Gems of Divine Mysteries
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Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Bahá'u'lláh, Gems of Divine Mysteries, Bahá'í World Centre, 2002, bahai-library.com.
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Gems of Divine Mysteries

Bahá'u'lláh

Bahá'í World Centre, 2002

original title

Javáhiru'l-Asrár

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[page i]

INTRODUCTION

The decade-long exile of Bahá'u'lláh in 'Iráq
began under the harshest of conditions and at the lowest ebb in the fortunes of
the Bábí Faith. It witnessed, however, the gradual
crystallization of those potent spiritual forces which were to culminate in the
declaration of His world-embracing mission in 1863. In the course of these
years, and from the city of Ba
gh
dád, there radiated, Shoghi
Effendi writes, "wave after wave, a power, a radiance and a glory which
insensibly reanimated a languishing Faith, sorely-stricken, sinking into
obscurity, threatened with oblivion. From it were diffused, day and night, and
with ever-increasing energy, the first emanations of a Revelation which, in its
scope, its copiousness, its driving force and the volume and variety of its
literature, was destined to excel that of the Báb Himself."

[1]

[page ii]

Among these early effusions of the Pen of Glory is a lengthy epistle known as
Javáhiru'l-Asrár, meaning literally the "gems" or "essences" of
mysteries. A number of themes it enunciates are also elaborated in Persian -
through different revelatory modes - in the Seven Valleys and the Book of
Certitude, those two immortal volumes which Shoghi Effendi has characterized,
respectively, as Bahá'u'lláh's greatest mystical composition and
His pre-eminent doctrinal work. Undoubtedly the Gems of Divine Mysteries
figures among those "Tablets revealed in the Arabic tongue" which were referred
to in the latter volume.

[2]

One of the central themes of the book, Bahá'u'lláh indicates, is
that of "transformation", meaning here the return of the Promised One in a
different human guise. Indeed, in a prefatory note written above the opening
lines of the original manuscript, Bahá'u'lláh
states:
This treatise was written in reply to a seeker who
had asked how the promised Mihdí could have become transformed into
'Alí-Muhammad (the Báb). The opportunity provided by this
question was

[page iii]

seized to elaborate on a number of subjects, all of which are
of use and benefit both to them that seek and to those who have attained, could
ye perceive with the eye of divine virtue.

The seeker alluded to the above passage was Siyyid Yúsuf-i-Sihdihí
Isfahání, who at the time was residing in Karbilá. His
questions were presented to Bahá'u'lláh through an intermediary,
and this Tablet was revealed in response on the same day.

A number of other important themes are addressed in this work as well: the
cause of the rejection of the Prophets of the past; the danger of a literal
reading of scripture; the meaning of the signs and portents of the Bible
concerning the advent of the new Manifestation; the continuity of divine
revelation; intimations of Bahá'u'lláh's own approaching
declaration; the significance of such symbolic terms as "the Day of Judgement",
"the Resurrection", "attainment to the Divine Presence", and "life and death";
and the stages of the spiritual quest through "the Garden of Search", "the City
of Divine Unity", "the Garden

[page iv]

of Wonderment", "the City of Absolute Nothingness", "the City of Immortality",
and "the City that hath no name or description".

The publication of Gems of Divine Mysteries is one of the projects undertaken
in fulfilment of the Five Year Plan goal, announced in April 2001, of
"enriching the translations into English from the Holy Texts". The volume will
further deepen the Western reader's appreciation of a period infused with
potentiality and described by Shoghi Effendi as "the vernal years of
Bahá'u'lláh's ministry", and assist the students of His Revelation
in gaining a more profound insight into its gradual unfoldment.

[page v]

Gems of Divine Mysteries

The essence of the divine mysteries

in the journeys of ascent set forth for those

who long to draw nigh unto God,

the Almighty, the Ever-Forgiving - blessed

be the righteous that quaff from

these crystal streams!

[page 3]

HE IS THE EXALTED, THE MOST HIGH!

O THOU WHO treadest the path of justice and beholdest the countenance of
mercy! Thine epistle was received, thy question was noted, and the sweet
accents of thy soul were heard from the inmost chambers of thy heart. Whereupon
the clouds of the Divine Will were raised to rain upon thee the outpourings of
heavenly wisdom, to divest thee of all that thou hadst acquired aforetime, to
draw thee from the realms of contradiction unto the retreats of oneness, and to
lead thee to the sacred streams of His Law. Perchance thou mayest quaff
therefrom, repose therein, quench thy thirst, refresh thy soul, and be numbered
with those whom the light of God guided aright in this day.

