, an ode revealed during the days of His retirement to
> the mountains of Kurdistán, in praise of the Maiden
> personifying the Spirit of God recently descended upon Him,
> He thus gives vent to the agonies of His sorrow-laden heart:
> "Noah's flood is but the measure of the tears I have shed, and Abraham's
> fire an ebullition of My soul. Jacob's grief is but a reflection of My sorrows,
> 
> and Job's afflictions a fraction of my calamity." "Pour out patience upon
> Me, O My Lord!" -- such is His supplication in one of His prayers,
> "and render Me victorious over the transgressors." "In these days," He,
> describing in the Kitáb-i-Íqán the virulence of the jealousy
> which, at that time, was beginning to bare its venomous fangs,
> has written, "such odors of jealousy are diffused, that ... from the beginning
> of the foundation of the world ... until the present day, such malice, envy and
> hate have in no wise appeared, nor will they ever be witnessed in the future."
> "For two years or rather less," He, likewise, in another Tablet,
> declares, "I shunned all else but God, and closed Mine eyes to all except
> Him, that haply the fire of hatred may die down and the heat of jealousy
> abate."
> “Mírzá Aqa Jan himself has testified: "That Blessed Beauty
> evinced such sadness that the limbs of my body trembled." He
> has, likewise, related, as reported by Nabil in his narrative, that,
> shortly before Bahá'u'lláh's retirement, he had on one occasion
> seen Him, between dawn and sunrise, suddenly come out from
> His house, His night-cap still on His head, showing such signs of
> perturbation that he was powerless to gaze into His face, and
> while walking, angrily remark: "These creatures are the same creatures
> who for three thousand years have worshipped idols, and bowed down before
> the Golden Calf. Now, too, they are fit for nothing better. What relation
> can there be between this people and Him Who is the Countenance of
> Glory? What ties can bind them to the One Who is the supreme
> embodiment of all that is lovable?" "I stood," declared Mírzá Áqa Ján,
> "rooted to the spot, lifeless, dried up as a dead tree, ready to fall
> under the impact of the stunning power of His words. Finally,
> He said: 'Bid them recite: "Is there any Remover of difficulties save God?
> Say: Praised be God! He is God! All are His servants, and all abide by
> His bidding!" Tell them to repeat it five hundred times, nay, a thousand
> times, by day and by night, sleeping and waking, that haply the
> Countenance of Glory may be unveiled to their eyes, and tiers of light descend
> upon them.' He Himself, I was subsequently informed, recited this
> same verse, His face betraying the utmost sadness. ...Several
> times during those days, He was heard to remark: 'We have, for a
> while, tarried amongst this people, and failed to discern the slightest response
> on their part.' Oftentimes He alluded to His disappearance from
> our midst, yet none of us understood His meaning."”
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, XV,
> pp. 37-38.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, LXII,
> pp. 119-120.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, LXVI,
> pp. 128-130.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh,
> LXXVI, p. 148.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh,
> CXLIII, p. 312.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Suriy-i-Haykal, in The Summons of the Lord of
> Hosts, pp. 14-18.
> Bahá’u’lláh, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, pp. 204-208;
> partially in Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, LXVI, p.
> 130.
> Bahá’u’lláh, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, pp. 74-75.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, XLVI,
> pp. 100-101
> Bahá’u’lláh, Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 104-
> 105.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 105-
> 106.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, LXVIII,
> pp. 111-112.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 94-95.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 16-17.
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh, Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, XC, pp.
> 151-152.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, p. 230.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, CLI, pp.
> 242-243.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Suriy-i-Haykal, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts,
> p. 57.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Suriy-i-Haykal, in The Summons of the Lord of
> Hosts, p. 87.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh,
> XXXII, pp. 75-76.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, XLV,
> pp. 99-100.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh,
> CXLVI, pp. 315-316.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, LXVIII, p.
> 111.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, LXIII,
> pp. 228-230; Suriy-i-Muluk, in The Summons of the Lord of
> Hosts, pp. 228-230.
> Bahá’u’lláh, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, pp. 73-74;
> Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 52-53.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas, K110, p. 59.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Questions and Answers compiled by
> Zaynu’l-Muqarrabin, p. 105: QUESTION: Concerning the Festival
> of the Twin Birthdays. ANSWER…
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas, K91-K92, p. 53.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas, K110, p. 59.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Suratu’l-Haykal, in The Summons of the Lord of
> Hosts, p. 80.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 301-
> 306.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, CXI,
> p. 216.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Lawh-i-Ra’is, in The Summons of the Lord of
> Hosts, p. 165-168.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, XXX,
> pp. 73-74.
> "On one occasion," writes Dr. J. E. Esslemont, "Abdu'l-Bahá,
> the eldest son of Bahá'u'lláh, related to the writer the following
> particulars about His Father's early days: 'From childhood He
> was extremely kind and generous. He was a great lover of
> outdoor life, most of His time being spent in the garden or the
> fields. He had an extraordinary power of attraction, which was
> felt by all. People always crowded around Him. Ministers and
> people of the Court would surround Him, and the children also
> were devoted to Him. When He was only thirteen or fourteen
> years old He became renowned for His learning.... When
> Bahá'u'lláh was twenty-two years old, His father died, and the
> Government wished Him to succeed to His father's position in
> the Ministry as was customary in Persia, but Bahá'u'lláh did not
> accept the offer. Then the Prime Minister said: "Leave him to
> himself. Such a position is unworthy of him. He has some higher
> aim in view. I cannot understand him, but I am convinced that
> he is destined for some lofty career. His thoughts are not like
> ours. Let him alone."'" (Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era, pp. 29-30,
> cited in Shoghi Effendi, The Dawn-Breakers, Note 2, p. 106)
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 169-171.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, LV, p.
> 108.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, pp.
> 109-110.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, LVI,
> p. 109.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, LXIV,
> pp. 121-122.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 126.
> Muhammad-i-Zarandi (Nabíl-i-A’zam), Narrative, citing
> Bahá’u’lláh’s words, as he describes in Shoghi Effendi, translator,
> The Dawn-Breakers, pp. 584-585:
> “Upon the termination of the description of the struggle of
> Zanjan, I was ushered into His presence, and received, together
> with a number of other believers, the blessings which on two
> occasions He deigned to confer upon us. Both visits took place
> during the four days which Bahá'u'lláh chose to tarry in the
> home of Áqáy-i-Kalím. On the second and fourth nights after
> His arrival at His brother's house, which fell on the seventh day
> of the month of Jamádiyu'l-Avval, in the year 1306
> A.H.,[Footnote #1: “January 9, 1889 A.D.”] I, together with a
> number of pilgrims from Sarvistán and Farán, as well as a few
> resident believers, was admitted into His presence. The words
> He spoke to us lie for ever engraved upon my heart, and I feel it
> my duty to my readers to share with them the gist of His talk…”
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 71-74; see also
> Muhammad-i-Zarandi (Nabíl-i-A’zam), Narrative, Shoghi
> Effendi, translator, The Dawn-Breakers, pp. 110-111:
> “The first journey Bahá'u'lláh undertook for the purpose of
> promoting the Revelation announced by the Báb was to His
> ancestral home in Núr, in the province of Mázindarán. He set
> 
> out for the village of Tákur, the personal estate of His father,
> where He owned a vast mansion, royally furnished and superbly
> situated. It was my privilege to hear Bahá'u'lláh Himself, one day,
> recount the following: "The late Vazír, My father, enjoyed a
> most enviable position among his countrymen. His vast wealth,
> his noble ancestry, his artistic attainments, his unrivalled prestige
> and exalted rank made him the object of the admiration of all
> who knew him. For a period of over twenty years, no one
> among the wide circle of his family and kindred, which extended
> over Núr and Tihrán, suffered distress, injury, or illness. They
> enjoyed, during a long and uninterrupted period, rich and
> manifold blessings. Quite suddenly, however, this prosperity and
> glory gave way to a series of calamities which severely shook the
> foundations of his material prosperity. The first loss he suffered
> was occasioned by a great flood which, rising in the mountains
> of Mázindarán, swept with great violence over the village of
> Tákur, and utterly destroyed half the mansion of the Vazír,
> situated above the fortress of that village. The best part of that
> house, which had been known for the solidity of its foundations,
> was utterly wiped away by the fury of the roaring torrent. Its
> precious articles of furniture were destroyed, and its elaborate
> ornamentation irretrievably ruined. This was shortly followed by
> the loss of various State positions which the Vazír occupied, and
> by the repeated assaults directed against him by his envious
> adversaries. Despite this sudden change of fortune, the Vazír
> maintained his dignity and calm, and continued, within the
> restricted limits of his means, his acts of benevolence and
> charity. He continued to exercise towards his faithless associates
> that same courtesy and kindness that had characterised his
> dealings with his fellow-men. With splendid fortitude he
> grappled, until the last hour of his life, with the adversities that
> weighed so heavily upon him."”
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 76-78.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 104.
> Shoghi Effendi, translator, The Dawn-Breakers, p. 459,
> Footnote #1: “According to Islamic traditions, Fátimih,
> 
> Muhammad's daughter, will appear unveiled as she crosses the
> bridge "Sirát" on the Day of Judgment. At her appearance a
> voice from heaven will declare: "Turn your eyes away, O
> concourse of people!"
> Shoghi Effendi, translator, The Dawn-Breakers, p. 460,
> Footnote #1: “Mírzá Áqa Khán-i-Núri, who succeeded the
> Amír-Nizam as Grand Vazir of Násiri'd-Dín Sháh.”
> Shoghi Effendi, translator, The Dawn-Breakers, p. 460,
> Footnote #2: “Áqáy-i-Kalím, brother of Bahá'u'lláh.”
> Shoghi Effendi, translator, The Dawn-Breakers, p. 460,
> Footnote #3: “Bahá'u'lláh's amanuensis.”
> Shoghi Effendi, translator, The Dawn-Breakers, p. 461,
> Footnote #1: “Mírzá Muhammad-‘Alíy-i-Nahrí.”
> Muhammad-i-Zarandi (Nabíl-i-A’zam), Narrative, citing
> Bahá’u’lláh’s words, as he describes in Shoghi Effendi, translator,
> The Dawn-Breakers, pp. 459-462:
> “At this stage of my narrative I was privileged to submit to
> Bahá'u'lláh such sections of my work as I had already revised and
> completed. How abundantly have my labours been rewarded by
> Him whose favour alone I seek, and for whose satisfaction I
> have addressed myself to this task! He graciously summoned me
> to His presence and vouchsafed me His blessings. I was in my
> home in the prison-city of 'Akká, and lived in the
> neighbourhood of the house of Áqáy-i-Kalím, when the
> summons of my Beloved reached me. That day, the seventh of
> the month of Rabi'u'th-Thani in the year 1306 A.H.,[December
> 11, 1888 A.D.] I shall never forget. I here reproduce the gist of
> His words to me on that memorable occasion…”
> Muhammad-i-Zarandi (Nabíl-i-A’zam), Narrative, citing
> Bahá’u’lláh’s words, as he describes in Shoghi Effendi, translator,
> The Dawn-Breakers, pp. 298-299:
> “I have heard Bahá'u'lláh Himself describe that incident…”
> 
> Referring to the dispersal on the outskirts of Vas-Kas of the
> army raised at the command of Nasiri’d-Din Sháh to crush the
> Bábís, The Dawn-Breakers (pp. 368-376) indicates:
> “This memorable engagement fell on the twenty-fifth of
> Muharram, 1265 A.H. In the beginning of that same month,
> Bahá'u'lláh, faithful to the promise He had given to Mullá
> Husayn, set out, attended by a number of His friends, from Núr
> for the fort of Tabarsí. Among those who accompanied Him
> were Hájí Mírzá Jániy-i-Káshání, Mullá Baqir-i-Tabrizi, one of
> the Letters of the Living, and Mírzá Yahyá, His brother.
> Bahá'u'lláh had signified His wish that they should proceed
> directly to their destination and allow no pause in their journey.
> His intention was to reach that spot at night, inasmuch as strict
> orders had been issued, ever since ‘Abdu'lláh Khán had assumed
> the command, that no help should be extended, under any
> circumstances, to the occupants of the fort. Guards had been
> stationed at different places to ensure the isolation of the
> besieged. His companions, however, pressed Him to interrupt
> the journey and to seek a few hours of rest. Although He knew
> that this delay would involve a grave risk of being surprised by
> the enemy, He yielded to their earnest request. They halted at a
> lonely house adjoining the road. After supper, his companions
> all retired to sleep. He alone, despite the hardships He had
> endured, remained wakeful. He knew well the perils to which He
> and His friends were exposed, and was fully aware of the
> possibilities which His early arrival at the fort involved.
> “As He watched beside them, the secret emissaries of the enemy
> informed the guards of the neighbourhood of the arrival of the
> party, and ordered the immediate seizure of whatever they could
> find in their possession. "We have received strict orders, they
> told Bahá'u'lláh, whom they recognized instantly as the leader of
> the group, "to arrest every person we chance to meet in this
> vicinity, and are commanded to conduct him, without any
> previous investigation, to Amul and deliver him into the hands
> of its governor." "The matter has been misrepresented in your
> eyes," Bahá'u'lláh remarked. "You have misconstrued our
> purpose. I would advise you to act in a manner that will cause
> you eventually no regret." This admonition, uttered with dignity
> and calm, induced the chief of the guards to treat with
> 
> consideration and courtesy those whom he had arrested. He
> bade them mount their horses and proceed with him to Ámul.
> As they were approaching the banks of a river, Bahá'u'lláh
> signalled to His companions, who were riding at a distance from
> the guards, to cast into the water whatever manuscripts they had
> in their possession.
> “At daybreak, as they were approaching the town, a message was
> sent in advance to the acting governor, informing him of the
> arrival of a party that had been captured on their way to the fort
> of Tabarsi. The governor himself, together with the members of
> his body-guard, had been appointed to join the army of Prince
> Mihdí-Qulí Mírzá, and had commissioned his kinsman to act in
> his absence. As soon as the message reached him, he went to the
> masjid of Ámul and summoned the ulamas and leading siyyids of
> the town to gather and meet the party. He was greatly surprised
> as soon as his eyes saw and recognized Bahá'u'lláh, and deeply
> regretted the orders he had given. He feigned to reprimand Him
> for the action He had taken, in the hope of appeasing the tumult
> and allaying the excitement of those who had gathered in the
> masjid. "We are innocent," Bahá'u'lláh declared, "of the guilt
> they impute to us. Our blamelessness will eventually be
> established in your eyes. I would advise you to act in a manner
> that will cause you eventually no regret." The acting governor
> asked the ulamas who were present to put any question they
> desired. To their enquiries Bahá'u'lláh returned explicit and
> convincing replies. As they were interrogating Him, they
> discovered a manuscript in the possession of one of His
> companions which they recognized as the writings of the Báb
> and which they handed to the chief of the ulamas present at that
> gathering. As soon as he had perused a few lines of that
> manuscript, he laid it aside and, turning to those around him,
> exclaimed: "These people, who advance such extravagant claims,
> have, in this very sentence which I have read, betrayed their
> ignorance of the most rudimentary rules of orthography."
> "Esteemed and learned divine," Bahá'u'lláh replied, "these words
> which you criticise are not the words of the Báb. They have been
> uttered by no less a personage than the Imám ‘Alí, the
> Commander of the Faithful, in his reply to Kumayl-ibn-i-Ziyad,
> whom he had chosen as his companion."
> 
> “The circumstances which Bahá'u'lláh proceeded to relate in
> connection with the reply, no less than the manner of His
> delivery, convinced the arrogant mujtahid of his stupidity and
> blunder. Unable to contradict so weighty a statement, he
> preferred to keep silent. A siyyid angrily interjected: "This very
> statement conclusively demonstrates that its author is himself a
> Bábí and no less than a leading expounder of the tenets of that
> sect." He urged in vehement language that its followers be put to
> death. "These obscure sectarians are the sworn enemies," he
> cried, "both of the State and of the Faith of Islám! We must, at
> all costs, extirpate that heresy." He was seconded in his
> denunciation by the other siyyids who were present, and who,
> emboldened by the imprecations uttered at that gathering,
> insisted that the governor comply unhesitatingly with their
> wishes.
> “The acting governor was much embarrassed, and realised that
> any evidence of indulgence on his part would be fraught with
> grave consequences for the safety of his position. In his desire to
> hold in check the passions which had been aroused, he ordered
> his attendants to prepare the rods and promptly inflict a befitting
> punishment upon the captives. "We will afterwards," he added,
> "keep them in prison pending the return of the governor, who
> will send them to Tihrán, where they will receive, at the hands of
> the sovereign, the chastisement they deserve."
> “The first who was bound to receive the bastinado was Mullá
> Báqir. "I am only a groom of Bahá'u'lláh," he urged. "I was on
> my way to Mashhad when they suddenly arrested me and
> brought me to this place." Bahá'u'lláh intervened and succeeded
> in inducing his oppressors to release him. He likewise interceded
> for Hájí Mírzá Jání, who He said was "a mere tradesman" whom
> He regarded as His "guest," so that He was "responsible for any
> charges brought against him." Mírzá Yahyá, whom they
> proceeded to bind, was also set free as soon as Bahá'u'lláh had
> declared him to be His attendant. "None of these men," He told
> the acting governor, "are guilty of any crime. If you insist on
> inflicting your punishment, I offer Myself as a willing Victim of
> your chastisement." The acting governor was reluctantly
> compelled to give orders that Bahá'u'lláh alone be chosen to
> 
> suffer the indignity which he had intended originally for His
> companions.
> “The same treatment that had been meted out to the Báb five
> months previously in Tabríz, Bahá'u'lláh suffered in the presence
> of the assembled ulamas of Ámul. The first confinement that the
> Báb suffered at the hands of His enemies was in the house of
> ‘Abdu'l-Hamíd Khán, the chief constable of Shíráz; the first
> confinement of Bahá'u'lláh was in the home of one of the kadkhudas of Tihrán. The Báb's second imprisonment was in the
> castle of Máh-Kú; that of Bahá'u'lláh was in the private residence
> of the governor of Amul. The Báb was scourged in the namazkhanih [Literally “prayer-house”] of the Shaykhu'l-Islám of
> Tabríz; the same indignity was inflicted on Bahá'u'lláh in the
> namaz-khanih of the mujtahid of Ámul. The Báb's third
> confinement was in the castle of Chihríq; Bahá'u'lláh's was in the
> Síyáh-Chál [Literally “black pit”] of Tihrán. The Báb, whose
> trials and sufferings had preceded, in almost every case, those of
> Bahá'u'lláh, had offered Himself to ransom His Beloved from
> the perils that beset that precious Life; whilst Bahá'u'lláh, on His
> part, unwilling that He who so greatly loved Him should be the
> sole Sufferer, shared at every turn the cup that had touched His
> lips. Such love no eye has ever beheld, nor has mortal heart
> conceived such mutual devotion. If the branches of every tree
> were turned into pens, and all the seas into ink, and earth and
> heaven rolled into one parchment, the immensity of that love
> would still remain unexplored, and the depths of that devotion
> unfathomed.
> “Bahá'u'lláh and His companions remained for a time
> imprisoned in one of the rooms that formed part of the masjid.
> The acting governor, who was still determined to shield his
> Prisoner from the assaults of an inveterate enemy, secretly
> instructed his attendants to open, at an unsuspected hour, a
> passage through the wall of the room in which the captives were
> confined, and to transfer their Leader immediately to his home.
> He was himself conducting Bahá'u'lláh to his residence when a
> siyyid sprang forward and, directing his fiercest invectives against
> Him, raised the club which he held in his hand to strike Him.
> The acting governor immediately interposed himself and,
> appealing to the assailant, "adjured him by the Prophet of God"
> 
> to stay his hand. "What!" burst forth the siyyid. "How dare you
> release a man who is the sworn enemy of the Faith of our
> fathers?" A crowd of ruffians had meanwhile gathered around
> him, and by their howls of derision and abuse added to the
> clamour which he had raised. Despite the growing tumult, the
> attendants of the acting governor were able to conduct
> Bahá'u'lláh in safety to the residence of their master, and
> displayed on that occasion a courage and presence of mind that
> were truly surprising.
> “Despite the protestations of the mob, the rest of the prisoners
> were taken to the seat of government, and thus escaped from the
> perils with which they had been threatened. The acting governor
> offered profuse apologies to Bahá'u'lláh for the treatment which
> the people of Amul had accorded Him. "But for the
> interposition of Providence," he said, "no force would have
> achieved your deliverance from the grasp of this malevolent
> people. But for the efficacy of the vow which I had made to risk
> my own life for your sake, I, too, would have fallen a victim to
> their violence, and would have been trampled beneath their
> feet." He bitterly complained of the outrageous conduct of the
> siyyids of Amul, and denounced the baseness of their character.
> He expressed himself as being continually tormented by the
> effects of their malignant designs. He set about serving
> Bahá'u'lláh with devotion and kindness, and was often heard, in
> the course of his conversation with Him, to remark: "I am far
> from regarding you a prisoner in my home. This house, I believe,
> was built for the very purpose of affording you a shelter from
> the designs of your foes."
> “I have heard Bahá'u'lláh Himself recount the following: "No
> prisoner has ever been accorded the treatment which I received
> at the hands of the acting governor of Amul. He treated Me with
> the utmost consideration and esteem. I was generously
> entertained by him, and the fullest attention was given to
> everything that affected My security and comfort. I was,
> however, unable to leave the gate of the house. My host was
> afraid lest the governor, who was related to Abbás-Qulí Khán-i-
> Láríjání, might return from the fort of Tabarsí and inflict injury
> upon Me. I tried to dispel his apprehensions. 'The same
> Omnipotence,' I assured him, 'who has delivered us from the
> 
> hands of the mischief-makers of Ámul, and has enabled us to be
> received with such hospitality by you in this house, is able to
> change the heart of the governor and to cause him to treat us
> with no less consideration and love.'
> “"One night we were suddenly awakened by the clamour of the
> people who had gathered outside the gate of the house. The
> door was opened, and it was announced that the governor had
> returned to Amul. Our companions, who were anticipating a
> fresh attack upon them, were completely surprised to hear the
> voice of the governor rebuking those who had denounced us so
> bitterly on the day of our arrival. 'For what reason,' we heard
> him loudly remonstrating, 'have these miserable wretches chosen
> to treat so disrespectfully a guest whose hands are tied and who
> has not been given the chance to defend himself? What is their
> justification for having demanded that he be immediately put to
> death? What evidence have they with which to support their
> contention? If they be sincere in their claims to be devotedly
> attached to Islam and to be the guardians of its interests, let
> them betake themselves to the fort of Shaykh Tabarsí and there
> demonstrate their capacity to defend the Faith of which they
> profess to be the champions.'"
> “What he had seen of the heroism of the defenders of the fort
> had quite changed the mind and heart of the governor of Amul.
> He returned filled with admiration for a Cause which he had
> formerly despised, and the progress of which he had strenuously
> resisted. The scenes he witnessed had disarmed his wrath and
> chastened his pride. Humbly and respectfully, he went to
> Bahá'u'lláh and apologised for the insolence of the inhabitants of
> a town that he had been chosen to govern. He served Him with
> extreme devotion, utterly ignoring his own position and rank. He
> paid a glowing tribute to Mullá Husayn, and expatiated upon his
> resourcefulness, his intrepidity, his skill, and nobleness of soul. A
> few days later, he succeeded in arranging for the safe departure
> of Bahá'u'lláh and His companions for Tihrán.”
> Muhammad-i-Zarandi (Nabíl-i-A’zam), Narrative, citing
> Bahá’u’lláh’s words, as he describes in Shoghi Effendi, translator,
> The Dawn-Breakers, p. 375:
> “I have heard Bahá'u'lláh Himself recount the following…”
> 
> Muhammad-i-Zarandi (Nabíl-i-A’zam), Narrative, citing
> Bahá’u’lláh’s words, as he describes in Shoghi Effendi, translator,
> The Dawn-Breakers, pp. 461-462:
> “At this stage of my narrative I was privileged to submit to
> Bahá'u'lláh such sections of my work as I had already revised and
> completed. How abundantly have my labours been rewarded by
> Him whose favour alone I seek, and for whose satisfaction I
> have addressed myself to this task! He graciously summoned me
> to His presence and vouchsafed me His blessings. I was in my
> home in the prison-city of 'Akká, and lived in the
> neighbourhood of the house of Áqáy-i-Kalím, when the
> summons of my Beloved reached me. That day, the seventh of
> the month of Rabi'u'th-Thani in the year 1306 A.H.[December
> 11, 1888 A.D.], I shall never forget. I here reproduce the gist of
> His words to me on that memorable occasion”
> Muhammad-i-Zarandi (Nabíl-i-A’zam), Narrative, citing
> Bahá’u’lláh’s words, as he describes in Shoghi Effendi, translator,
> The Dawn-Breakers, pp. 582-584:
> “Upon the termination of the description of the struggle of
> Zanjan, I was ushered into His presence, and received, together
> with a number of other believers, the blessings which on two
> occasions He deigned to confer upon us. Both visits took place
> during the four days which Bahá'u'lláh chose to tarry in the
> home of Áqáy-i-Kalím. On the second and fourth nights after
> His arrival at His brother's house, which fell on the seventh day
> of the month of Jamadiyu'l-Avval, in the year 1306
> A.H.,[Footnote #1: “January 9, 1889 A.D.”] I, together with a
> number of pilgrims from Sarvistán and Fárán, as well as a few
> resident believers, was admitted into His presence. The words
> He spoke to us lie for ever engraved upon my heart, and I feel it
> my duty to my readers to share with them the gist of His talk…”
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 76-77.
> Muhammad-i-Zarandi (Nabíl-i-A’zam), Narrative, citing
> Bahá’u’lláh’s words, as he describes in Shoghi Effendi, translator,
> The Dawn-Breakers, p. 584:
> 
> “Upon the termination of the description of the struggle of
> Zanján, I was ushered into His presence, and received, together
> with a number of other believers, the blessings which on two
> occasions He deigned to confer upon us. Both visits took place
> during the four days which Bahá'u'lláh chose to tarry in the
> home of Áqáy-i-Kalím. On the second and fourth nights after
> His arrival at His brother's house, which fell on the seventh day
> of the month of Jamadiyu'l-Avval, in the year 1306
> A.H.,[Footnote #1: “January 9, 1889 A.D.”] I, together with a
> number of pilgrims from Sarvistán and Fárán, as well as a few
> resident believers, was admitted into His presence. The words
> He spoke to us lie for ever engraved upon my heart, and I feel it
> my duty to my readers to share with them the gist of His talk…”
> Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-ĺqán, pp. 222-227.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-ĺqán, pp. 234-236.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 88-89.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-ĺqán, pp. 233-234.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p.
> 145.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 119-120.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 19-20.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 19-20.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 20.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Suriy-i-Haykal, Nasiri’d-Din      Sháh,      in   The
> Summons of the Lord of Hosts, 120.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Suriy-i-Haykal, Nasiri’d-Din      Sháh,      in   The
> Summons of the Lord of Hosts, pp. 121-122.
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, pp.
> 222-223; The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 223.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 20-22.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Tablet to Nasiri’d-Din Sháh, in The Summons of
> the Lord of Hosts, pp. 98-99.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 306-
> 308.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 57; The
> Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 83.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Suriy-i-Haykal, in The Summons of the Lord of
> Hosts, pp.5-7; passage cited in God Passes By, pp. 101-102.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Tablet to the Czar of Russia; in The Summons of
> the Lord of Hosts, p. 83; Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 57.
> This same passage was translated by Shoghi Effendi in The
> Dawn-Breakers, p. 603, Footnote 1:
> “When I was in chains and fetters, in the prison of Ta, one of thine
> ambassadors assisted Me. Therefore hath God decreed unto thee a station
> which none but Himself can comprehend. Beware lest thou change this lofty
> station.”
> Shoghi Effendi described the circumstances related to the
> revelation of this Tablet and provided another translation of the
> same passage in God Passes By, p. 106:
> “The Russian Minister, as soon as he was informed of the
> Imperial decision, expressed the desire to take Bahá'u'lláh under
> the protection of his government, and offered to extend every
> facility for His removal to Russia. This invitation, so
> spontaneously extended, Bahá'u'lláh declined, preferring, in
> pursuance of an unerring instinct, to establish His abode in
> Turkish territory, in the city of Baghdád. "Whilst I lay chained and
> fettered in the prison," He Himself, years after, testified in His
> Epistle addressed to the Czar of Russia, Nicolaevitch Alexander
> II, "one of thy ministers extended Me his aid. Whereupon God hath
> ordained for thee a station which the knowledge of none can comprehend
> 
> except His knowledge. Beware lest thou barter away this sublime station."
> "In the days," is yet another illuminating testimony revealed by His pen,
> "when this Wronged One was sore-afflicted in prison, the minister of the
> highly esteemed government (of Russia) -- may God, glorified and exalted be
> He, assist him! -- exerted his utmost endeavor to compass My deliverance.
> Several times permission for My release was granted. Some of the ulamas of
> the city, however, would prevent it. Finally, My freedom was gained through
> the solicitude and the endeavor of His Excellency the Minister. ...His
> Imperial Majesty, the Most Great Emperor -- may God, exalted and
> glorified be He, assist him! -- extended to Me for the sake of God his
> protection -- a protection which has excited the envy and enmity of the foolish
> ones of the earth."”
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 76.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-ĺqán, p. 189.
> Muhammad-i-Zarandi (Nabíl-i-A’zam), Narrative, citing
> Bahá’u’lláh’s words, as he describes: “From His own lips I have
> often heard the following account…” in Shoghi Effendi,
> translator, The Dawn-Breakers, pp. 631-634.
> Bahá’u’lláh, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 83.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 78-79.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, L, pp.
> 103-104.
> Bahá’u’lláh, cited in Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of
> Bahá’u’lláh, p. 124.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 277-
> 278.
> Bahá’u’lláh, cited in Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 106.
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, pp.
> 228-229; Suriy-i-Muluk, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, pp.
> 228-229.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 21-22.
> Bahá’u’lláh, cited in Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 108.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 131.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Tablet to Násiri’d-Dín Sháh, in The Summons of
> the Lord of Hosts, pp. 96-97.
> Bahá’u’lláh, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, pp. 30-31.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-ĺqán, pp 249-250.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Tablet to Násiri’d-Dín Sháh, in The Summons of
> the Lord of Hosts, pp 106-107.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, pp.
> 228-230; Summons of the Lord of Hosts, pp. 228-230.
> Bahá’u’lláh, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 225.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 165.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 168-169.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Tarazat, in Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 40.
> Bahá’u’lláh, translated in Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p.
> 114.
> Muhammad-i-Zarandi (Nabíl-i-A’zam), Narrative, citing
> Bahá’u’lláh’s words, as he describes in Shoghi Effendi, translator,
> The Dawn-Breakers, p. 585:
> “Upon the termination of the description of the struggle of
> Zanján, I was ushered into His presence, and received, together
> 
> with a number of other believers, the blessings which on two
> occasions He deigned to confer upon us. Both visits took place
> during the four days which Bahá'u'lláh chose to tarry in the
> home of Áqáy-i-Kalím. On the second and fourth nights after
> His arrival at His brother's house, which fell on the seventh day
> of the month of Jamadiyu'l-Avval, in the year 1306
> A.H.,[Footnote #1: “January 9, 1889 A.D.”] I, together with a
> number of pilgrims from Sarvistán and Fárán, as well as a few
> resident believers, was admitted into His presence. The words
> He spoke to us lie for ever engraved upon my heart, and I feel it
> my duty to my readers to share with them the gist of His talk…”
> Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-ĺqán, p. 250.
> Muhammad-i-Zarandi (Nabíl-i-A’zam), Narrative, citing
> Bahá’u’lláh’s words, as he describes, in Shoghi Effendi,
> translator, The Dawn-Breakers, p. 585:
> “Upon the termination of the description of the struggle of
> Zanjan, I was ushered into His presence, and received, together
> with a number of other believers, the blessings which on two
> occasions He deigned to confer upon us. Both visits took place
> during the four days which Bahá'u'lláh chose to tarry in the
> home of Áqáy-i-Kalím. On the second and fourth nights after
> His arrival at His brother's house, which fell on the seventh day
> of the month of Jamadiyu'l-Avval, in the year 1306
> A.H.,[Footnote #1: “January 9, 1889 A.D.”] I, together with a
> number of pilgrims from Sarvistán and Fárán, as well as a few
> resident believers, was admitted into His presence. The words
> He spoke to us lie for ever engraved upon my heart, and I feel it
> my duty to my readers to share with them the gist of His talk…”
> Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-ĺqán, pp. 250-251.
> Bahá’u’lláh, related to Nabíl-i-A’zam, translated in Shoghi
> Effendi, The Dawn-Breakers, pp. 137-138.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 166
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-ĺqán, pp. 250-251; Shoghi Effendi, citing
> Bahá’u’lláh’s Writings, describes this sojourn in God Passes By,
> p. 120: “At times His dwelling-place was a cave to which He
> refers in His Tablets addressed to the famous Shaykh Abdu'r-
> Rahman and to Maryam, a kinswoman of His. "I roamed the
> wilderness of resignation" He thus depicts, in the Lawh-i-Maryam,
> the rigors of His austere solitude, "traveling in such wise that in My
> exile every eye wept sore over Me, and all created things shed tears of blood
> because of My anguish. The birds of the air were My companions and the
> beasts of the field My associates." "From My eyes," He, referring in the
> Kitáb-i-Íqán to those days, testifies, "there rained tears of anguish,
> and in My bleeding heart surged an ocean of agonizing pain. Many a night I
> had no food for sustenance, and many a day My body found no rest....
> Alone I communed with My spirit, oblivious of the world and all that is
> therein."”
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 166.
> Muhammad-i-Zarandi (Nabíl-i-A’zam), Narrative, citing
> Bahá’u’lláh’s words, as he describes in Shoghi Effendi, translator,
> The Dawn-Breakers, pp. 585:
> “Upon the termination of the description of the struggle of
> Zanján, I was ushered into His presence, and received, together
> with a number of other believers, the blessings which on two
> occasions He deigned to confer upon us. Both visits took place
> during the four days which Bahá'u'lláh chose to tarry in the
> home of Áqáy-i-Kalím. On the second and fourth nights after
> His arrival at His brother's house, which fell on the seventh day
> of the month of Jamadiyu'l-Avval, in the year 1306
> A.H.,[Footnote #1: “January 9, 1889 A.D.”] I, together with a
> number of pilgrims from Sarvistán and Fárán, as well as a few
> resident believers, was admitted into His presence. The words
> He spoke to us lie for ever engraved upon my heart, and I feel it
> my duty to my readers to share with them the gist of His talk…”
> Shoghi Effendi furthermore reports, in God Passes By, p. 126:
> “Deciding to terminate the period of His retirement Bahá'u'lláh
> bade farewell to the shaykhs of Sulaymaniyyih, who now
> numbered among His most ardent and, as their future conduct
> demonstrated, staunchest admirers. Accompanied by Shaykh
> 
> Sultán, He retraced His steps to Baghdád, on "the banks of the
> River of Tribulations," as He Himself termed it, proceeding by slow
> stages, realizing, as He declared to His fellow-traveler, that these
> last days of His retirement would be "the only days of peace and
> tranquillity" left to Him, "days which will never again fall to My lot."”
> Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-ĺqán, pp. 248-250. Adib Taherzadeh writes
> in The Child of the Covenant, p. 104:
> “Shortly after Mírzá Yahyá had settled in Baghdád he decided to
> engage in a profession to hide his identity. At first he changed
> his headgear, adopting a large turban and assuming the name of
> Hájí ‘Alí, the Las-Furush[*] He then took a shop in a bazaar in a
> dilapidated part of the city and started working. In the meantime,
> a man of great evil, described by Bahá'u'lláh as 'the embodiment
> of wickedness and impiety', 'the prime mover of mischief' and
> 'one accursed of God', entered the scene to influence Mírzá
> Yahyá. He was the notorious Siyyid Muhammad-i-Isfáhání,
> known as the 'Antichrist of the Bahá’í Revelation'.[132] In the
> early days of the Faith this man was a student at a theological
> school in Isfáhán but was expelled for reprehensible conduct.