[page 4]

Encompassed as I am at this time by the dogs of the earth and the beasts of
every land, concealed as I remain in the hidden habitation of Mine inner being,
forbidden as I may be from divulging that which God hath bestowed upon Me of
the wonders of His knowledge, the gems of His wisdom, and the tokens of His
power, yet am I loath to frustrate the hopes of one who hath approached the
sanctuary of grandeur, sought to enter within the precincts of eternity, and
aspired to soar in the immensity of this creation at the dawning of the divine
decree. I shall therefore relate unto thee certain truths from among those
which God hath vouchsafed unto Me, this only to the extent that souls can bear
and minds endure, lest the malicious raise a clamour or the dissemblers hoist
their banners. I implore God to graciously aid Me in this, for unto such as
beseech Him, He is the All-Bounteous, and of those who show mercy, He is the
Most Merciful.

Know then that it behoveth thine eminence to ponder from the outset these
questions in thy heart: What hath prompted the divers peoples and kindreds of
the earth to reject the Apostles whom God hath sent unto them in His might

[page 5]

and power, whom he hath raised up to exalt His Cause and ordained to be the
Lamps of eternity within the Niche of His oneness? For what reason have the
people turned aside from them, disputed about them, risen against and contended
with them? On what grounds have they refused to acknowledge their apostleship
and authority, nay, denied their truth and reviled their persons, even slaying
or banishing them?

O thou who hast set foot in the wilderness of knowledge and taken abode
within the ark of wisdom! Not until thou hast grasped the mysteries concealed
in that which We shall relate unto thee canst thou hope to attain to the
stations of faith and certitude in the Cause of God and in those who are the
Manifestations of His Cause, the Daysprings of His Command, the Treasuries of
His revelation, and the Repositories of His knowledge. Shouldst thou fail in
this, thou wouldst be numbered with them that have not striven for the Cause of
God, nor inhaled the fragrance of faith from the raiment of certitude, nor
scaled the heights of the divine unity, nor yet recognized the stations of
divine singleness within the Embodiments of praise and the Essences of
sanctity.

[page 6]

Strive then, O My brother, to apprehend this matter, that the veils may be
lifted from the face of thy heart and that thou mayest be reckoned among them
whom God hath graced with such penetrating vision as to behold the most subtle
realities of His dominion, to fathom the mysteries of His kingdom, to perceive
the signs of His transcendent Essence in this mortal world, and to attain a
station wherein one seeth no distinction amongst His creatures and findeth no
flaw in the creation of the heavens and the earth.

[3]

Now that the discourse hath reached this exalted and intractable theme and
touched upon this sublime and impenetrable mystery, know that the Christian and
Jewish peoples have not grasped the intent of the words of God and the promises
He hath made to them in His Book, and have therefore denied His Cause, turned
aside from His Prophets, and rejected His proofs. Had they but fixed their gaze
upon the testimony of God itself, had they refused to follow in the footsteps
of the abject and foolish among their leaders and divines, they would doubtless
have attained to the repository of guidance and the treasury of virtue, and
quaffed from the crystal waters of life eternal in the city of the

[page 7]

All-Merciful, in the garden of the All-Glorious, and within the inner reality
of His paradise. But as they have refused to see with the eyes wherewith God
hath endowed them, and desired things other than that which He in His mercy had
desired for them, they have strayed far from the retreats of nearness, have
been deprived of the living waters of reunion and the wellspring of His grace, and
have lain as dead within the shrouds of their own selves.

Through the power of God and His might, I shall now relate certain passages
revealed in the Books of old, and mention some of the signs heralding the
appearance of the Manifestations of God in the sanctified persons of His chosen
Ones, that thou mayest recognize the Dayspring of this everlasting morn and
behold this Fire that blazeth in the Tree which is neither of the East nor of
the West.

[4]

Perchance thine eyes may be opened
upon attaining the presence of thy Lord and thy heart partake of the blessings
concealed within these hidden treasuries. Render thanks then unto God, Who hath
singled thee out for this grace and Who hath numbered thee with them that are
assured of meeting their Lord.