> He embraced the Faith during the early part of the ministry of
> the Báb and later went to Karbilá where he joined the ranks of
> the believers. In the Kitáb-i-Íqán Bahá'u'lláh alludes to him as that
> 'one-eyed man, who ... is arising with the utmost malevolence
> against Us'.[133] Of him Shoghi Effendi writes: “The blackhearted scoundrel who befooled and manipulated this vain and
> flaccid man [Mírzá Yahyá] with consummate skill and unyielding
> persistence was a certain Siyyid Muhammad, a native of Isfáhán,
> notorious for his inordinate ambition, his blind obstinacy and
> uncontrollable jealousy. To him Bahá'u'lláh had later referred in
> the Kitáb-i-Aqdas as the one who had 'led astray' Mírzá Yahyá
> and stigmatized him, in one of His Tablets, as the 'source of
> envy and the quintessence of mischief', while 'Abdu'l-Bahá had
> described the relationship existing between these two as that of
> 'the sucking child' to the 'much-prized breast' of its mother.[134]
> [*] Las-Furush means a dealer in silk. It is interesting that Mírzá
> Yahyá was known in official circles as Hájí ‘Alí until the end of
> his life.
> [132] Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 164.
> 
> [133] Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Íqán, p. 248.
> [134] Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, pp. 112-13.”
> Muhammad-i-Zarandi (Nabíl-i-A’zam), Narrative, citing
> Bahá’u’lláh’s words, as he describes:
> “Upon the termination of the description of the struggle of
> Zanján, I was ushered into His presence, and received, together
> with a number of other believers, the blessings which on two
> occasions He deigned to confer upon us. Both visits took place
> during the four days which Bahá'u'lláh chose to tarry in the
> home of Áqáy-i-Kalím. On the second and fourth nights after
> His arrival at His brother's house, which fell on the seventh day
> of the month of Jamadiyu'l-Avval, in the year 1306
> A.H.,[Footnote #1: “January 9, 1889 A.D.”] I, together with a
> number of pilgrims from Sarvistán and Fárán, as well as a few
> resident believers, was admitted into His presence. The words
> He spoke to us lie for ever engraved upon my heart, and I feel it
> my duty to my readers to share with them the gist of His talk…”
> in Shoghi Effendi, translator, The Dawn-Breakers, pp. 585.
> Shoghi Effendi cites this passage from Nabil’s Narrative which
> is not included in The Dawn-Breakers:
> “"By God besides Whom there is none other God!" is His emphatic
> assertion to Shaykh Sultán, as reported by Nabíl in his narrative,
> "But for My recognition of the fact that the blessed Cause of the Primal
> Point was on the verge of being completely obliterated, and all the sacred
> blood poured out in the path of God would have been shed in vain, I would
> in no wise have consented to return to the people of the Bayán, and would
> have abandoned them to the worship of the idols their imaginations had
> fashioned."” (Bahá’u’lláh, cited in Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By,
> p. 126)
> Bahá’u’lláh, cited in Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 125.
> [Comment: In most cases, Shoghi Effendi cites the source of his
> quotations from Bahá’u’lláh, and since he has not cited a specific
> Tablet in this case, it may be that the words are cited from
> Nabíl’s Narrative, although only a perusal of that document
> could determine for certain whether or not this is the case.]
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-ĺqán, pp. 251-252; Shoghi Effendi, in God
> Passes By (p. 147), cites numerous passages from the Writings of
> Bahá’u’lláh revealed in Baghdád as well as from Nabíl’s
> Narrative:
> “Already, as Nabíl has pointed out in his narrative, Bahá'u'lláh
> had, in the course of His discourses, during the last years of His
> sojourn in Baghdád, alluded to the period of trial and turmoil
> that was inexorably approaching, exhibiting a sadness and
> heaviness of heart which greatly perturbed those around Him. A
> dream which He had at that time, the ominous character of
> which could not be mistaken, served to confirm the fears and
> misgivings that had assailed His companions. "I saw," He wrote
> in a Tablet, "the Prophets and the Messengers gather and seat themselves
> around Me, moaning, weeping and loudly lamenting. Amazed, I inquired of
> them the reason, whereupon their lamentation and weeping waxed greater,
> and they said unto me: 'We weep for Thee, O Most Great Mystery, O
> Tabernacle of Immortality!' They wept with such a weeping that I too wept
> with them. Thereupon the Concourse on high addressed Me saying:
> '...Erelong shalt Thou behold with Thine own eyes what no Prophet hath
> beheld.... Be patient, be patient.'... They continued addressing Me the whole
> night until the approach of dawn." "Oceans of sorrow," Nabíl affirms,
> "surged in the hearts of the listeners when the Tablet of the Holy Mariner
> was read aloud to them.... It was evident to every one that the chapter of
> Baghdád was about to be closed, and a new one opened, in its stead. No
> sooner had that Tablet been chanted than Bahá'u'lláh ordered that the tents
> which had been pitched should be folded up, and that all His companions
> should return to the city. While the tents were being removed He observed:
> 'These tents may be likened to the trappings of this world, which no sooner
> are they spread out than the time cometh for them to be rolled up.' From
> these words of His they who heard them perceived that these tents would
> never again be pitched on that spot. They had not yet been taken away when
> the messenger arrived from Baghdád to deliver the afore-mentioned
> communication from the governor."”
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, XV,
> pp. 37-38
> Maqám-i-Mahmúd. See: Qur'án 17:81; Bahá’u’lláh, The Seven
> Valleys, p. 40.
> 
> Sa'adi, Muslihu'd-Dín of Shíráz (ca. 1184-1291), famed author
> of the Gulistan and other poetical works.
> Persian proverb describing a man who gives up easily. As used
> here one connotation is that the Shaykh might have considered
> his station as a mystic leader compromised by the fact of his
> being taught the new truth by Bahá'u'lláh.
> Qur'án 41:30.
> Qur'án 11:114; 42:14.
> Sa’adi.
> Sa’adi.
> Rumi. Senna, capital of Persian Kurdistán.
> Bahá’u’lláh, The Four Valleys, pp. 72-74.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 166.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, LVII,
> pp. 111-114.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, LVIII,
> pp. 114-115.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Suriy-i-Muluk, in The Summons of the Lord of
> Hosts, pp. 197-198.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Suriy-i-Muluk, in The Summons of the Lord of
> Hosts, pp. 199-200.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Suriy-i-Muluk, in The Summons of the Lord of
> Hosts, p. 219.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh,
> LXVII, pp. 131-132; Shoghi Effendi has cited Bahá’u’lláh’s and
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s descriptions of this occurrence in Baghdád in the
> following:
> “"For twelve years," Bahá'u'lláh Himself has testified, "We tarried in
> Baghdád. Much as We desired that a large gathering of divines and fairminded men be convened, so that truth might be distinguished from
> falsehood, and be fully demonstrated, no action was taken." And again:
> "And likewise, while in Iraq, We wished to come together with the divines
> of Persia. No sooner did they hear of this, than they fled and said: 'He
> indeed is a manifest sorcerer!' This is the word that proceeded aforetime out
> of the mouths of such as were like them. These [divines] objected to what
> they said, and yet, they themselves repeat, in this day, what was said before
> them, and understand not. By My life! They are even as ashes in the sight of
> thy Lord. If He be willing, tempestuous gales will blow over them, and make
> them as dust. Thy Lord, verily, doth what He pleaseth."” (Bahá’u’lláh in
> asterics, cited in Shoghi Effendi, The Promised Day is Come, p.
> 85)
> “Bahá'u'lláh replied, "Although you have no right to ask this, for God
> should test His creatures, and they should not test God, still I allow and
> accept this request. But the Cause of God is not a theatrical display that is
> presented every hour, of which some new diversion may be asked for every
> day. If it were thus, the Cause of God would become mere child's play.
> “"The ulamas must, therefore, assemble, and, with one accord, choose one
> miracle, and write that, after the performance of this miracle they will no
> longer entertain doubts about Me, and that all will acknowledge and confess
> the truth of My Cause. Let them seal this paper, and bring it to Me. This
> must be the accepted criterion: if the miracle is performed, no doubt will
> remain for them; and if not, We shall be convicted of imposture." The
> learned man, Hasan 'Amu, rose and replied, "There is no more to be
> said"; he then kissed the knee of the Blessed One although he
> was not a believer, and went. He gathered the 'ulama and gave
> them the sacred message. They consulted together and said,
> "This man is an enchanter; perhaps he will perform an
> enchantment, and then we shall have nothing more to say."
> Acting on this belief, they did not dare to push the matter
> further.” (Bahá’u’lláh, cited in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Some Answered
> Questions, pp. 29-30)
> “Frustrated in their designs, but unrelenting in their hostility, the
> assembled divines delegated the learned and devout Hájí Mullá
> Hasan-i-'Ammu, recognized for his integrity and wisdom, to
> 
> submit various questions to Bahá'u'lláh for elucidation. When
> these were submitted, and answers completely satisfactory to the
> messenger were given, Hájí Mullá Hasan, affirming the
> recognition by the ulamas of the vastness of the knowledge of
> Bahá'u'lláh, asked, as an evidence of the truth of His mission, for
> a miracle that would satisfy completely all concerned. "Although
> you have no right to ask this," Bahá'u'lláh replied, "for God should test
> His creatures, and they should not test God, still I allow and accept this
> request.... The ulamas must assemble, and, with one accord, choose one
> miracle, and write that, after the performance of this miracle they will no
> longer entertain doubts about Me, and that all will acknowledge and confess
> the truth of My Cause. Let them seal this paper, and bring it to Me. This
> must be the accepted criterion: if the miracle is performed, no doubt will
> remain for them; and if not, We shall be convicted of imposture." This
> clear, challenging and courageous reply, unexampled in the
> annals of any religion, and addressed to the most illustrious
> Shí'ah divines, assembled in their time-honored stronghold, was
> so satisfactory to their envoy that he instantly arose, kissed the
> knee of Bahá'u'lláh, and departed to deliver His message. Three
> days later he sent word that that august assemblage had failed to
> arrive at a decision, and had chosen to drop the matter, a
> decision to which he himself later gave wide publicity, in the
> course of his visit to Persia, and even communicated it in person
> to the then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mírzá Sa'íd Khán. "We
> have," Bahá'u'lláh is reported to have commented, when
> informed of their reaction to this challenge, "through this allsatisfying, all-embracing message which We sent, revealed and vindicated the
> miracles of all the Prophets, inasmuch as We left the choice to the ulamas
> themselves, undertaking to reveal whatever they would decide upon." "If we
> carefully examine the text of the Bible," 'Abdu'l-Bahá has written
> concerning a similar challenge made later by Bahá'u'lláh in the
> "Lawh-i-Sultán," "we see that the Divine Manifestation never
> said to those who denied Him, 'whatever miracle you desire, I
> am ready to perform, and I will submit to whatever test you
> propose.' But in the Epistle to the Sháh Bahá'u'lláh said clearly,
> 'Gather the ulamas and summon Me, that the evidences and proofs may be
> established.'” (Bahá’u’lláh in asterics, cited in Shoghi Effendi, God
> Passes By, pp. 143-144)
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh,
> CXIII, p. 228-232.
> Bahá’u’lláh, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, pp. 197-198.
> See Taherzadeh, Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, vol. 3, pp. 250-25l.
> “Hájí Mírzá Haydar-‘Alí, that spiritual giant immortalized by
> the title 'the Angel of Carmel', has left the following record of
> one of his memorable audiences, when Bahá'u'lláh spoke about
> 'Abdu'l-Bahá's important role in shielding Him from the
> pressures of the outside world…These are not to be taken as the
> exact words of Bahá'u'lláh; they are only recollections of His
> utterances by Hájí Mírzá Haydar-‘Alí.” (Haydar-‘Alí, Bihjutu's-
> Sudur, pp. 251-252, cited in Adib Taherzadeh, The Child of the
> Covenant, p. 231)
> Bahá’u’lláh, in Suriy-i-Vafa, revealed after the Kitáb-i-Aqdas
> (Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 190), refers to this prophecy as
> follows: “Thou hast enquired about the warning We gave to the
> people at the time of Our departure from Iraq to the effect that
> when the Sun disappeareth from sight, birds of darkness will be
> in motion and the standards of Samiri [1] will be reared high. I
> swear by God! Those birds have stirred in these days and Samiri
> hath raised his clamour. Well is it with him who recognizeth and
> is numbered with men of understanding. We have also warned
> them against the appearance of the calf. God is My witness! All
> Our warnings have come to pass, as indeed, they are bound to,
> inasmuch as they have issued from the fingers of glory and
> might. Beseech thou God to protect thee from the mischief of
> these men and to purify thee from the insinuations of the
> froward. Strengthen thy loins then for the promotion of the
> Cause and pay no attention unto the words uttered by the people
> of the Bayán, for they are truly incapable of understanding and
> have failed to comprehend the essence of the Cause as is
> revealed in this august, this Most Great Announcement. Thus
> have We inspired thee, and infused into thy heart that which will
> make thee independent of the allusions of mankind. [1] The
> maker of the Golden Calf. See Qur'án 20:87-98.]
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh, Lawh al-Mallahu’l-Quds (translated as Tablet of the
> Holy Mariner), in Bahá’í Prayers, pp. 220-228. The historical
> context in which this Tablet, and to which it alludes is set forth
> in Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, pp. 146-148:
> “It was on the fifth of Naw-Rúz (1863), while Bahá'u'lláh was
> celebrating that festival in the Mazra'iy-i-Vashshash, in the
> outskirts of Baghdád, and had just revealed the "Tablet of the
> Holy Mariner," whose gloomy prognostications had aroused the
> grave apprehensions of His Companions, that an emissary of
> Namiq Páshá arrived and delivered into His hands a
> communication requesting an interview between Him and the
> governor.
> “Already, as Nabíl has pointed out in his narrative, Bahá'u'lláh
> had, in the course of His discourses, during the last years of His
> sojourn in Baghdád, alluded to the period of trial and turmoil
> that was inexorably approaching, exhibiting a sadness and
> heaviness of heart which greatly perturbed those around Him. A
> dream which He had at that time, the ominous character of
> which could not be mistaken, served to confirm the fears and
> misgivings that had assailed His companions. "I saw," He wrote
> in a Tablet, "the Prophets and the Messengers gather and seat
> themselves around Me, moaning, weeping and loudly lamenting.
> Amazed, I inquired of them the reason, whereupon their
> lamentation and weeping waxed greater, and they said unto me:
> 'We weep for Thee, O Most Great Mystery, O Tabernacle of
> Immortality!' They wept with such a weeping that I too wept
> with them. Thereupon the Concourse on high addressed Me
> saying: '...Erelong shalt Thou behold with Thine own eyes what
> no Prophet hath beheld.... Be patient, be patient.'... They
> continued addressing Me the whole night until the approach of
> dawn." "Oceans of sorrow," Nabíl affirms, "surged in the hearts
> of the listeners when the Tablet of the Holy Mariner was read
> aloud to them.... It was evident to every one that the chapter of
> Baghdád was about to be closed, and a new one opened, in its
> stead. No sooner had that Tablet been chanted than Bahá'u'lláh
> ordered that the tents which had been pitched should be folded
> up, and that all His companions should return to the city. While
> the tents were being removed He observed: 'These tents may be
> likened to the trappings of this world, which no sooner are they
> 
> spread out than the time cometh for them to be rolled up.' From
> these words of His they who heard them perceived that these
> tents would never again be pitched on that spot. They had not
> yet been taken away when the messenger arrived from Baghdád
> to deliver the afore-mentioned communication from the
> governor."
> “By the following day the Deputy-Governor had delivered to
> Bahá'u'lláh in a mosque, in the neighborhood of the governor's
> house, ‘Alí Páshá's letter, addressed to Namiq Páshá, couched in
> courteous language, inviting Bahá'u'lláh to proceed, as a guest of
> the Ottoman government, to Constantinople, placing a sum of
> money at His disposal, and ordering a mounted escort to
> accompany Him for His protection. To this request Bahá'u'lláh
> gave His ready assent, but declined to accept the sum offered
> Him. On the urgent representations of the Deputy that such a
> refusal would offend the authorities, He reluctantly consented to
> receive the generous allowance set aside for His use, and
> distributed it, that same day, among the poor.
> “The effect upon the colony of exiles of this sudden intelligence
> was instantaneous and overwhelming. "That day," wrote an
> eyewitness, describing the reaction of the community to the
> news of Bahá'u'lláh's approaching departure, "witnessed a
> commotion associated with the turmoil of the Day of
> Resurrection. Methinks, the very gates and walls of the city wept
> aloud at their imminent separation from the Abhá Beloved. The
> first night mention was made of His intended departure His
> loved ones, one and all, renounced both sleep and food.... Not a
> soul amongst them could be tranquillized. Many had resolved
> that in the event of their being deprived of the bounty of
> accompanying Him, they would, without hesitation, kill
> themselves.... Gradually, however, through the words which He
> addressed them, and through His exhortations and His lovingkindness, they were calmed and resigned themselves to His
> good-pleasure." For every one of them, whether Arab or
> Persian, man or woman, child or adult, who lived in Baghdád,
> He revealed during those days, in His own hand, a separate
> Tablet. In most of these Tablets He predicted the appearance of
> the "Calf" and of the "Birds of the Night," allusions to those
> who, as anticipated in the Tablet of the Holy Mariner, and
> 
> foreshadowed in the dream quoted above, were to raise the
> standard of rebellion and precipitate the gravest crisis in the
> history of the Faith.”
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, XIV,
> pp. 27-35.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas, K37, p. 32; Gleanings from the
> Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, CLXVI, p. 344.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, CXV,
> p. 244.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Madinatu’l-Sabr, revealed on the first day in the
> Najíbíyyih Garden, cited in David S. Ruhe, Robe of Light, p.
> 176.
> “Leaving for the last time, amidst weeping and lamentation,
> His "Most Holy Habitation," out of which had "gone forth the
> breath of the All-Glorious," and from which had poured forth,
> in "ceaseless strains," the "melody of the All-Merciful," and
> dispensing on His way with a lavish hand a last alms to the poor
> He had so faithfully befriended, and uttering words of comfort
> to the disconsolate who besought Him on every side, He, at
> length, reached the banks of the river, and was ferried across,
> accompanied by His sons and amanuensis, to the Najíbíyyih
> Garden, situated on the opposite shore. "O My companions,"
> He thus addressed the faithful band that surrounded Him before
> He embarked, "I entrust to your keeping this city of Baghdád, in
> the state ye now behold it, when from the eyes of friends and
> strangers alike, crowding its housetops, its streets and markets,
> tears like the rain of spring are flowing down, and I depart. With
> you it now rests to watch lest your deeds and conduct dim the
> flame of love that gloweth within the breasts of its inhabitants."”
> (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 149)
> “He had already flung a daring challenge to the sacerdotal
> order represented by the eminent ecclesiastics residing in Najaf,
> Karbilá and Kázimayn. He was now, while in the vicinity of the
> 
> court of His royal adversary, to offer a similar challenge to the
> recognized head of Sunni Islám, as well as to the sovereign of
> Persia, the trustee of the hidden Imám. The entire company of
> the kings of the earth, and in particular the Sultán and his
> ministers, were, moreover, to be addressed by Him, appealed to
> and warned, while the kings of Christendom and the Sunni
> hierarchy were to be severely admonished. Little wonder that the
> exiled Bearer of a newly-announced Revelation should have, in
> anticipation of the future splendor of the Lamp of His Faith,
> after its removal from ‘Iráq, uttered these prophetic words: "It
> will shine resplendently within another globe, as predestined by
> Him who is the Omnipotent, the Ancient of Days. ...That the
> Spirit should depart out of the body of ‘Iráq is indeed a
> wondrous sign unto all who are in heaven and all who are on
> earth. Erelong will ye behold this Divine Youth riding upon the
> steed of victory. Then will the hearts of the envious be seized
> with trembling."” (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 145)
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 51-52; The
> Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 73.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 167-169.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 68-70.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, LXV,
> pp. 122-125; The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, pp. 195-197.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, LXVI,
> pp. 126-127; The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, pp. 201-202.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Suriy-i-Muluk, in The Summons of the Lord of
> Hosts, p. 215.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Tablet to Násiri’d-Dín Sháh, in The Summons of
> the Lord of Hosts, p. 111.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 122-127.
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 137-138.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 69-70.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 107-110.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Lawh-i-Ra’is, in The Summons of the Lord of
> Hosts, p. 165.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 105-107.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 125-126.
> Bahá’u’lláh calls this city the “Land of Mystery”. It was known
> to Europeans as Adrianople at the time, and is now called
> Edirne.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Suriy-i-Muluk, in The Summons of the Lord of
> Hosts, pp. 215-217.
> Sultán of the Ottoman Empire, ‘Abdu’l-‘Azíz (reigned June 25,
> 1861 to May 30, 1876).
> Bahá’u’lláh, Tablet to Queen Victoria, in The Summons of the
> Lord of Hosts, p. 94.
> Shoghi Effendi writes of this period in God Passes By, pp.
> 158-162:
> “The initial phase of that Proclamation may be said to have
> opened in Constantinople with the communication (the text of
> which we, alas, do not possess) addressed by Bahá'u'lláh to
> Sultán ‘Abdu'l-'Azíz himself, the self-styled vicar of the Prophet
> of Islam and the absolute ruler of a mighty empire. So potent, so
> august a personage was the first among the sovereigns of the
> world to receive the Divine Summons, and the first among
> Oriental monarchs to sustain the impact of God's retributive
> justice. The occasion for this communication was provided by
> the infamous edict the Sultán had promulgated, less than four
> months after the arrival of the exiles in his capital, banishing
> 
> them, suddenly and without any justification whatsoever, in the
> depth of winter, and in the most humiliating circumstances, to
> Adrianople, situated on the extremities of his empire.
> “That fateful and ignominious decision, arrived at by the Sultán
> and his chief ministers, ‘Alí Páshá and Fu'ád Páshá, was in no
> small degree attributable to the persistent intrigues of the
> Mushíru'd-Dawlih, Mírzá Husayn Khán, the Persian
> Ambassador to the Sublime Porte, denounced by Bahá'u'lláh as
> His "calumniator," who awaited the first opportunity to strike at
> Him and the Cause of which He was now the avowed and
> recognized leader. This Ambassador was pressed continually by
> his government to persist in the policy of arousing against
> Bahá'u'lláh the hostility of the Turkish authorities. He was
> encouraged by the refusal of Bahá'u'lláh to follow the invariable
> practice of government guests, however highly placed, of calling
> in person, upon their arrival at the capital, on the Shaykhu'l-
> Islám, on the Sadr-i-Azam, and on the Foreign Minister --
> Bahá'u'lláh did not even return the calls paid Him by several
> ministers, by Kamál Páshá and by a former Turkish envoy to the
> court of Persia. He was not deterred by Bahá'u'lláh's upright and
> independent attitude which contrasted so sharply with the
> mercenariness of the Persian princes who were wont, on their
> arrival, to "solicit at every door such allowances and gifts as they
> might obtain." He resented Bahá'u'lláh's unwillingness to present
> Himself at the Persian Embassy, and to repay the visit of its
> representative; and, being seconded, in his efforts, by his
> accomplice, Hájí Mírzá Hasan-i-Safá, whom he instructed to
> circulate unfounded reports about Him, he succeeded through
> his official influence, as well as through his private intercourse
> with ecclesiastics, notables and government officials, in
> representing Bahá'u'lláh as a proud and arrogant person, Who
> regarded Himself as subject to no law, Who entertained designs
> inimical to all established authority, and Whose forwardness had
> precipitated the grave differences that had arisen between
> Himself and the Persian Government. Nor was he the only one
> who indulged in these nefarious schemes. Others, according to
> 'Abdu'l-Bahá, "condemned and vilified" the exiles, as "a mischief
> to all the world," as "destructive of treaties and covenants," as
> 
> "baleful to all lands" and as "deserving of every chastisement and
> punishment."
> “No less a personage than the highly-respected brother-in-law of
> the Sadr-i-A'zam was commissioned to apprize the Captive of
> the edict pronounced against Him -- an edict which evinced a
> virtual coalition of the Turkish and Persian imperial
> governments against a common adversary, and which in the end
> brought such tragic consequences upon the Sultanate, the
> Caliphate and the Qajar dynasty. Refused an audience by
> Bahá'u'lláh that envoy had to content himself with a presentation
> of his puerile observations and trivial arguments to 'Abdu'l-Bahá
> and Áqáy-i-Kalím, who were delegated to see him, and whom he
> informed that, after three days, he would return to receive the
> answer to the order he had been bidden to transmit.
> “That same day a Tablet, severely condemnatory in tone, was
> revealed by Bahá'u'lláh, was entrusted by Him, in a sealed
> envelope, on the following morning, to Shamsi Big, who was
> instructed to deliver it into the hands of ‘Alí Páshá, and to say
> that it was sent down from God. "I know not what that letter
> contained," Shamsi Big subsequently informed Áqáy-i-Kalím,
> "for no sooner had the Grand Vizir perused it than he turned
> the color of a corpse, and remarked: 'It is as if the King of Kings
> were issuing his behest to his humblest vassal king and regulating
> his conduct.' So grievous was his condition that I backed out of
> his presence." "Whatever action," Bahá'u'lláh, commenting on
> the effect that Tablet had produced, is reported to have stated,
> "the ministers of the Sultán took against Us, after having
> become acquainted with its contents, cannot be regarded as
> unjustifiable. The acts they committed before its perusal,
> however, can have no justification."
> “That Tablet, according to Nabíl, was of considerable length,
> opened with words directed to the sovereign himself, severely
> censured his ministers, exposed their immaturity and
> incompetence, and included passages in which the ministers
> themselves were addressed, in which they were boldly
> challenged, and sternly admonished not to pride themselves on
> their worldly possessions, nor foolishly seek the riches of which
> time would inexorably rob them.
> 
> “Bahá'u'lláh was on the eve of His departure, which followed
> almost immediately upon the promulgation of the edict of His
> banishment, when, in a last and memorable interview with the
> aforementioned Hájí Mírzá Hasan-i-Safá, He sent the following
> message to the Persian Ambassador: "What did it profit thee,
> and such as are like thee, to slay, year after year, so many of the
> oppressed, and to inflict upon them manifold afflictions, when
> they have increased a hundredfold, and ye find yourselves in
> complete bewilderment, knowing not how to relieve your minds
> of this oppressive thought. ...His Cause transcends any and every
> plan ye devise. Know this much: Were all the governments on
> earth to unite and take My life and the lives of all who bear this
> Name, this Divine Fire would never be quenched. His Cause will
> rather encompass all the kings of the earth, nay all that hath been
> created from water and clay.... Whatever may yet befall Us, great
> shall be our gain, and manifest the loss wherewith they shall be
> afflicted."
> “Pursuant to the peremptory orders issued for the immediate
> departure of the already twice banished exiles, Bahá'u'lláh, His
> family, and His companions, some riding in wagons, others
> mounted on pack animals, with their belongings piled in carts
> drawn by oxen, set out, accompanied by Turkish officers, on a
> cold December morning, amidst the weeping of the friends they
> were leaving behind, on their twelve-day journey, across a bleak
> and windswept country, to a city characterized by Bahá'u'lláh as
> "the place which none entereth except such as have rebelled
> against the authority of the sovereign." "They expelled Us," is
> His own testimony in the Suriy-i-Mulúk, "from thy city
> (Constantinople) with an abasement with which no abasement
> on earth can compare." "Neither My family, nor those who
> accompanied Me," He further states, "had the necessary raiment
> to protect them from the cold in that freezing weather." And
> again: "The eyes of Our enemies wept over Us, and beyond
> them those of every discerning person." "A banishment,"
> laments Nabil, "endured with such meekness that the pen
> sheddeth tears when recounting it, and the page is ashamed to
> bear its description." "A cold of such intensity," that same
> chronicler records, "prevailed that year, that nonagenarians could
> not recall its like. In some regions, in both Turkey and Persia,
> 
> animals succumbed to its severity and perished in the snows.
> The upper reaches of the Euphrates, in Ma'dan-Nuqrih, were
> covered with ice for several days -- an unprecedented
> phenomenon -- while in Diyar-Bakr the river froze over for no
> less than forty days." "To obtain water from the springs," one of
> the exiles of Adrianople recounts, "a great fire had to be lighted
> in their immediate neighborhood, and kept burning for a couple
> of hours before they thawed out."
> “Traveling through rain and storm, at times even making night
> marches, the weary travelers, after brief halts at Kuchik-
> Chakmachih, Buyuk-Chakmachih, Salvari, Birkas, and Bába-Iski,
> arrived at their destination, on the first of Rajab 1280 A.H.
> (December 12, 1863), and were lodged in the Khán-i-'Arab, a
> two-story caravanserai, near the house of Izzat-Aqa. Three days
> later, Bahá'u'lláh and His family were consigned to a house
> suitable only for summer habitation, in the Muradiyyih quarter,
> near the Takyiy-i-Mawlavi, and were moved again, after a week,
> to another house, in the vicinity of a mosque in that same
> neighborhood. About six months later they transferred to more
> commodious quarters, known as the house of Amru'lláh (House
> of God's command) situated on the northern side of the mosque
> of Sultán Salím.”
> Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas, K89; cited in Shoghi Effendi, The
> Promised Day is Come, pp. 40, 60, 98; and in Shoghi Effendi,
> The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 176
> Bahá’u’lláh, cited in Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 169.
> The historical context is provided by Shoghi Effendi in the
> following passage, pp.169-170:
> “Bahá'u'lláh's reaction to this most distressful episode in His
> ministry was, as already observed, characterized by acute
> anguish. "He who for months and years," He laments, "I reared with
> the hand of loving-kindness hath risen to take My life." "The cruelties
> inflicted by My oppressors," He wrote, in allusion to these perfidious
> enemies, "have bowed Me down, and turned My hair white. Shouldst thou
> present thyself before My throne, thou wouldst fail to recognize the Ancient
> Beauty, for the freshness of His countenance is altered, and its brightness
> hath faded, by reason of the oppression of the infidels." "By God!" He
> 
> cries out, "No spot is left on My body that hath not been touched by the
> spears of thy machinations." And again: "Thou hast perpetrated against
> thy Brother what no man hath perpetrated against another." "What hath
> proceeded from thy pen," He, furthermore, has affirmed, "hath caused
> the Countenances of Glory to be prostrated upon the dust, hath rent in twain
> the Veil of Grandeur in the Sublime Paradise, and lacerated the hearts of
> the favored ones established upon the loftiest seats." And yet, in the
> Kitáb-i-Aqdas, a forgiving Lord assures this same brother, this
> "source of perversion," "from whose own soul the winds of passion had risen
> and blown upon him," to "fear not because of thy deeds," bids him
> "return unto God, humble, submissive and lowly," and affirms that "He
> will put away from thee thy sins," and that "thy Lord is the Forgiving, the
> Mighty, the All-Merciful."”
> Bahá’u’lláh, cited by ‘Abdu’l-Hamid Ishraq Khavari, in Ma’idiyi-Asmani, Volume 8, p. 16, in a provisional translation by
> Shahrokh Monjazeb, found in Bahá’u’lláh, A Brief Survey of His
> Life and His Works, p. 38 and referenced Note 52, p. 74. The
> historical context of the poisonings that led to Bahá’u’lláh’s
> impaired health is described by Shoghi Effendi, in God Passes
> By, pp. 165-167: “Desperate designs to poison Bahá'u'lláh and
> His companions, and thereby reanimate his own defunct
> leadership, began, approximately a year after their arrival in
> Adrianople, to agitate his mind. Well aware of the erudition of
> his half-brother, Áqáy-i-Kalím, in matters pertaining to
> medicine, he, under various pretexts, sought enlightenment from
> him regarding the effects of certain herbs and poisons, and then
> began, contrary to his wont, to invite Bahá'u'lláh to his home,
> where, one day, having smeared His tea-cup with a substance he
> had concocted, he succeeded in poisoning Him sufficiently to
> produce a serious illness which lasted no less than a month, and
> which was accompanied by severe pains and high fever, the
> aftermath of which left Bahá'u'lláh with a shaking hand till the
> end of His life. So grave was His condition that a foreign
> doctor, named Shishman, was called in to attend Him. The
> doctor was so appalled by His livid hue that he deemed His case
> hopeless, and, after having fallen at His feet, retired from His
> presence without prescribing a remedy. A few days later that
> doctor fell ill and died. Prior to his death Bahá'u'lláh had
> 
> intimated that doctor Shishman had sacrificed his life for Him.
> To Mírzá Áqa Ján, sent by Bahá'u'lláh to visit him, the doctor
> had stated that God had answered his prayers, and that after his
> death a certain Dr. Chupan, whom he knew to be reliable,
> should, whenever necessary, be called in his stead.
> “On another occasion this same Mírzá Yahyá had, according to
> the testimony of one of his wives, who had temporarily deserted
> him and revealed the details of the above-mentioned act,
> poisoned the well which provided water for the family and
> companions of Bahá'u'lláh, in consequence of which the exiles
> manifested strange symptoms of illness. He even had, gradually
> and with great circumspection, disclosed to one of the
> companions, Ustád Muhammad-‘Alíy-i-Salmání, the barber, on
> whom he had lavished great marks of favor, his wish that he, on
> some propitious occasion, when attending Bahá'u'lláh in His
> bath, should assassinate Him. "So enraged was Ustád
> Muhammad-‘Alí," Áqáy-i-Kalím, recounting this episode to
> Nabíl in Adrianople, has stated, "when apprized of this
> proposition, that he felt a strong desire to kill Mírzá Yahyá on
> the spot, and would have done so but for his fear of Bahá'u'lláh's
> displeasure. I happened to be the first person he encountered as
> he came out of the bath weeping.... I eventually succeeded, after
> much persuasion, in inducing him to return to the bath and
> complete his unfinished task." Though ordered subsequently by
> Bahá'u'lláh not to divulge this occurrence to any one, the barber
> was unable to hold his peace and betrayed the secret, plunging
> thereby the community into great consternation. "When the secret
> nursed in his (Mírzá Yahyá) bosom was revealed by God," Bahá'u'lláh
> Himself affirms, "he disclaimed such an intention, and imputed it to that
> same servant (Ustád Muhammad-’Alí)."
> “The moment had now arrived for Him Who had so recently,
> both verbally and in numerous Tablets, revealed the implications
> of the claims He had advanced, to acquaint formally the one
> who was the nominee of the Báb with the character of His
> Mission. Mírzá Áqa Ján was accordingly commissioned to bear
> to Mírzá Yahyá the newly revealed Suriy-i-Amr, which
> unmistakably affirmed those claims, to read aloud to him its
> contents, and demand an unequivocal and conclusive reply.
> Mírzá Yahyá's request for a one day respite, during which he
> 
> could meditate his answer, was granted. The only reply, however,
> that was forthcoming was a counter-declaration, specifying the
> hour and the minute in which he had been made the recipient of
> an independent Revelation, necessitating the unqualified
> submission to him of the peoples of the earth in both the East
> and the West.”
> Bahau’llah, selections from Lawh-i-Mubahilih, cited in the
> historical context in which the events it reports occurred by
> Shoghi Effendi in God Passes By, pp. 168-169:
> “After a stay of about one year in the house of Ridá Big
> Bahá'u'lláh returned to the house He had occupied before His
> withdrawal from His companions, and thence, after three
> months, He transferred His residence to the house of Izzat Áqa,
> in which He continued to live until His departure from
> Adrianople. It was in this house, in the month of Jamadiyu'l-
> Avval 1284 A.H. (Sept. 1867) that an event of the utmost
> significance occurred, which completely discomfited Mírzá
> Yahyá and his supporters, and proclaimed to friend and foe
> ‘Alíke Bahá'u'lláh's triumph over them. A certain Mír
> Muhammad, a Bábí of Shíráz, greatly resenting alike the claims
> and the cowardly seclusion of Mírzá Yahyá, succeeded in forcing
> Siyyid Muhammad to induce him to meet Bahá'u'lláh face to
> face, so that a discrimination might be publicly effected between
> the true and the false. Foolishly assuming that his illustrious
> Brother would never countenance such a proposition, Mírzá
> Yahyá appointed the mosque of Sultán Salím as the place for
> their encounter. No sooner had Bahá'u'lláh been informed of
> this arrangement than He set forth, on foot, in the heat of
> midday, and accompanied by this same Mír Muhammad, for the
> afore-mentioned mosque, which was situated in a distant part of
> the city, reciting, as He walked, through the streets and markets,
> verses, in a voice and in a manner that greatly astonished those
> who saw and heard Him.