[page 8]

This is the text of that which was revealed aforetime in the first Gospel,
according to Matthew, regarding the signs that must needs herald the advent of
the One Who shall come after Him. He saith: "And woe unto them that are with
child, and to them that give suck in those days...",

[5]

until the mystic Dove, singing in the midmost heart of
eternity, and the celestial Bird warbling upon the Divine Lote-Tree, saith:
"Immediately after the oppression of those days shall the sun be darkened, and
the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and
the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in
heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the
Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he
shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet."

[6]

In the second Gospel, according to Mark, the Dove of holiness speaketh in such
terms: "For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the
beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall
be."

[7]

And it singeth later with the same
melodies as before, without change or alteration.

[page 9]

God, verily, is a witness unto the truth of My words.

And in the third Gospel, according to Luke, it is recorded: "There shall be
signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars, and upon the earth
distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; and the
powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming
in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to
pass, know that the kingdom of God hath drawn nigh."

[8]

And in the fourth Gospel, according to John, it is recorded: "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit
of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: and ye also
shall bear witness."

[9]

And elsewhere He saith:
"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my
name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance,
whatsoever I have said unto you."

[10]

And: "But
now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest
thou? But because I have said these things unto you..."

[11]

And yet again: "Nevertheless I tell

[page 10]

you the truth: It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away,
the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto
you."

[12]

And: "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of
truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of
himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show
you things to come."

[13]

Such is the text of the verses revealed in the past. By Him besides Whom there
is none other God, I have chosen to be brief, for were I to recount all the
words that have been sent down unto the Prophets of God from the realm of His
supernal glory and the kingdom of His sovereign might, all the pages and
tablets of the world would not suffice to exhaust My theme. References similar
to those mentioned, nay even more sublime and exalted, have been made in all
the Books and Scriptures of old. Should it be My wish to recount all that hath
been revealed in the past, I would most certainly be able to do so by virtue of
that which God hath bestowed upon Me of the wonders of His knowledge and power.
I have, however, contented Myself with that which was mentioned, lest thou
become wearied in thy journey or feel inclined to turn

[page 11]

back, or lest thou be overtaken by sadness and sorrow and overcome with
despondency, trouble and fatigue.

Be fair in thy judgement and reflect upon these exalted utterances. Inquire,
then, of those who lay claim to knowledge without a proof or testimony from
God, and who remain heedless of these days wherein the Orb of knowledge and
wisdom hath dawned above the horizon of Divinity, rendering unto each his due
and assigning unto all their rank and measure, as to what they can say
concerning these allusions. Verily, their meaning hath bewildered the minds of
men, and that which they conceal of the consummate wisdom and latent knowledge
of God even the most sanctified souls have been powerless to uncover.

Should they say: "These words are indeed from God, and have no interpretation
other than their outward meaning", then what objection can they raise against
the unbelievers among the people of the Book? For when the latter saw the
aforementioned passages in their Scriptures and heard the literal
interpretations of their divines, they refused to recognize God in those who
are the Manifestations of His unity, the Exponents

[page 12]

of His singleness, and the Embodiments of His sanctity, and failed to believe
in them and submit to their authority. The reason was that they did not see the
sun darken, or the stars of heaven fall to the ground, or the angels visibly
descend upon the earth, and hence they contended with the Prophets and
Messengers of God. Nay, inasmuch as they found them at variance with their own
faith and creed, they hurled against them such accusations of imposture, folly,
waywardness, and misbelief as I am ashamed to recount. Refer to the
Qur'án, that thou mayest find mention of all this and be of them that
understand its meaning. Even to this day do these people await the appearance of
that which they have learned from their doctors and imbibed from their divines.
Thus do they say: "When shall these signs be made manifest, that we may
believe?" But if this be the case, how could ye refute their arguments,
invalidate their proofs, and challenge them concerning  their faith and their
understanding of their Books and the sayings of their leaders?

And should they reply: "The Books that are in the hands of this people, which
they call the Gospel and attribute to Jesus, the Son of Mary,

[page 13]

have not been revealed by God and proceed not from the Manifestations of His
Self", then this would imply a cessation in the abounding grace of Him Who is
the Source of all grace. If so, God's testimony to His servants would have
remained incomplete and His favour proven imperfect. His mercy would not have
shone resplendent, nor would His grace have overshadowed all. For if at the
ascension of Jesus His Book had likewise ascended unto heaven, then how could
God reprove and chastise the people on the Day of Resurrection, as hath been
written by the Imáms of the Faith and affirmed by its illustrious
divines?