> “"O Muhammad!", are some of the words He uttered on that
> memorable occasion, as testified by Himself in a Tablet, "He
> Who is the Spirit hath, verily, issued from His habitation, and
> with Him have come forth the souls of God's chosen ones and
> the realities of His Messengers. Behold, then, the dwellers of the
> 
> realms on high above Mine head, and all the testimonies of the
> Prophets in My grasp. Say: Were all the divines, all the wise men,
> all the kings and rulers on earth to gather together, I, in very
> truth, would confront them, and would proclaim the verses of
> God, the Sovereign, the Almighty, the All-Wise. I am He Who
> feareth no one, though all who are in heaven and all who are on
> earth rise up against me.... This is Mine hand which God hath
> turned white for all the worlds to behold. This is My staff; were
> We to cast it down, it would, of a truth, swallow up all created
> things." Mír Muhammad, who had been sent ahead to announce
> Bahá'u'lláh's arrival, soon returned, and informed Him that he
> who had challenged His authority wished, owing to unforeseen
> circumstances, to postpone for a day or two the interview. Upon
> His return to His house Bahá'u'lláh revealed a Tablet, wherein
> He recounted what had happened, fixed the time for the
> postponed interview, sealed the Tablet with His seal, entrusted it
> to Nabíl, and instructed him to deliver it to one of the new
> believers, Mullá Muhammad-i-Tabrízí, for the information of
> Siyyid Muhammad, who was in the habit of frequenting that
> believer's shop. It was arranged to demand from Siyyid
> Muhammad, ere the delivery of that Tablet, a sealed note
> pledging Mírzá Yahyá, in the event of failing to appear at the
> trysting-place, to affirm in writing that his claims were false.
> Siyyid Muhammad promised that he would produce the next day
> the document required, and though Nabíl, for three successive
> days, waited in that shop for the reply, neither did the Siyyid
> appear, nor was such a note sent by him. That undelivered
> Tablet, Nabíl, recording twenty-three years later this historic
> episode in his chronicle, affirms was still in his possession, "as
> fresh as the day on which the Most Great Branch had penned it,
> and the seal of the Ancient Beauty had sealed and adorned it," a
> tangible and irrefutable testimony to Bahá'u'lláh's established
> ascendancy over a routed opponent.”
> The Lawh-i-Mubahilih is described by Adib Taherzadeh in The
> Child of the Covenant, p. 128:
> “Mírzá Yahya was now discredited in the eyes of many in
> Adrianople. In Persia the news of this episode spread among the
> believers. A Tablet known as Lawh-i-Mubahilih, addressed to
> Mullá Sádiq-i-Khurásání and describing this event, reached the
> 
> Bahá’í community in that land and caused some wavering souls
> among the friends to recognize the power and majesty of
> Bahá'u'lláh in breaking up, once and for all, this great 'idol' of the
> Bábí community.”
> Bahá’u’lláh, passages from various Tablets regarding His
> revelation of verses during this period, cited by Shoghi Effendi
> in God Passes By, pp. 170-172:
> “A period of prodigious activity ensued which, in its
> repercussions, outshone the vernal years of Bahá'u'lláh's
> ministry. "Day and night," an eye-witness has written, "the
> Divine verses were raining down in such number that it was
> impossible to record them. Mírzá Áqa Ján wrote them as they
> were dictated, while the Most Great Branch was continually
> occupied in transcribing them. There was not a moment to
> spare." "A number of secretaries," Nabíl has testified, "were busy
> day and night and yet they were unable to cope with the task.
> Among them was Mírzá Báqir-i-Shírází.... He alone transcribed
> no less than two thousand verses every day. He labored during
> six or seven months. Every month the equivalent of several
> volumes would be transcribed by him and sent to Persia. About
> twenty volumes, in his fine penmanship, he left behind as a
> remembrance for Mírzá Áqa Ján." Bahá'u'lláh, Himself, referring
> to the verses revealed by Him, has written: "Such are the
> outpourings ... from the clouds of Divine Bounty that within the
> space of an hour the equivalent of a thousand verses hath been
> revealed." "So great is the grace vouchsafed in this day that in a
> single day and night, were an amanuensis capable of
> accomplishing it to be found, the equivalent of the Persian Bayán
> would be sent down from the heaven of Divine holiness." "I
> swear by God!" He, in another connection has affirmed, "In
> those days the equivalent of all that hath been sent down
> aforetime unto the Prophets hath been revealed." "That which
> hath already been revealed in this land (Adrianople)," He,
> furthermore, referring to the copiousness of His writings, has
> declared, "secretaries are incapable of transcribing. It has,
> therefore, remained for the most part untranscribed."
> “Already in the very midst of that grievous crisis, and even
> before it came to a head, Tablets unnumbered were streaming
> 
> from the pen of Bahá'u'lláh, in which the implications of His
> newly-asserted claims were fully expounded. The Suriy-i-Amr, the
> Lawh-i-Nuqtih, the Lawh-i-Ahmad, the Suriy-i-Ashab, the Lawh-i-
> Sayyah, the Suriy-i-Damm, the Suriy-i-Hajj, the Lawhu'r-Ruh, the
> Lawhu'r-Ridván, the Lawhu't-Tuqa were among the Tablets which
> His pen had already set down when He transferred His residence
> to the house of Izzat Áqa. Almost immediately after the "Most
> Great Separation" had been effected, the weightiest Tablets
> associated with His sojourn in Adrianople were revealed. The
> Suriy-i-Mulúk, the most momentous Tablet revealed by
> Bahá'u'lláh (Surih of Kings) in which He, for the first time,
> directs His words collectively to the entire company of the
> monarchs of East and West, and in which the Sultán of Turkey,
> and his ministers, the kings of Christendom, the French and
> Persian Ambassadors accredited to the Sublime Porte, the
> Muslim ecclesiastical leaders in Constantinople, its wise men and
> inhabitants, the people of Persia and the philosophers of the
> world are separately addressed; the Kitáb-i-Badí', His apologia,
> written to refute the accusations levelled against Him by Mírzá
> Mihdiy-i-Rashti, corresponding to the Kitáb-i-Íqán, revealed in
> defense of the Bábí Revelation; the Munajáthay-i-Siyam (Prayers
> for Fasting), written in anticipation of the Book of His Laws; the
> first Tablet to Napoleon III, in which the Emperor of the
> French is addressed and the sincerity of his professions put to
> the test; the Lawh-i-Sultán, His detailed epistle to Násiri'd-Dín
> Sháh, in which the aims, purposes and principles of His Faith are
> expounded and the validity of His Mission demonstrated; the
> Suriy-i-Ra'is, begun in the village of Káshánih on His way to
> Gallipoli, and completed shortly after at Gyawur-Kyuy -- these
> may be regarded not only as the most outstanding among the
> innumerable Tablets revealed in Adrianople, but as occupying a
> foremost position among all the writings of the Author of the
> Bahá’í Revelation.”
> Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Questions and Answers compiled by
> Zaynu’l-Muqarrabin, pp. 136-137: QUESTION: Concerning
> inheritance. ANSWER…
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh, Suriy-i-Muluk, in The Summons of the Lord of
> Hosts, pp. 217-219.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Tablet to Násiri’d-Dín Sháh, Suriy-i-Haykal, in The
> Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 108.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Tablet to Násiri’d-Dín Sháh, Suriy-i-Haykal, in The
> Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 133.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Suriy-i-Ra’is, in The Summons of the Lord of
> Hosts, p. 143).
> Bahá’u’lláh, Lawh-i-Ra’is, in The Summons of the Lord of
> Hosts, p. 163.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 132; Tablets of
> Bahá’u’lláh, p. 118.
> “Shaykh Muhammad Báqir, denounced by Bahá'u'lláh as the
> `Wolf'. In this Tablet Bahá'u'lláh refers to Mír Muhammad
> Husayn, the Imám Jum'ih of Isfahán, surnamed the `She-
> Serpent', who was Shaykh Muhammad Báqir's accomplice in the
> persecution of the Bahá’ís. [See God Passes By, pages 198, 200-
> 201 and 219]” (Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 201, Note 1)
> Bahá’u’lláh, Lawh-i-Dunya, addressed to Shaykh Muhammad
> Báqir, in Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 213.
> Bahá’u’lláh cited by Shoghi Effendi in his account of the vast
> dimensions of Bahá’u’lláh’s revealed verses during this period, in
> God Passes By, pp. 170-172:
> “A period of prodigious activity ensued which, in its
> repercussions, outshone the vernal years of Bahá'u'lláh's
> ministry. "Day and night," an eye-witness has written, "the
> Divine verses were raining down in such number that it was
> impossible to record them. Mírzá Áqa Ján wrote them as they
> were dictated, while the Most Great Branch was continually
> occupied in transcribing them. There was not a moment to
> spare." "A number of secretaries," Nabíl has testified, "were busy
> 
> day and night and yet they were unable to cope with the task.
> Among them was Mírzá Báqir-i-Shírází.... He alone transcribed
> no less than two thousand verses every day. He labored during
> six or seven months. Every month the equivalent of several
> volumes would be transcribed by him and sent to Persia. About
> twenty volumes, in his fine penmanship, he left behind as a
> remembrance for Mírzá Áqa Ján." Bahá'u'lláh, Himself, referring
> to the verses revealed by Him, has written: "Such are the
> outpourings...from the clouds of Divine Bounty that within the
> space of an hour the equivalent of a thousand verses hath been
> revealed." "So great is the grace vouchsafed in this day that in a
> single day and night, were an amanuensis capable of
> accomplishing it to be found, the equivalent of the Persian
> Bayán would be sent down from the heaven of Divine holiness."
> "I swear by God!" He, in another connection has affirmed, "In
> those days the equivalent of all that hath been sent down
> aforetime unto the Prophets hath been revealed." "That which
> hath already been revealed in this land (Adrianople)," He,
> furthermore, referring to the copiousness of His writings, has
> declared, "secretaries are incapable of transcribing. It has,
> therefore, remained for the most part untranscribed."
> “Already in the very midst of that grievous crisis, and even
> before it came to a head, Tablets unnumbered were streaming
> from the pen of Bahá'u'lláh, in which the implications of His
> newly-asserted claims were fully expounded. The Suriy-i-Amr, the
> Lawh-i-Nuqtih, the Lawh-i-Ahmad, the Suriy-i-Ashab, the Lawh-i-
> Sayyah, the Suriy-i-Damm, the Suriy-i-Hajj, the Lawhu'r-Ruh, the
> Lawhu'r-Ridván, the Lawhu't-Tuqa were among the Tablets which
> His pen had already set down when He transferred His residence
> to the house of Izzat Aqa. Almost immediately after the "Most
> Great Separation" had been effected, the weightiest Tablets
> associated with His sojourn in Adrianople were revealed. The
> Suriy-i-Mulúk, the most momentous Tablet revealed by
> Bahá'u'lláh (Surih of Kings) in which He, for the first time,
> directs His words collectively to the entire company of the
> monarchs of East and West, and in which the Sultán of Turkey,
> and his ministers, the kings of Christendom, the French and
> Persian Ambassadors accredited to the Sublime Porte, the
> Muslim ecclesiastical leaders in Constantinople, its wise men and
> 
> inhabitants, the people of Persia and the philosophers of the
> world are separately addressed; the Kitáb-i-Badí', His apologia,
> written to refute the accusations levelled against Him by Mírzá
> Mihdíy-i-Rashtí, corresponding to the Kitáb-i-Íqán, revealed in
> defense of the Bábí Revelation; the Munajáthay-i-Siyam (Prayers
> for Fasting), written in anticipation of the Book of His Laws; the
> first Tablet to Napoleon III, in which the Emperor of the
> French is addressed and the sincerity of his professions put to
> the test; the Lawh-i-Sultán, His detailed epistle to Násiri'd-Dín
> Sháh, in which the aims, purposes and principles of His Faith are
> expounded and the validity of His Mission demonstrated; the
> Suriy-i-Ra'is, begun in the village of Káshánih on His way to
> Gallipoli, and completed shortly after at Gyawur-Kyuy -- these
> may be regarded not only as the most outstanding among the
> innumerable Tablets revealed in Adrianople, but as occupying a
> foremost position among all the writings of the Author of the
> Bahá’í Revelation.”
> Bahá’u’lláh, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 133. This
> Tablet is cited in Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, pp. 185-186:
> “'Akká, the ancient Ptolemais, the St. Jean d'Acre of the
> Crusaders, that had successfully defied the siege of Napoleon,
> had sunk, under the Turks, to the level of a penal colony to
> which murderers, highway robbers and political agitators were
> consigned from all parts of the Turkish empire. It was girt about
> by a double system of ramparts; was inhabited by a people
> whom Bahá'u'lláh stigmatized as "the generation of vipers"; was
> devoid of any source of water within its gates; was flea-infested,
> damp and honey-combed with gloomy, filthy and tortuous lanes.
> "According to what they say," the Supreme Pen has recorded in
> the Lawh-i-Sultán, "it is the most desolate of the cities of the
> world, the most unsightly of them in appearance, the most
> detestable in climate, and the foulest in water. It is as though it
> were the metropolis of the owl." So putrid was its air that,
> according to a proverb, a bird when flying over it would drop
> dead.”
> Shoghi Effendi in God Passes By, p. 171 indicates that “…the
> Suriy-i-Ra'is, begun in the village of Káshánih on His way to
> 
> Gallipoli, and completed shortly after at Gyawur-Kyuy…may be
> regarded not only as [among] the most outstanding among the
> innumerable Tablets revealed in Adrianople, but as occupying a
> foremost position among all the writings of the Author of the
> Bahá’í Revelation.”
> Describing this voyage, from Adrianople to Gallipoli, Shoghi
> Effendi writes in God Passes By, pp. 180-181:
> “On the twenty-second of the month of Rabi'u'th-Thani 1285
> A.H. (August 12, 1868) Bahá'u'lláh and His family, escorted by a
> Turkish captain, Hasan Effendi by name, and other soldiers
> appointed by the local government, set out on their four-day
> journey to Gallipoli, riding in carriages and stopping on their way
> at Uzun-Kupru and Káshánih, at which latter place the Suriy-i-
> Ra'is was revealed. "The inhabitants of the quarter in which
> Bahá'u'lláh had been living, and the neighbors who had gathered
> to bid Him farewell, came one after the other," writes an eyewitness, "with the utmost sadness and regret to kiss His hands
> and the hem of His robe, expressing meanwhile their sorrow at
> His departure. That day, too, was a strange day. Methinks the
> city, its walls and its gates bemoaned their imminent separation
> from Him." "On that day," writes another eye-witness, "there
> was a wonderful concourse of Muslims and Christians at the
> door of our Master's house. The hour of departure was a
> memorable one. Most of those present were weeping and
> wailing, especially the Christians." "Say," Bahá'u'lláh Himself
> declares in the Suriy-i-Ra'is, "this Youth hath departed out of this
> country and deposited beneath every tree and every stone a trust,
> which God will erelong bring forth through the power of
> truth."”
> Shoghi Effendi refers to this episode in God Passes By, p. 173:
> “To this same Sultán He, moreover, as attested by the Suriy-i-
> Ra'is, transmitted, while in Gallipoli, a verbal message through a
> Turkish officer named Umar, requesting the sovereign to grant
> Him a ten minute interview, "so that he may demand whatsoever
> he would deem to be a sufficient testimony and would regard as
> proof of the veracity of Him Who is the Truth," adding that
> "should God enable Him to produce it, let him, then, release
> these wronged ones and leave them to themselves."”
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh, Lawh-i-Ra’is, in The Summons of the Lord of
> Hosts, pp. 171-172; cited in Shoghi Effendi, The Promised Day
> is Come, pp. 45-46.
> Shoghi Effendi once again sets forth the historical context in
> God Passes By, pp. 179-180:
> “"A great tumult seized the people," writes Aqa Rida, one of the
> stoutest supporters of Bahá'u'lláh, exiled with him all the way
> from Baghdád to 'Akká, "All were perplexed and full of regret...
> Some expressed their sympathy, others consoled us, and wept
> over us... Most of our possessions were auctioned at half their
> value."”
> Bahá’u’lláh, cited in Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 180:
> “Some of the consuls of foreign powers called on Bahá'u'lláh,
> and expressed their readiness to intervene with their respective
> governments on His behalf -- suggestions for which He
> expressed appreciation, but which He firmly declined. "The
> consuls of that city (Adrianople) gathered in the presence of this Youth at the
> hour of His departure," He Himself has written, "and expressed their
> desire to aid Him. They, verily, evinced towards Us manifest affection."”
> According to the narrative of Áqa Husayn-i-Ashchí Káshání,
> cited in H.M. Balyuzi, Bahá’u’lláh, the King of Glory, p. 256,
> Bahá’u’lláh said the following in response to offers of assistance
> from foreign consuls in the city: “You wish me to give you the word to
> bring Me relief, but My relief lies in the hands of God. My focus is God,
> and to Him alone do I turn.”
> Muhammad-i-Zarandi (Nabíl-i-A’zam), Narrative, citing
> Bahá’u’lláh’s words, as he describes:
> “Upon the termination of the description of the struggle of
> Zanján, I was ushered into His presence, and received, together
> with a number of other believers, the blessings which on two
> occasions He deigned to confer upon us. Both visits took place
> during the four days which Bahá'u'lláh chose to tarry in the
> home of Áqáy-i-Kalím. On the second and fourth nights after
> His arrival at His brother's house, which fell on the seventh day
> of the month of Jamadiyu'l-Avval, in the year 1306
> 
> A.H.,[Footnote #1: “January 9, 1889 A.D.”] I, together with a
> number of pilgrims from Sarvistán and Fárán, as well as a few
> resident believers, was admitted into His presence. The words
> He spoke to us lie for ever engraved upon my heart, and I feel it
> my duty to my readers to share with them the gist of His talk…”
> in Shoghi Effendi, translator, The Dawn-Breakers, pp. 585-586.
> Shoghi Effendi cites this passage in God Passes By (p. 180)
> with the following explanation:
> “Hájí Ja'far-i-Tabrízí, one of the believers, finding that his name
> had been omitted from the list of the exiles who might
> accompany Bahá'u'lláh, cut his throat with a razor, but was
> prevented in time from ending his life -- an act which
> Bahá'u'lláh, in the Suriy-i-Ra'is, characterizes as "unheard of in
> bygone centuries," and which "God hath set apart for this Revelation, as
> an evidence of the power of His might."”
> Siyyid Ismá’íl-i-Zavarih (see God Passes By, p. 136).
> Bahá’u’lláh, Suriy-i-Ra’is, in The Summons of the Lord of
> Hosts, p. 145-147. This period of time is described by Shoghi
> Effendi in God Passes By, pp. 179-183:
> “Suddenly, one morning, the house of Bahá'u'lláh was
> surrounded by soldiers, sentinels were posted at its gates, His
> followers were again summoned by the authorities, interrogated,
> and ordered to make ready for their departure. "The loved ones
> of God and His kindred," is Bahá'u'lláh's testimony in the Suriy-i-
> Ra'is, "were left on the first night without food... The people
> surrounded the house, and Muslims and Christians wept over
> Us... We perceived that the weeping of the people of the Son
> (Christians) exceeded the weeping of others -- a sign for such as
> ponder." "A great tumult seized the people," writes Aqa Rida,
> one of the stoutest supporters of Bahá'u'lláh, exiled with him all
> the way from Baghdád to 'Akká, "All were perplexed and full of
> regret... Some expressed their sympathy, others consoled us, and
> wept over us... Most of our possessions were auctioned at half
> their value." Some of the consuls of foreign powers called on
> Bahá'u'lláh, and expressed their readiness to intervene with their
> respective governments on His behalf -- suggestions for which
> 
> He expressed appreciation, but which He firmly declined. "The
> consuls of that city (Adrianople) gathered in the presence of this
> Youth at the hour of His departure," He Himself has written,
> "and expressed their desire to aid Him. They, verily, evinced
> towards Us manifest affection."
> “The Persian Ambassador promptly informed the Persian
> consuls in Iraq and Egypt that the Turkish government had
> withdrawn its protection from the Bábís, and that they were free
> to treat them as they pleased. Several pilgrims, among whom was
> Hájí Muhammad Ismá'íl-i-Káshání, surnamed Anís in the Lawh-i-
> Ra'ís, had, in the meantime, arrived in Adrianople, and had to
> depart to Gallipoli, without even beholding the face of their
> Master. Two of the companions were forced to divorce their
> wives, as their relatives refused to allow them to go into exile.
> Khurshid Páshá, who had already several times categorically
> denied the written accusations sent him by the authorities in
> Constantinople, and had interceded vigorously on behalf of
> Bahá'u'lláh, was so embarrassed by the action of his government
> that he decided to absent himself when informed of His
> immediate departure from the city, and instructed the Registrar
> to convey to Him the purport of the Sultán's edict. Hájí Ja'far-i-
> Tabrízí, one of the believers, finding that his name had been
> omitted from the list of the exiles who might accompany
> Bahá'u'lláh, cut his throat with a razor, but was prevented in time
> from ending his life -- an act which Bahá'u'lláh, in the Suriy-i-
> Ra'is, characterizes as "unheard of in bygone centuries," and
> which "God hath set apart for this Revelation, as an evidence of
> the power of His might."
> “On the twenty-second of the month of Rabi'u'th-Thani 1285
> A.H. (August 12, 1868) Bahá'u'lláh and His family, escorted by a
> Turkish captain, Hasan Effendi by name, and other soldiers
> appointed by the local government, set out on their four-day
> journey to Gallipoli, riding in carriages and stopping on their way
> at Uzun-Kupru and Kashanih, at which latter place the Suriy-i-
> Ra'is was revealed. "The inhabitants of the quarter in which
> Bahá'u'lláh had been living, and the neighbors who had gathered
> to bid Him farewell, came one after the other," writes an eyewitness, "with the utmost sadness and regret to kiss His hands
> and the hem of His robe, expressing meanwhile their sorrow at
> 
> His departure. That day, too, was a strange day. Methinks the
> city, its walls and its gates bemoaned their imminent separation
> from Him." "On that day," writes another eye-witness, "there
> was a wonderful concourse of Muslims and Christians at the
> door of our Master's house. The hour of departure was a
> memorable one. Most of those present were weeping and
> wailing, especially the Christians." "Say," Bahá'u'lláh Himself
> declares in the Suriy-i-Ra'is, "this Youth hath departed out of this
> country and deposited beneath every tree and every stone a trust,
> which God will erelong bring forth through the power of truth."
> “Several of the companions who had been brought from
> Constantinople were awaiting them in Gallipoli. On his arrival
> Bahá'u'lláh made the following pronouncement to Hasan
> Effendi, who, his duty discharged, was taking his leave: "Tell the
> king that this territory will pass out of his hands, and his affairs
> will be thrown into confusion." "To this," Áqa Ridá, the
> recorder of that scene has written, "Bahá'u'lláh furthermore
> added: 'Not I speak these words, but God speaketh them.' In
> those moments He was uttering verses which we, who were
> downstairs, could overhear. They were spoken with such
> vehemence and power that, methinks, the foundations of the
> house itself trembled."
> “Even in Gallipoli, where three nights were spent, no one knew
> what Bahá'u'lláh's destination would be. Some believed that He
> and His brothers would be banished to one place, and the
> remainder dispersed, and sent into exile. Others thought that His
> companions would be sent back to Persia, while still others
> expected their immediate extermination. The government's
> original order was to banish Bahá'u'lláh, Áqáy-i-Kalím and Mírzá
> Muhammad-Qulí, with a servant to 'Akká, while the rest were to
> proceed to Constantinople. This order, which provoked scenes
> of indescribable distress, was, however, at the insistence of
> Bahá'u'lláh, and by the instrumentality of Umar Effendi, a major
> appointed to accompany the exiles, revoked. It was eventually
> decided that all the exiles, numbering about seventy, should be
> banished to 'Akká. Instructions were, moreover, issued that a
> certain number of the adherents of Mírzá Yahyá, among whom
> were Siyyid Muhammad and Áqa Ján, should accompany these
> 
> exiles, whilst four of the companions of Bahá'u'lláh were ordered
> to depart with the Azalis for Cyprus.
> “So grievous were the dangers and trials confronting Bahá'u'lláh
> at the hour of His departure from Gallipoli that He warned His
> companions that "this journey will be unlike any of the previous
> journeys," and that whoever did not feel himself "man enough to
> face the future" had best "depart to whatever place he pleaseth,
> and be preserved from tests, for hereafter he will find himself
> unable to leave" -- a warning which His companions
> unanimously chose to disregard.
> “On the morning of the 2nd of Jamadiyu'l-Avval 1285 A.H.
> (August 21, 1868) they all embarked in an Austrian-Lloyd
> steamer for Alexandria, touching at Madelli, and stopping for
> two days at Smyrna, where Jinab-i-Munir, surnamed Ismu'llahu'l-
> Munib, became gravely ill, and had, to his great distress, to be
> left behind in a hospital where he soon after died. In Alexandria
> they transhipped into a steamer of the same company, bound for
> Haifa, where, after brief stops at Port Said and Jaffa, they landed,
> setting out, a few hours later, in a sailing vessel, for 'Akká, where
> they disembarked, in the course of the afternoon of the 12th of
> Jamadiyu'l-Avval 1285 A.H. (August 31, 1868). It was at the
> moment when Bahá'u'lláh had stepped into the boat which was
> to carry Him to the landing-stage in Haifa that ‘Abdu'l-Ghaffár,
> one of the four companions condemned to share the exile of
> Mírzá Yahyá, and whose "detachment, love and trust in God"
> Bahá'u'lláh had greatly praised, cast himself, in his despair, into
> the sea, shouting "Ya Bahá'u'l-Abhá," and was subsequently
> rescued and resuscitated with the greatest difficulty, only to be
> forced by adamant officials to continue his voyage, with Mírzá
> Yahyá's party, to the destination originally appointed for him.”
> Shoghi Effendi cites these reported utterances of Bahá’u’lláh,
> and provides the historical context in God Passes By, p. 181:
> “Several of the companions who had been brought from
> Constantinople were awaiting them in Gallipoli. On his arrival
> Bahá'u'lláh made the following pronouncement to Hasan
> Effendi, who, his duty discharged, was taking his leave: "Tell the
> king that this territory will pass out of his hands, and his affairs will be
> thrown into confusion." "To this," Áqa Ridá, the recorder of that
> 
> scene has written, "Bahá'u'lláh furthermore added: 'Not I speak
> these words, but God speaketh them.' In those moments He was
> uttering verses which we, who were downstairs, could overhear.
> They were spoken with such vehemence and power that,
> methinks, the foundations of the house itself trembled."” H.M.
> Balyuzi, in Bahá’u’lláh, the King of Glory, gives the full name of
> “the recorder of that scene” as Áqa Ridáy-i-Qannad-i-Shírází.
> This citation from the narrative of Áqa Ridáy-i-Qannad-i-
> Shírází, found in H.M. Balyuzi, Bahá’u’lláh, the King of Glory,
> pp. 261-262 is a continuation of the oral account cited by Shoghi
> Effendi.
> Muhammad-i-Zarandi (Nabíl-i-A’zam), Narrative, citing
> Bahá’u’lláh’s words, as he describes in Shoghi Effendi, translator,
> The Dawn-Breakers, pp. 585-586:
> “Upon the termination of the description of the struggle of
> Zanján, I was ushered into His presence, and received, together
> with a number of other believers, the blessings which on two
> occasions He deigned to confer upon us. Both visits took place
> during the four days which Bahá'u'lláh chose to tarry in the
> home of Áqáy-i-Kalím. On the second and fourth nights after
> His arrival at His brother's house, which fell on the seventh day
> of the month of Jamadiyu'l-Avval, in the year 1306
> A.H.,[Footnote #1: “January 9, 1889 A.D.”] I, together with a
> number of pilgrims from Sarvistán and Fárán, as well as a few
> resident believers, was admitted into His presence. The words
> He spoke to us lie for ever engraved upon my heart, and I feel it
> my duty to my readers to share with them the gist of His talk…”
> The Dawn-Breakers, p. 586, Footnote #1: “'Abdu'l-Bahá's
> title.”
> Muhammad-i-Zarandi (Nabíl-i-A’zam), Narrative, citing
> Bahá’u’lláh’s words, as he describes in Shoghi Effendi, translator,
> The Dawn-Breakers, pp. 585-586:
> “Upon the termination of the description of the struggle of
> Zanján, I was ushered into His presence, and received, together
> with a number of other believers, the blessings which on two
> 
> occasions He deigned to confer upon us. Both visits took place
> during the four days which Bahá'u'lláh chose to tarry in the
> home of Áqáy-i-Kalím. On the second and fourth nights after
> His arrival at His brother's house, which fell on the seventh day
> of the month of Jamadiyu'l-Avval, in the year 1306
> A.H.,[Footnote #1: “January 9, 1889 A.D.”] I, together with a
> number of pilgrims from Sarvistán and Fárán, as well as a few
> resident believers, was admitted into His presence. The words
> He spoke to us lie for ever engraved upon my heart, and I feel it
> my duty to my readers to share with them the gist of His talk…”
> Bahá’u’lláh, Lawh-i-Sayyah, cited by Shoghi Effendi in God
> Passes By, p. 184:
> “Bahá'u'lláh Himself, as attested by Nabíl in his narrative, had, as
> far back as the first years of His banishment to Adrianople,
> alluded to that same city in His Lawh-i-Sayyah, designating it as
> the "Vale of Nabíl," the word Nabíl being equal in numerical
> value to that of 'Akká. "Upon Our arrival," that Tablet had
> predicted, "We were welcomed with banners of light, whereupon
> the Voice of the Spirit cried out saying: 'Soon will all that dwell
> on earth be enlisted under these banners.'"”
> Bahá’u’lláh, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, pp. 163-164.
> Shoghi Effendi cited this passage in his description of
> Bahá’u’lláh’s arrival in ‘Akká, in God Passes By, pp. 186-187:
> “Having, after a miserable voyage, disembarked at 'Akká, all the
> exiles, men, women and children, were, under the eyes of a
> curious and callous population that had assembled at the port to
> behold the "God of the Persians," conducted to the army
> barracks, where they were locked in, and sentinels detailed to
> guard them. "The first night," Bahá'u'lláh testifies in the Lawh-i-
> Ra'ís, "all were deprived of either food or drink... They even
> begged for water, and were refused." So filthy and brackish was
> the water in the pool of the courtyard that no one could drink it.
> Three loaves of black and salty bread were assigned to each,
> which they were later permitted to exchange, when escorted by
> guards to the market, for two of better quality. Subsequently
> they were allowed a mere pittance as substitute for the allotted
> dole of bread. All fell sick, except two, shortly after their arrival.
> 
> Malaria, dysentery, combined with the sultry heat, added to their
> miseries. Three succumbed, among them two brothers, who died
> the same night, "locked," as testified by Bahá'u'lláh, "in each
> other's arms." The carpet used by Him He gave to be sold in
> order to provide for their winding-sheets and burial. The paltry
> sum obtained after it had been auctioned was delivered to the
> guards, who had refused to bury them without first being paid
> the necessary expenses. Later, it was learned that, unwashed and
> unshrouded, they had buried them, without coffins, in the
> clothes they wore, though, as affirmed by Bahá'u'lláh, they were
> given twice the amount required for their burial. "None," He
> Himself has written, "knoweth what befell Us, except God, the
> Almighty, the All-Knowing... From the foundation of the world
> until the present day a cruelty such as this hath neither been seen
> nor heard of." "He hath, during the greater part of His life," He,
> referring to Himself, has, moreover, recorded, "been sore-tried
> in the clutches of His enemies. His sufferings have now reached
> their culmination in this afflictive Prison, into which His
> oppressors have so unjustly thrown Him."”
> Bahá’u’lláh cited in Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 185:
> “His arrival at the penal colony of 'Akká, far from proving the
> end of His afflictions, was but the beginning of a major crisis,
> characterized by bitter suffering, severe restrictions, and intense
> turmoil, which, in its gravity, surpassed even the agonies of the
> Siyah-Chal of Tihrán, and to which no other event, in the history
> of the entire century can compare, except the internal convulsion
> that rocked the Faith in Adrianople. "Know thou," Bahá'u'lláh,
> wishing to emphasize the criticalness of the first nine years of
> His banishment to that prison-city, has written, "that upon Our
> arrival at this Spot, We chose to designate it as the 'Most Great
> Prison.' Though previously subjected in another land (Tihrán) to
> chains and fetters, We yet refused to call it by that name. Say:
> Ponder thereon, O ye endued with understanding!"”
> Bahá’u’lláh, Suriy-i-Haykal, in The Summons of the Lord of
> Hosts, p. 74; cited in Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 206.
> Apparently some of these epistles to the kings revealed in ‘Akká
> may have remained undelivered at the close of Bahá’u’lláh’s
> 
> earthly sojourn, inasmuch as He writes in Epistle to the Son of
> the Wolf, p. 59:
> “Likewise, We mention some verses from the Tablet of Her Majesty, the
> Queen (Queen Victoria) -- may God, exalted and glorified be He, assist
> her. Our purpose is that haply the breezes of Revelation may envelop thee,
> and cause thee to arise, wholly for the sake of God, and serve His Cause,
> and that thou mayest transmit any of the Tablets of the kings which might
> have remained undelivered. This mission is a great mission, and this service
> a great service. In those regions distinguished divines are numerous, among
> whom are those Siyyids who are renowned for their eminence and distinction.
> Confer with them, and show them what hath flowed out of the Pen of Glory,
> that haply they may be graciously aided to better the condition of the world,
> and improve the character of peoples of different nations, and may, through
> the living waters of God's counsels, quench the hatred and the animosity
> which lie hid and smolder in the hearts of men. We pray God that thou
> mayest be assisted therein. And this, verily, would not be hard for Him.”
> Bahá’u’lláh, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, pp. 81-82;
> Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 55-56.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, p. 105.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 233.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 10.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Suriy-i-Muluk, in The Summons of the Lord of
> Hosts, p. 224.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Lawh-i-Ra’is, in The Summons of the Lord of
> Hosts, pp. 172-173. The events alluded to in this Tablet are
> described by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Memorials to the Faithful, pp. 167,
> 169-170:
> “Áqa Muhammad-Báqir and Áqa Muhammad-Ismá'íl, the Tailor
> -- These were two brothers who, in the path of God, captives
> along with the rest, were shut in the 'Akká fortress. They were
> brothers of the late Pahlavan Ridá. They left Persia and
> emigrated to Adrianople, hastening to the loving-kindness of
> Bahá'u'lláh; and under His protection, they came to
> 
> 'Akká…through the grace of the Blessed Beauty, after they were
> taken captive by the tyrants, they were shut in the Most Great
> Prison, where they shared the lot of these homeless wanderers.
> Here, during the early days at 'Akká, with complete detachment,
> with ardent love, they hastened away to the all-glorious Realm.
> For our ruthless oppressors, as soon as we arrived, imprisoned
> all of us inside the fortress in the soldiers' barracks, and they
> closed up every issue, so that none could come and go. At that
> time the air of 'Akká was poisonous, and every stranger,
> immediately following his arrival, would be taken ill.
> Muhammad-Báqir and Muhammad-Ismá'íl came down with a
> violent ailment and there was neither doctor nor medicine to be
> had; and those two embodied lights died on the same night,
> wrapped in each other's arms. They rose up to the undying
> Kingdom, leaving the friends to mourn them forever. There was
> none there but wept that night.