Ponder then in thine heart: Matters being such as thou dost witness, and as We
also witness, where canst thou flee, and with whom shalt thou take refuge?
Unto whom wilt thou turn thy gaze? In what land shalt thou dwell and upon what
seat shalt thou abide? In what path shalt thou tread and at what hour wilt thou
find repose? What shall become of thee in the end? Where shalt thou secure the
cord of thy faith and fasten the tie of thine obedience? By Him Who revealeth
Himself in His oneness and Whose own Self beareth witness to His unity!

[page 14]

Should there be ignited in thy heart the burning brand of the love of God, thou
wouldst seek neither rest nor composure, neither laughter nor repose, but
wouldst hasten to scale the highest summits in the realms of divine nearness,
sanctity, and beauty. Thou wouldst lament as a soul bereaved and weep as a
heart filled with longing. Nor wouldst thou repair to thy home and abode unless
God would lay bare before thee His Cause.

O thou who hast soared to the realm of guidance and ascended to the kingdom of
virtue! Shouldst thou desire to apprehend these celestial allusions, to witness
the mysteries of divine knowledge, and to become acquainted with His
all-encompassing Word, then it behoveth thine eminence to inquire into these
and other questions pertaining to thine origin and ultimate goal from those
whom God hath made to be the Wellspring of His knowledge, the Heaven of His
wisdom, and the Ark of His mysteries. For were it not for those effulgent
Lights that shine above the horizon of His Essence, the people would know not
their left hand from their right, how much less could they scale the heights of
the inner realities or probe

[page 15]

the depths of their subtleties! We beseech God therefore to immerse us in these
surging seas, to grace us with the presence of these life-bearing breezes, and
to cause us to abide in these divine and lofty precincts. Perchance we may
divest ourselves of all that we have taken from each other and strip ourselves
of such borrowed garments as we have stolen from our fellow men, that He may
attire us instead with the robe of His mercy and the raiment of His guidance,
and admit us into the city of knowledge.

Whosoever entereth this city will comprehend every science before probing into
its mysteries and will acquire from the leaves of its trees a knowledge and
wisdom encompassing such mysteries of divine lordship as are enshrined within
the treasuries of creation. Glorified be God, its Creator and Fashioner, above
all that He hath brought forth and ordained therein! By God, the Sovereign
Protector, the Self-Subsisting, the Almighty! Were I to unveil to thine eyes
the gates of this city, which have been fashioned by the right hand of might
and power, thou wouldst behold that which none before thee hath ever beheld and
wouldst witness that which no other soul

[page 16]

hath ever witnessed. Thou wouldst apprehend the most obscure signs and the most
abstruse allusions, and wouldst clearly behold the mysteries of the beginning
in the point of the end. All matters would be made easy unto thee, fire would
be turned into light, knowledge and blessings, and thou wouldst abide in safety
within the court of holiness.

Bereft, however, of the essence of the mysteries of His wisdom, which We have
imparted unto thee beneath the veils of these blessed and soul-stirring words,
thou wouldst fail to attain unto even a sprinkling of the oceans of divine
knowledge or the crystal streams of divine power, and wouldst be recorded in
the Mother Book, through the Pen of oneness and by the Finger of God, amongst
the ignorant. Nor wouldst thou be able to grasp a single word of the Book or a
single utterance of the Kindred of God

[14]

concerning the mysteries of the beginning and the end.

O thou whom We have outwardly never met, yet whom We inwardly cherish in Our
heart! Be fair in thy judgement and present thyself before Him who seeth and
knoweth thee, even if thou seest and knowest Him not: Can any soul be

[page 17]

found to elucidate these words with such convincing arguments, clear testimonies,
and unmistakable allusions as to appease the heart of the seeker and relieve the
soul of the listener? Nay, by the One in Whose hand is My soul! Unto none is given
to quaff even a dewdrop thereof unless he entereth within this city, a city whose
foundations rest upon mountains of crimson-coloured ruby, whose walls are hewn
of the chrysolite of divine unity, whose gates are made of the diamonds of immortality,
and whose earth sheddeth the fragrance of divine bounty.

Having imparted unto thee, beneath countless veils of concealment, certain
hidden mysteries, We now return to Our elucidation of the Books of old, that
perchance thy feet may not slip and thou mayest receive with complete certitude
the portion which We shall bestow upon thee of the billowing oceans of life in
the realm of the names and attributes of God.

It is recorded in all the Books of the Gospel that He Who is the Spirit

[15]

spoke in words of pure light unto His
disciples, saying: "Know that heaven and earth may pass away, but my words
shall never pass away."

[16]

As is clear and
evident to

[page 18]

thine eminence, these words outwardly mean that the Books of the Gospel will
remain in the hands of people till the end of the world, that their laws shall
not be abrogated, that their testimony shall not be abolished, and that all
that hath been enjoined, prescribed, or ordained therein shall endure
forever.

O My brother! Sanctify thy heart, illumine thy soul, and sharpen thy sight,
that thou mayest perceive the sweet accents of the Birds of Heaven and the
melodies of the Doves of Holiness warbling in the Kingdom of eternity, and
perchance apprehend the inner meaning of these utterances and their hidden
mysteries. For otherwise, wert thou to interpret these words according to their
outward meaning, thou couldst never prove the truth of the Cause of Him Who
came after Jesus, nor silence the opponents, nor prevail over the contending
disbelievers. For the Christian divines use this verse to prove that the Gospel
shall never be abrogated and that, even if all the signs recorded in their
Books were fulfilled and the Promised One appeared, He would have no recourse
but to rule the people according to the ordinances of the Gospel. They contend
that if He were to

[page 19]

manifest all the signs indicated in the Books, but decree aught besides that
which Jesus had decreed, they would neither acknowledge nor follow Him, so
clear and self-evident is this matter in their sight.

Thou canst indeed hear the learned and the foolish amongst the people voice
the same objections in this day, saying: "The sun hath not risen from the West,
nor hath the Crier cried out betwixt earth and heaven. Water hath not inundated
certain lands; the Dajjál

[17]

hath not
appeared; Sufyání

[18]

hath not
arisen; nor hath the Temple been witnessed in the sun." I heard, with Mine own
ears one of their divines proclaim: "Should all these signs come to pass and the
long-awaited Qá'im appear, and should He ordain, with respect to even
our secondary laws, aught beyond that which hath been revealed in the
Qur'án, we would assuredly charge Him with imposture, put Him to death,
and refuse forever to acknowledge Him", and other statements such as these
deniers make. And all this, when the Day of Resurrection hath been ushered in,
and the Trumpet hath been sounded, and all the denizens of earth and heaven
have been gathered together, and the Balance hath

[page 20]

been appointed, and the Bridge hath been laid, and the Verses have been sent
down, and the Sun hath shone forth, and the stars have been blotted out, and
the souls have been raised to life, and the breath of the Spirit hath blown,
and the angels have been arrayed in ranks, and Paradise hath been brought to
nigh, and Hell made to blaze! These things have all come to pass, and yet to
this day not a single one of these people hath recognized them! They all lie as
dead within their own shrouds, save those who have believed and repaired unto
God, who rejoice in this day in His celestial paradise, and who tread the path
of His good-pleasure.

Veiled as they remain within their own selves, the generality of the people
have failed to perceive the sweet accents of holiness, inhale the fragrance of
mercy, or seek guidance, as bidden by God, from those who are the custodians of
the Scriptures. He proclaimeth, and his word, verily, is the truth: "Ask ye, therefore, of them that have the custody of the Scriptures, if ye know it not."

[19]

Nay
rather, they have turned aside from them and followed instead the
Sámirí

[20]

of their own idle
fancies. Thus have they strayed far from the mercy of their Lord

[page 21]

and failed to attain unto His Beauty in the day of His presence. For no sooner
had He come unto them with a sign and a testimony from God than the same people
who had eagerly awaited the day of His Revelation, who had called upon Him in
the daytime and in the night season, who had implored Him to gather them
together in His presence and to grant that they may lay down their lives in His
path, be led aright by His guidance and illumined by His light - this very
people condemned and reviled Him, and inflicted upon Him such cruelties as
transcend both My capacity to tell and thine ability to hear them. My very pen
crieth out at this moment and the ink weepeth sore and groaneth. By God! Wert
thou to hearken with thine inner ear, thou wouldst in truth hear the
lamentations of the denizens of heaven; and wert thou to remove the veil from
before thine eyes, thou wouldst behold the Maids of Heaven overcome and the
holy souls overwhelmed, beating upon their faces and fallen upon the dust.