> “When morning came we wished to carry their sanctified bodies
> away. The oppressors told us: "You are forbidden to go out of
> the fortress. You must hand over these two corpses to us. We
> will wash them, shroud them and bury them. But first you must
> pay for it." It happened that we had no money. There was a
> prayer carpet which had been placed under the feet of
> Bahá'u'lláh. He took up this carpet and said, "Sell it. Give the
> money to the guards." The prayer carpet was sold for 170
> piasters [1] and that sum was handed over. But the two were
> never washed for their burial nor wrapped in their winding
> sheets; the guards only dug a hole in the ground and thrust them
> in, as they were, in the clothes they had on; so that even now,
> their two graves are one, and just as their souls are joined in the
> Abha Realm, their bodies are together here, under the earth,
> each holding the other in his close embrace.
> “The Blessed Beauty showered His blessings on these two
> brothers. In life, they were encompassed by His grace and favor;
> in death, they were memorialized in His Tablets. Their grave is in
> 'Akká. Greetings be unto them, and praise. The glory of the All-
> Glorious be upon them, and God's mercy, and His benediction.”
> [1] The Turkish ghurush or piaster of the time was forty paras,
> the para one-ninth of a cent. These figures are approximate only.
> 
> Shoghi Effendi describes the same events and others in the Most
> Great Prison in God Passes By, p. 186:
> “Having, after a miserable voyage, disembarked at 'Akká, all the
> exiles, men, women and children, were, under the eyes of a
> curious and callous population that had assembled at the port to
> behold the "God of the Persians," conducted to the army
> barracks, where they were locked in, and sentinels detailed to
> guard them. "The first night," Bahá'u'lláh testifies in the Lawh-i-
> Ra'ís, "all were deprived of either food or drink... They even
> begged for water, and were refused." So filthy and brackish was
> the water in the pool of the courtyard that no one could drink it.
> Three loaves of black and salty bread were assigned to each,
> which they were later permitted to exchange, when escorted by
> guards to the market, for two of better quality. Subsequently
> they were allowed a mere pittance as substitute for the allotted
> dole of bread. All fell sick, except two, shortly after their arrival.
> Malaria, dysentery, combined with the sultry heat, added to their
> miseries. Three succumbed, among them two brothers, who died
> the same night, "locked," as testified by Bahá'u'lláh, "in each
> other's arms." The carpet used by Him He gave to be sold in
> order to provide for their winding-sheets and burial. The paltry
> sum obtained after it had been auctioned was delivered to the
> guards, who had refused to bury them without first being paid
> the necessary expenses. Later, it was learned that, unwashed and
> unshrouded, they had buried them, without coffins, in the
> clothes they wore, though, as affirmed by Bahá'u'lláh, they were
> given twice the amount required for their burial. "None," He
> Himself has written, "knoweth what befell Us, except God, the
> Almighty, the All-Knowing... From the foundation of the world
> until the present day a cruelty such as this hath neither been seen
> nor heard of." "He hath, during the greater part of His life," He,
> referring to Himself, has, moreover, recorded, "been sore-tried
> in the clutches of His enemies. His sufferings have now reached
> their culmination in this afflictive Prison, into which His
> oppressors have so unjustly thrown Him."”
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, LXII,
> pp. 42-43.
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, LIX,
> pp. 115-117.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Lawh-i-Ra’is, in The Summons of the Lord of
> Hosts, pp. 162-163, 163-164.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 261.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 78.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Suriy-i-Haykal, in The Summons of the Lord of
> Hosts, pp. 73-74.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 51.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 122-126.
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá describes the accommodations of Bahá'u'lláh in
> ‘Akká in Memorials of the Faithful, pp. 26-27:
> “For the Most Great Name was held prisoner and confined nine
> years in the fortress-town of 'Akká; and at all times, both in the
> barracks and afterward, from without the house, the police and
> farrashes had Him under constant guard. The Blessed Beauty
> [Bahá'u'lláh] lived in a very small house, and He never set foot
> outside that narrow lodging, because His oppressors kept
> continual watch at the door. When, however, nine years had
> elapsed, the fixed and predetermined length of days was over;
> and at that time, against the rancorous will of the tyrant, Abdu'l-
> Hamid, and all his minions, Bahá'u'lláh proceeded out of the
> fortress with authority and might, and in a kingly mansion
> beyond the city, made His home.”
> Shoghi Effendi describes the historical circumstances alluded
> to in the Fire Tablet, including the separation of the Bahá’ís
> from Bahá’u’lláh, in God Passes By, pp. 189-192:
> “Nor was this the full measure of the afflictions endured by the
> Prisoner of 'Akká and His fellow-exiles. Four months after this
> tragic event a mobilization of Turkish troops necessitated the
> removal of Bahá'u'lláh and all who bore Him company from the
> 
> barracks. He and His family were accordingly assigned the house
> of Malík, in the western quarter of the city, whence, after a brief
> stay of three months, they were moved by the authorities to the
> house of Khavvam which faced it, and from which, after a few
> months, they were again obliged to take up new quarters in the
> house of Rabi'ih, being finally transferred, four months later, to
> the house of Udi Khammar, which was so insufficient to their
> needs that in one of its rooms no less than thirteen persons of
> both sexes had to accommodate themselves. Some of the
> companions had to take up their residence in other houses, while
> the remainder were consigned to a caravanserai named the
> Khán-i-'Avamid.
> “Their strict confinement had hardly been mitigated, and the
> guards who had kept watch over them been dismissed, when an
> internal crisis, which had been brewing in the midst of the
> community, was brought to a sudden and catastrophic climax.
> Such had been the conduct of two of the exiles, who had been
> included in the party that accompanied Bahá'u'lláh to 'Akká, that
> He was eventually forced to expel them, an act of which Siyyid
> Muhammad did not hesitate to take the fullest advantage.
> Reinforced by these recruits, he, together with his old associates,
> acting as spies, embarked on a campaign of abuse, calumny and
> intrigue, even more pernicious than that which had been
> launched by him in Constantinople, calculated to arouse an
> already prejudiced and suspicious populace to a new pitch of
> animosity and excitement. A fresh danger now clearly threatened
> the life of Bahá'u'lláh. Though He Himself had stringently
> forbidden His followers, on several occasions, both verbally and
> in writing, any retaliatory acts against their tormentors, and had
> even sent back to Beirut an irresponsible Arab convert, who had
> meditated avenging the wrongs suffered by his beloved Leader,
> seven of the companions clandestinely sought out and slew three
> of their persecutors, among whom were Siyyid Muhammad and
> Áqa Ján.
> “The consternation that seized an already oppressed community
> was indescribable. Bahá'u'lláh's indignation knew no bounds.
> "Were We," He thus voices His emotions, in a Tablet revealed
> shortly after this act had been committed, "to make mention of
> what befell Us, the heavens would be rent asunder and the
> 
> mountains would crumble." "My captivity," He wrote on
> another occasion, "cannot harm Me. That which can harm Me is
> the conduct of those who love Me, who claim to be related to
> Me, and yet perpetrate what causeth My heart and My pen to
> groan." And again: "My captivity can bring on Me no shame.
> Nay, by My life, it conferreth on Me glory. That which can make
> Me ashamed is the conduct of such of My followers as profess
> to love Me, yet in fact follow the Evil One."
> “He was dictating His Tablets to His amanuensis when the
> governor, at the head of his troops, with drawn swords,
> surrounded His house. The entire populace, as well as the
> military authorities, were in a state of great agitation. The shouts
> and clamor of the people could be heard on all sides. Bahá'u'lláh
> was peremptorily summoned to the Governorate, interrogated,
> kept in custody the first night, with one of His sons, in a
> chamber in the Khán-i-Shavirdi, transferred for the following
> two nights to better quarters in that neighborhood, and allowed
> only after the lapse of seventy hours to regain His home.
> 'Abdu'l-Bahá was thrown into prison and chained during the first
> night, after which He was permitted to join His Father. Twentyfive of the companions were cast into another prison and
> shackled, all of whom, except those responsible for that odious
> deed, whose imprisonment lasted several years, were, after six
> days, moved to the Khán-i-Shavirdi, and there placed, for six
> months, under confinement.
> “"Is it proper," the Commandant of the city, turning to
> Bahá'u'lláh, after He had arrived at the Governorate, boldly
> inquired, "that some of your followers should act in such a
> manner?" "If one of your soldiers," was the swift rejoinder,
> "were to commit a reprehensible act, would you be held
> responsible, and be punished in his place?" When interrogated,
> He was asked to state His name and that of the country from
> which He came. "It is more manifest than the sun," He
> answered. The same question was put to Him again, to which
> He gave the following reply: "I deem it not proper to mention it.
> Refer to the farman of the government which is in your
> possession." Once again they, with marked deference, reiterated
> their request, whereupon Bahá'u'lláh spoke with majesty and
> power these words: "My name is Bahá'u'lláh (Light of God), and
> 
> My country is Núr (Light). Be ye apprized of it." Turning then,
> to the Mufti, He addressed him words of veiled rebuke, after
> which He spoke to the entire gathering, in such vehement and
> exalted language that none made bold to answer Him. Having
> quoted verses from the Suriy-i-Mulúk, He, afterwards, arose and
> left the gathering. The Governor, soon after, sent word that He
> was at liberty to return to His home, and apologized for what
> had occurred.
> “A population, already ill-disposed towards the exiles, was, after
> such an incident, fired with uncontrollable animosity for all
> those who bore the name of the Faith which those exiles
> professed. The charges of impiety, atheism, terrorism and heresy
> were openly and without restraint flung into their faces. Abbud,
> who lived next door to Bahá'u'lláh, reinforced the partition that
> separated his house from the dwelling of his now much-feared
> and suspected Neighbor. Even the children of the imprisoned
> exiles, whenever they ventured to show themselves in the streets
> during those days, would be pursued, vilified and pelted with
> stones.
> “The cup of Bahá'u'lláh's tribulations was now filled to
> overflowing. A situation, greatly humiliating, full of anxieties and
> even perilous, continued to face the exiles, until the time, set by
> an inscrutable Will, at which the tide of misery and abasement
> began to ebb, signalizing a transformation in the fortunes of the
> Faith even more conspicuous than the revolutionary change
> effected during the latter years of Bahá'u'lláh's sojourn in
> Baghdád.
> “The gradual recognition by all elements of the population of
> Bahá'u'lláh's complete innocence; the slow penetration of the
> true spirit of His teachings through the hard crust of their
> indifference and bigotry; the substitution of the sagacious and
> humane governor, Ahmad Big Tawfiq, for one whose mind had
> been hopelessly poisoned against the Faith and its followers; the
> unremitting labors of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, now in the full flower of His
> manhood, Who, through His contacts with the rank and file of
> the population, was increasingly demonstrating His capacity to
> act as the shield of His Father; the providential dismissal of the
> officials who had been instrumental in prolonging the
> confinement of the innocent companions -- all paved the way
> 
> for the reaction that was now setting in, a reaction with which
> the period of Bahá'u'lláh's banishment to 'Akká will ever remain
> indissolubly associated.
> “Such was the devotion gradually kindled in the heart of that
> governor, through his association with 'Abdu'l-Bahá, and later
> through his perusal of the literature of the Faith, which mischiefmakers, in the hope of angering him, had submitted for his
> consideration, that he invariably refused to enter His presence
> without first removing his shoes, as a token of his respect for
> Him. It was even bruited about that his favored counselors were
> those very exiles who were the followers of the Prisoner in his
> custody. His own son he was wont to send to 'Abdu'l-Bahá for
> instruction and enlightenment. It was on the occasion of a longsought audience with Bahá'u'lláh that, in response to a request
> for permission to render Him some service, the suggestion was
> made to him to restore the aqueduct which for thirty years had
> been allowed to fall into disuse -- a suggestion which he
> immediately arose to carry out. To the inflow of pilgrims, among
> whom were numbered the devout and venerable Mullá Sádiq-i-
> Khurásání and the father of Badí’, both survivors of the struggle
> of Tabarsí, he offered scarcely any opposition, though the text of
> the imperial farmán forbade their admission into the city.
> Mustafa Diya Páshá, who became governor a few years later, had
> even gone so far as to intimate that his Prisoner was free to pass
> through its gates whenever He pleased, a suggestion which
> Bahá'u'lláh declined. Even the Mufti of 'Akká, Shaykh Mahmúd,
> a man notorious for his bigotry, had been converted to the Faith,
> and, fired by his newborn enthusiasm, made a compilation of the
> Muhammadan traditions related to 'Akká. Nor were the
> occasionally unsympathetic governors, despatched to that city,
> able, despite the arbitrary power they wielded, to check the
> forces which were carrying the Author of the Faith towards His
> virtual emancipation and the ultimate accomplishment of His
> purpose. Men of letters, and even ulamas residing in Syria, were
> moved, as the years rolled by, to voice their recognition of
> Bahá'u'lláh's rising greatness and power. Azíz Páshá, who, in
> Adrianople, had evinced a profound attachment to 'Abdu'l-Bahá,
> and had in the meantime been promoted to the rank of Valí,
> twice visited 'Akká for the express purpose of paying his respects
> 
> to Bahá'u'lláh, and to renew his friendship with One Whom he
> had learned to admire and revere.
> “Though Bahá'u'lláh Himself practically never granted personal
> interviews, as He had been used to do in Baghdád, yet such was
> the influence He now wielded that the inhabitants openly
> asserted that the noticeable improvement in the climate and
> water of their city was directly attributable to His continued
> presence in their midst. The very designations by which they
> chose to refer to him, such as the "august leader," and "his
> highness" bespoke the reverence with which He inspired them.
> On one occasion, a European general who, together with the
> governor, was granted an audience by Him, was so impressed
> that he "remained kneeling on the ground near the door."”
> Inasmuch as ‘Akká was located in the Ottoman province of
> Syria, this city and its general location is often called Syria by
> Bahá’u’lláh.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Lawh-i-Ihtiraq (also known as Lawh-i-Qad Ihtaraqa’l-
> Mukhlisun) translated as the Fire Tablet; in Bahá’í Prayers, pp.
> 213-219.
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá describes the accommodations of Bahá'u'lláh in
> ‘Akká in Memorials of the Faithful, pp. 27-28:
> “Although the policy of Sultán ‘Abdu'l-Hamíd was harsher than
> ever; although he constantly insisted on his Captive's strict
> confinement -- still, the Blessed Beauty [Bahá'u'lláh] now lived,
> as everyone knows, with all power and glory. Some of the time
> Bahá'u'lláh would spend at the Mansion [Bahjí], and again, at the
> farm village of Mazra'ih; for a while He would sojourn in Haifa,
> and occasionally His tent would be pitched on the heights of
> Mount Carmel. Friends from everywhere presented themselves
> and gained an audience. The people and the government
> authorities witnessed it all, yet no one so much as breathed a
> word. And this is one of Bahá'u'lláh's greatest miracles: that He,
> a captive, surrounded Himself with panoply and He wielded
> power. The prison changed into a palace, the jail itself became a
> Garden of Eden. Such a thing has not occurred in history
> before; no former age has seen its like: that a man confined to a
> 
> prison should move about with authority and might; that one in
> chains should carry the fame of the Cause of God to the high
> heavens, should win splendid victories in both East and West,
> and should, by His almighty pen, subdue the world. Such is the
> distinguishing feature of this supreme Theophany.
> “One day the government leaders, pillars of the country, the
> city's ulamas, leading mystics and intellectuals came out to the
> Mansion. The Blessed Beauty paid them no attention whatever.
> They were not admitted to His presence, nor did He inquire
> after any of them. I sat down with them and kept them company
> for some hours, after which they returned whence they had
> come. Although the royal farman specifically decreed that
> Bahá'u'lláh was to be held in solitary confinement within the
> 'Akká fortress, in a cell, under perpetual guard; that He was
> never to set foot outside; that He was never even to see any of
> the believers -- notwithstanding such a farman, such a drastic
> order, His tent was raised in majesty on the heights of Mount
> Carmel. What greater display of power could there be than this,
> that from the very prison, the banner of the Lord was raised
> aloft, and rippled out for all the world to see! Praised be the
> Possessor of such majesty and might; praised be He, weaponed
> with the power and the glory; praised be He, Who defeated His
> foes when He lay captive in the 'Akká prison!”
> “That is, with non-Bahá’ís” (Footnote in Adib Taherzadeh,
> The Child of the Covenant, p. 231)
> “Hájí Mírzá Haydar-‘Alí, that spiritual giant immortalized by
> the title 'the Angel of Carmel', has left the following record of
> one of his memorable audiences, when Bahá'u'lláh spoke about
> 'Abdu'l-Bahá's important role in shielding Him from the
> pressures of the outside world…These are not to be taken as the
> exact words of Bahá'u'lláh; they are only recollections of His
> utterances by Hájí Mírzá Haydar-‘Alí.” (Haydar-’Alí, Bihjutu's-
> Sudur, pp. 251-252, cited in Adib Taherzadeh, The Child of the
> Covenant, p. 231)
> Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Baha'u'llah, vol. 4, p. 7;
> preceded by “Bahá'u'lláh loved the beauty of nature and was
> 
> fond of the outdoor life. Living in the Mansion of Mazra'ih
> enabled Him to enjoy the scenery after nine years of
> confinement within the walls of a depressing prison-city.”
> “That is, with non-Bahá’ís” (Footnote in Adib Taherzadeh,
> The Child of the Covenant, p. 231)
> “Hájí Mírzá Haydar-’Alí, that spiritual giant immortalized by
> the title 'the Angel of Carmel', has left the following record of
> one of his memorable audiences, when Bahá'u'lláh spoke about
> 'Abdu'l-Bahá's important role in shielding Him from the
> pressures of the outside world…These are not to be taken as the
> exact words of Bahá'u'lláh; they are only recollections of His
> utterances by Hájí Mírzá Haydar-‘Alí.” (Haydar-‘Alí, Bihjutu's-
> Sudur, pp. 251-252, cited in Adib Taherzadeh, The Child of the
> Covenant, p. 231)
> Bahá’u’lláh quoted by Edward Granville Browne, in his
> Introduction (p. xl) to A Traveler’s Narrative, first published in
> 1891. Hasan Muhammad Balyuzi sets forth the historical
> circumstances of this meeting in Bahá’u’lláh, King of Glory, pp.