Alas, alas, for that which befell Him Who was the Manifestation of the Self of
God, and for that which He and His loved ones were made to suffer! The people
inflicted upon them what no

[page 22]

soul hath ever inflicted upon another, and what no infidel hath wrought against
a believer or suffered at his hand. Alas, alas! That immortal Being sat upon
the darksome dust, the Holy Spirit lamented in the retreats of glory, the
pillars of the Throne crumbled in the exalted dominion, the joy of the world
was changed into sorrow in the crimson land, and the voice of the Nightingale
was silenced in the golden realm. Woe betide them for what their hands have
wrought and for what they have committed!

Hearken then unto that which the Bird of Heaven uttered, in the sweetest and
most wondrous accents, and in the most perfect and exalted melodies, concerning
them - an utterance that shall fill them with remorse from now unto "the day
when mankind shall stand before the Lord of the worlds": "Although they had
before prayed for victory over those who believed not, yet when there came unto
them He of Whom they had knowledge, they disbelieved in Him. The curse of God
on the infidels!"

[21]

Such indeed are their
condition and attainments in their vain and empty life. Erelong shall they be
cast into the fire of affliction and find none to help or succour them.

[page 23]

Be not veiled by aught that hath been revealed in the Qur'án, or by
what thou hast learned from the works of those Suns of immaculacy and Moons of
majesty,

[22]

regarding the perversion of the
Texts by the fanatical or their alteration by their corrupters. By these
statements only certain specific and clearly indicated passages are intended.
In spite of My weakness and poverty, I would assuredly be able, should I so
desire, to expound these passages unto thine eminence. But this would divert us
from our purpose and lead us astray from the outstretched path. It would
immerse us in limited allusions and distract us from that which is beloved in
the court of the All-Praised.

O thou who art mentioned in this outspread roll and who, amidst the gloomy
darkness that now prevaileth, hast been illumined by the splendours of the
sacred Mount in the Sinai of divine Revelation! Cleanse thy heart from every
blasphemous whispering and evil allusion thou hast heard in the past, that thou
mayest inhale the sweet savours of eternity from the Joseph of faithfulness,
gain admittance into the celestial Egypt, and perceive the fragrances of
enlightenment from this resplendent and luminous Tablet,

[page 24]

a Tablet wherein the Pen hath inscribed the ancient mysteries of the names of
His Lord, the Exalted, the Most High. Perchance thou mayest be recorded in the
holy Tablets among them that are well assured.

O thou who art standing before My Throne and yet remain unaware thereof! Know
thou that whoso seeketh to scale the summits of the divine mysteries must needs
strive to the utmost of his power and capacity for his Faith, that the pathway
of guidance may be made clear unto him. And should he encounter One Who layeth
claim to a Cause from God, and Who holdeth from His Lord a testimony beyond the
power of men to produce, he must needs follow Him in all that He pleaseth to
proclaim, command and ordain, even were He to decree the sea to be land, or to
pronounce earth to be heaven, or that the former lieth above the latter or
below it, or to ordain any change or transformation, for He, verily, is aware of the celestial mysteries, the unseen
subtleties, and the ordinances of God.

Were the peoples of every nation to observe that which hath been mentioned,
the matter would be made simple unto them, and such words and allusions would
not withhold them

[page 25]

from the Ocean of the names and attributes of God. And had the people known
this truth, they would not have denied God's favours, nor would they have risen
against, contended with, and rejected His Prophets. Similar passages are also
to be found in the Qur'án, should the matter be carefully examined.

Know, moreover, that it is through such words that God proveth His servants
and sifteth them, separating the believer from the infidel, the detached from
the worldly, the pious from the profligate, the doer of good from the worker of
iniquity, and so forth. Thus hath the Dove of holiness proclaimed: "Do men
think when they say 'We believe' they shall be let alone and not be put to
proof?"