> 373-374:
> “The Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith states that Bahá'u'lláh visited
> Haifa four times. The first visit was of short duration, when He
> disembarked in 1868 from the Lloyd-Triestino steamer. The
> second visit was for just a few days, and He stayed in Bayt-i-
> Fanduq, a house in the German colony, part of which still stands
> today. There is a dated Tablet, in the handwriting of Mírzá Áqa
> Ján, which indicates that Bahá'u'lláh was in Haifa in August
> 1883, proBábly the date of this second visit. The third visit was
> in 1890, and when Edward Granville Browne reached 'Akká,
> Bahá'u'lláh was in Haifa. In the course of this visit, He stayed, at
> first, near Bayt-i-Zahlan, near the town, and then He moved to a
> house in the German colony which was known as the Oliphant
> house. His tent was pitched on a piece of land opposite that
> house. His fourth and last visit was in the year 1891. This
> sojourn was the longest, and it was here in Haifa that members
> of the Afnan family met him when they came in July, as
> described in a later chapter. Bahá'u'lláh was then in Haifa for
> 
> three months, staying in the house of Ilyas Abyad near the
> German colony, and His tent stood near by.” E.G. Browne
> recalled the event differently. He wrote in his Introduction to A
> Traveler’s Narrative, pp. xl-xli: “During the morning of the day
> after my installation at Behjé…” was when his first visit with
> Bahá’u’lláh took place. After citing the words quoted above
> Browne writes, “Such, so far as I can recall them, were the words
> which, besides many others, I heard from Behá. Let those who
> read them consider well with themselves whether such doctrines
> merit death and bonds, and whether the world is more likely to
> gain or lose by their diffusion. My interview lasted altogether
> about twenty minutes, and during the latter part of it Behá read a
> portion of that epistle (lawh) whereof the translation occupies
> the last paragraph on p. 70 and the greater part of p. 71 of this
> book.
> “During the five days spent at Behjé (Tuesday, April 15th to
> Sunday, April 20th), I was admitted to Behá's presence four
> times. These interviews always took place an hour or two before
> noon, and lasted from twenty minutes to half-an-hour. One of
> Behá's sons always accompanied me, and once Áká Mírzá Aká
> Ján (Jenáb-i-Khádimu'lláh) the amanuensis (kátib-i-áyát) was also
> present. In their general features these interviews resembled the
> first, of which I have attempted to give a description. Besides
> this, one afternoon I saw Behá walking in one of the gardens
> which belong to him. He was surrounded by a little group of his
> chief followers. How the journey to and from the garden was
> accomplished I know not: probably under cover of the darkness
> of night.”
> Bahá’u’lláh cited in Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of
> Bahá’u’lláh, volume IV, pp. 14-16:
> “There is a little house at the end of the Garden of Ridván. Here
> the small room in which Bahá'u'lláh rested, dined and at times
> revealed Tablets is kept in its original form. The renowned Hájí
> Mírzá Haydar-’Alí recounts an interesting story of how he was
> able to see the colour of the head-dress of Bahá'u'lláh for the
> first time as He was having a meal in that room. This story has
> been recorded in a previous volume.[The Revelation of
> Bahá’u’lláh, volume II, pp. 9-10] A Tablet of Bahá'u'lláh
> 
> revealed there and translated into English hangs on the wall of
> that room today. Its perusal enables the reader to see how much
> Bahá'u'lláh enjoyed the Garden and how much He loved the
> beauty of nature…Radíyih, who is mentioned in this Tablet, was
> a sister of Munírih Khánum, the wife of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. The
> dinner was given on behalf of her husband who was not present
> at the time. He was her cousin Siyyid ‘Alí, the only son of Mírzá
> Hadí, a distinguished Bábí, and the illustrious Shams-i-Duha.”
> [See ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful, pp. 175-190]
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful, p. 27:
> “Although the policy of Sultán ‘Abdu'l-Hamíd was harsher than
> ever; although he constantly insisted on his Captive's strict
> confinement -- still, the Blessed Beauty now lived, as everyone
> knows, with all power and glory. Some of the time Bahá'u'lláh
> would spend at the Mansion, and again, at the farm village of
> Mazra'ih; for a while He would sojourn in Haifa, and
> occasionally His tent would be pitched on the heights of Mount
> Carmel.”
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Reply to letter dated 27 May 1906, in Selections
> from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 66:
> “The Blessed Beauty proceeded to Haifa on many occasions.
> Thou beheldest Him there, but thou didst not know Him at that
> time. It is my hope that thou wilt attain unto the true meeting
> with Him, which is to behold Him with the inner, not the outer
> eye.”
> Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 194:
> “In that same year Bahá'u'lláh's tent, the "Tabernacle of Glory,"
> was raised on Mt. Carmel, "the Hill of God and His Vineyard,"
> the home of Elijah, extolled by Isaiah as the "mountain of the
> Lord," to which "all nations shall flow." Four times He visited
> Haifa, His last visit being no less than three months long. In the
> course of one of these visits, when His tent was pitched in the
> vicinity of the Carmelite Monastery, He, the "Lord of the
> Vineyard," revealed the Tablet of Carmel, remarkable for its
> allusions and prophecies. On another occasion He pointed out
> Himself to 'Abdu'l-Bahá, as He stood on the slopes of that
> mountain, the site which was to serve as the permanent resting-
> 
> place of the Báb, and on which a befitting mausoleum was later
> to be erected.”
> Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Baha'u'llah, vol. 3, pp. 30-
> 31:
> “…towards the end of His ministry, Bahá'u'lláh Himself visited
> Haifa and at one time stayed in one of the houses belonging to
> the Templers.”
> Baha'u'llah, Lawh-i-Karmíl, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, pp. 3-5.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas, K6.
> Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh,
> CXLVI, pp. 315-316.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas, K53.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas, K121.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas, K174.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 221-222.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, CLI,
> pp. 321-322.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 10.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 264.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 33-36.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 71-76.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 122-127.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, XCI, p p.
> 151-155.
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, pp.
> 145-147.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Suriy-i-Muluk, in The Summons of the Lord of
> Hosts, pp. 221-223.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, LVI, pp.
> 84-86.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, CLXXIX,
> pp. 300-301.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 161.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 119-120.
> Bahá’u’lláh, cited in Shoghi Effendi, Messages to America, p.
> 34.
> Bahá’u’lláh cited in Shoghi Effendi, Messages to America, pp.
> 34-35.
> Bahá’u’lláh cited in Shoghi Effendi, Messages to America, p.
> 35.
> Bahá’u’lláh cited in Shoghi Effendi, Messages to America, p.
> 35.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Suriy-i-Ghusn, cited in Shoghi Effendi, The World
> Order of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 134-135.
> Bahá’u’lláh, various Tablets cited in Shoghi Effendi, The
> World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 135-136.
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, in a prayer revealed in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s honor,
> cited in Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 136.
> “In a letter dictated by Bahá'u'lláh and addressed by Mírzá Áqa
> Ján, His amanuensis, to 'Abdu'l-Bahá while the latter was on a
> 
> visit to Beirut,” cited in Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of
> Bahá’u’lláh, p. 136.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, XXX, pp.
> 34-35.
> Bahá’u’lláh cited by Shoghi Effendi, in Messages to America,
> pp. 33-34.
> Bahá’u’lláh cited by Shoghi Effendi, in Messages to America,
> p. 34.
> Bahá’u’lláh cited by Shoghi Effendi, in Messages to America,
> p. 34.
> Bahíyyih Khánum, p. 2: Dedicatory Passage. From a Tablet of
> Bahá’u’lláh addressed to the Greatest Holy Leaf, inscribed in the
> original Arabic around the circular dome of her Monument on
> Mount Carmel. (See The Bahá’í World, vol. V, p. 171)
> Bahíyyih Khánum, pp. 3-4: From a Tablet of Bahá’u’lláh
> addressed to the Greatest Holy Leaf. (See The Bahá’í World, vol.
> V, p. 171)
> Bahíyyih Khánum, p. 4: From an unpublished Tablet of
> Bahá’u’lláh addressed to the Greatest Holy Leaf.
> Mírzá ‘Alí-Akbar-i-Naráqí, see brief reference in Balyuzi,
> Bahá’u’lláh, the King of Glory, p. 260.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Suriy-i-Ra’is, in The Summons of the Lord of
> Hosts, pp. 155-156.
> The two Hands of the Cause of God, Hájí Mullá ‘Alí-Akbar
> Sháhmírzádi and Hájí Abu'l-Hasan Ardakání, Amín-i-Iláhí
> (Trustee of Huququ'lláh), were originally arrested in Tihrán,
> imprisoned in Qazvín in the year 1891, and then transferred to
> prison in Tihrán.
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 81.
> This Tablet was dedicated and addressed to Hájí Muhammad
> Ismá'íl-i-Káshání, entitled Dhábih (Sacrifice) and Anís
> (Companion) by Bahá'u'lláh, see Bahá’u’lláh, The Summons of
> the Lord of Hosts, Note p. 239)
> Bahá’u’lláh, Suriy-i-Ra’is, in The Summons of the Lord of
> Hosts, p. 145.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Suriy-i-Ra’is, in The Summons of the Lord of
> Hosts, pp. 150-152.
> “Hájí Mullá Hadí Sabzivárí, a renowned philosopher and poet
> of ĺrán contemporary with Bahá'u'lláh. He passed away in 1873.”
> (See Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 60, Note 1)
> Bahá’u’lláh, Lawh al-Basit al-Haqiqa, provisional translation by
> Moojan Momen:
> http://bahai-library.com/provisionals/basit.html
> Bahá’u’lláh, Kalímat-i-Firdawsíyyih, in Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p.
> 60.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 94-96.      See Shoghi
> Effendi, God Passes By (pp. 296, 317).
> Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-ĺqán, pp. 184-191.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas, K170.
> “Mírzá Abu'l-Qásim Farahání, the Qá'im Maqám, a
> distinguished poet and scholar during the reign of Fath ‘Alí
> Sháh. He was a friend of Mírzá Buzurg, father of Bahá'u'lláh.
> Qá'im Maqám became Prime Minister of Persia in 1821, but in
> 1835 he was put to death by order of Muhammad Sháh at the
> instigation of Hájí Mírzá Áqásí.” (Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 65,
> Note 1)
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh, Kalimat-i-Firdawsiyyih, in Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p.
> 65.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 77-78.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Suriy-i-Muluk, in The Summons of the Lord of
> Hosts, pp. 225-227.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 68-70.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 164.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 59-60.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 86-88.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 42-44.
> Mírzá Ashraf, who was martyred in the city of Isfáhán. See
> Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 201.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 78.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Suriy-i-Haykal, to Násiri’d-Dín Sháh, in The
> Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 119.
> Bahá’u’lláh cited by an unidentified Bahá’í eye-witness, in
> Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 195:
> “"Sultán ‘Abdu'l-'Azíz," Bahá'u'lláh is reported by one of His
> fellow-exiles to have stated, "banished Us to this country in the
> greatest abasement, and since his object was to destroy Us and
> humble Us, whenever the means of glory and ease presented
> themselves, We did not reject them."”
> Bahá’u’lláh cited by Muhammad Zarandi (Nabíl-i-A’zam), in
> Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, pp. 195-196:
> “"Now, praise be to God," He, moreover, as reported by Nabíl
> in his narrative, once remarked, "it has reached the point when
> all the people of these regions are manifesting their
> 
> submissiveness unto Us." And again, as recorded in that same
> narrative: "The Ottoman Sultán, without any justification, or
> reason, arose to oppress Us, and sent Us to the fortress of 'Akká.
> His imperial farmán decreed that none should associate with Us,
> and that We should become the object of the hatred of every
> one. The Hand of Divine power, therefore, swiftly avenged Us.
> It first loosed the winds of destruction upon his two
> irreplaceable ministers and confidants, ‘Alí and Fu'ád, after
> which that Hand was stretched out to roll up the panoply of
> ‘Azíz himself, and to seize him, as He only can seize, Who is the
> Mighty, the Strong."”
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, LIX,
> pp. 115-116.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 70.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 111-112.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 156-157.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 165-173.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas, K184; about the final break that
> Mírzá Yahyá made with Bahá’u’lláh in Adrianople, Shoghi
> Effendi writes in God Passes By, pp. 169-170:
> “Bahá'u'lláh's reaction to this most distressful episode in His
> ministry was, as already observed, characterized by acute
> anguish. "He who for months and years," He laments, "I reared
> with the hand of loving-kindness hath risen to take My life."
> "The cruelties inflicted by My oppressors," He wrote, in allusion
> to these perfidious enemies, "have bowed Me down, and turned
> My hair white. Shouldst thou present thyself before My throne,
> thou wouldst fail to recognize the Ancient Beauty, for the
> freshness of His countenance is altered, and its brightness hath
> faded, by reason of the oppression of the infidels." "By God!"
> He cries out, "No spot is left on My body that hath not been
> touched by the spears of thy machinations." And again: "Thou
> hast perpetrated against thy Brother what no man hath
> 
> perpetrated against another." "What hath proceeded from thy
> pen," He, furthermore, has affirmed, "hath caused the
> Countenances of Glory to be prostrated upon the dust, hath rent
> in twain the Veil of Grandeur in the Sublime Paradise, and
> lacerated the hearts of the favored ones established upon the
> loftiest seats." And yet, in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, a forgiving Lord
> assures this same brother, this "source of perversion," "from
> whose own soul the winds of passion had risen and blown upon
> him," to "fear not because of thy deeds," bids him "return unto
> God, humble, submissive and lowly," and affirms that "He will
> put away from thee thy sins," and that "thy Lord is the
> Forgiving, the Mighty, the All-Merciful."
> “The "Most Great Idol" had at the bidding and through the
> power of Him Who is the Fountain-head of the Most Great
> Justice been cast out of the community of the Most Great
> Name, confounded, abhorred and broken. Cleansed from this
> pollution, delivered from this horrible possession, God's infant
> Faith could now forge ahead, and, despite the turmoil that had
> convulsed it, demonstrate its capacity to fight further battles,
> capture loftier heights, and win mightier victories.”
> Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 75-76.
> This was the term used by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to identify the
> partisans of Mírzá Yahyá, who are more generally known to
> history (in keeping with the assumed title of their leader, Subh-i-
> Azal) as Azalis or Azali Bábís. See H.M. Balyuzi, E.G. Browne
> and The Bahá’í Faith, pp. 91-92:
> “It is a Tablet addressed to Haji Mírzá 'Abdu'lláh-i-Sahih-Furush.
> This is what 'Abdu'l-Bahá said [1]: “You wrote that it had been
> stated in the Hablu'l-Matin published at Rasht that the Bahá’ís
> were partisans of the Autocracy, and at Zanján had collected aid
> for the Royalist Cause. One of the 'Friends' must write to some
> other newspaper, or it must be spread abroad amongst the
> people, that this is a calumny concerning the Bahá’ís [emanating]
> from the Yahyá'í [i.e. Azali] Bábís, because these people are the
> enemies of the Bahá’ís. The aim of the Bahá’ís is the reformation
> of the world, so that amongst all the nations and governments
> reconciliation may be effected, disputation and conflict may
> 
> cease, war and bloodshed may be abolished. Therefore they
> hasten onward with heart and soul, endeavour hard and spend
> themselves that perchance the Government and the Nation, nay
> all groups and nations, may be united to one another, and that
> peace and reconciliation may enter in. Hence they have no part
> in such quarrels. And a clear proof and conclusive argument as
> to the falsity of the accuser, which leaves no opening for doubt,
> is the decree of the mujtahid [2] Mullá Hasan of Tabriz for the
> slaughter of the Bahá’ís, and also the slanderous proclamations
> of the mujtahid Mírzá Fadlu'llah-i-Nuri [3] and Siyyid ‘Alí-Akbar,
> which were posted on the walls in all the streets and bazars of
> Tihrán. But the Yahya'i [i.e. Azali] Bábís, who are the enemies of
> the Bahá’ís, and who keep themselves in concealment, tell the
> Nationalists that the Bahá’ís are the partisans of the Court, while
> telling the Royalists that they are ready to lay down their lives for
> the Nation, in order to stir up both sides against the Bahá’ís and
> make them their enemies, that perchance they may seduce
> certain souls on either side. This is the truth of the matter;
> therefore it behoves that men who are just should investigate
> this very question of the aid said to have been rendered at
> Zanján. If such a thing had been done by the Bahá’ís, we shall
> admit and submit. Glory be to God! This is sheer calumny!
> From the very beginning of the Revolution it was constantly
> written that the Friends of God should stand aside from this
> clamour and unrest, this strife and contest, and should seek to
> reconcile the Government and the Nation, and should spend
> themselves so that Government and Nation should be
> harmonized like unto milk and honey, for safety and success are
> unattainable and impossible without reconciliation. Now when
> they who wish us ill utter calumnies, the 'Friends' keep silent,
> wherefore these our foes each day boldly enunciate some new
> slander.”
> [1]The translation of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Tablet is fundamentally
> Edward Browne's (The Persian Revolution, pp. 428-9), but the
> present writer has made alterations which he has considered to
> be better expressive of the original.
> [2]A divine: applied as an honorific tide to those divines that are
> eminent, and have the authority to interpret.
> 
> [3]This cleric who, upon the triumph of the Constitutionalists in
> July 1909, was publicly hanged in Tihrán, in his halcyon days
> ascended the pulpit in the Masjid-i-Sháh (the Royal Mosque) of
> the capital, produced the Kitáb-i-Aqdas (the Most Holy Book) --
> Bahá'u'lláh's Book of Laws -- and read passages therefrom,
> presaging change of regime and the establishment of
> constitutional government in Persia, thus laying the movement
> for the overthrow of absolutism at the door of Bahá’ís.”
> Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh,
> LXXVI, pp. 145-148.
> A village near Isfáhán.
> Mírzá Hadí Dawlat-Abádí, one of the divines of Isfáhán, who
> became a follower of the Báb, later supported Mírzá Yahyá, and
> was appointed his representative in ĺrán and his successor.
> During the persecutions against the Bábís he recanted his faith.
> Mírzá Ashraf, who was martyred in the city of Isfáhán. (See
> God Passes By, p. 201).
> Bahá’u’lláh, Kalimat-i-Firdawsíyyih, in Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, pp.
> 77-80.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 127.
> Prince Mahmúd Mírzá, the Jalálu'd'Dawlih, Governor of Yazd,
> Persia.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Lawh-i-Dunya, in Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 85.
> Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 88-89.
>
> — *Baha'u'llah in His Own Words (Used by permission of the curator)*