[23]

It behoveth him who is a wayfarer in the path of God and a wanderer in His way
to detach himself from all who are in the heavens and on the earth. He must
renounce all save God, that perchance the portals of mercy may be unlocked
before his face and the breezes of providence may waft over him. And when he
hath inscribed upon his soul that which We have vouchsafed unto him of the
quintessence of inner meaning and explanation, he will fathom

[page 26]

all the secrets of these allusions, and God shall bestow upon his heart a
divine tranquillity and cause him to be of them that are at peace with
themselves. In like manner wilt thou comprehend the meaning of all the
ambiguous verses that have been sent down concerning the question thou didst
ask of this Servant Who abideth upon the seat of abasement, Who walketh upon
the earth as an exile with none to befriend, comfort, aid, or assist Him, Who
hath placed His whole trust in God, and Who proclaimeth at all times: "Verily
we are God's, and to Him shall we return."

[24]

Know thou that the passages that We have called "ambiguous" appear as such
only in the eyes of them that have failed to soar above the horizon of guidance
and to reach the heights of knowledge in the retreats of grace. For otherwise,
unto them that have recognized the Repositories of divine Revelation and beheld
through His inspiration the mysteries of divine authority, all the verses of
God are perspicuous and all His allusions are clear. Such men discern the inner
mysteries that have been clothed in the garment of words as clearly as ye
perceive the heat of the sun or the wetness of water, nay even more distinctly.
Immeasurably exalted is

[page 27]

God above our praise of His loved ones, and beyond their praise of Him!

Now that We have reached this most excellent theme and attained such lofty
heights by virtue of that which hath flowed from this Pen through the
incomparable favours of God, the Exalted, the Most High, it is Our wish to
disclose unto thee certain stations in the wayfarer's journey towards his
Creator. Perchance all that thine eminence hath desired may be revealed unto
thee, that the proof may be made complete and the blessing abundant.

Know thou of a truth that the seeker must, at the beginning of his quest for
God, enter the Garden of Search. In this journey it behoveth the wayfarer to
detach himself from all save God and to close his eyes to all that is in the
heavens and on the earth. There must not linger in his heart either the hate or
the love of any soul, to the extent that they would hinder him from attaining
the habitation of the celestial Beauty. He must sanctify his soul from the
veils of glory and refrain from boasting of such worldly vanities, outward
knowledge, or other gifts as God may have bestowed upon him. He must search
after the truth to the utmost of his ability and

[page 28]

exertion, that God may guide him in the paths of His favour and the ways of His
mercy. For He, verily, is the best of helpers unto His servants. He saith, and
He verily speaketh the truth: "Whoso maketh efforts for Us, in Our ways shall
We assuredly guide him."

[25]

And furthermore:
"Fear God and God will give you knowledge."

[26]

In this journey the seeker becometh witness to a myriad changes and
transformations, confluences, and divergences. He beholdeth the wonders of
Divinity in the mysteries of creation and discovereth the paths of guidance and
the ways of His Lord. Such is the station reached by them that search after God, and such are the heights attained by those who hasten unto
Him.

When once the seeker hath ascended unto this station, he will enter the City
of Love and Rapture, whereupon the winds of love will blow and the breezes of
the spirit will waft. In this station the seeker is so overcome by the
ecstasies of yearning and the fragrances of longing that he discerneth not his
left from his right, nor doth he distinguish land from sea or desert from
mountain. At every moment he burneth with the fire of longing and is consumed
by the onslaught of separation in this world. He

[page 29]

speedeth through the Paran of love and traverseth the Horeb of rapture. Now he
laugheth, now he weepeth sore; now he reposeth in peace, now he trembleth in
fear. Nothing can alarm him, naught can thwart his purpose, and no law can
restrain him. He standeth ready to obey whatsoever His Lord should please to
decree as to his beginning and his end. With every breath he layeth down his
life and offereth up his soul. He bareth his breast to meet the darts of the
enemy and raiseth his head to greet the sword of destiny; nay rather, he
kisseth the hand of his would-be murderer and surrendereth his all. He yieldeth
up spirit, soul, and body in the path of his Lord, and yet he doeth so by the
leave of his Beloved and not of his own whim and desire. Thou findest him chill
in the fire and dry in the sea, abiding in every land and treading every path.
Whosoever toucheth him in this state will perceive the heat of his love. He walketh
the heights of detachment and traverseth the vale of renunciation. His eyes are
ever expectant to witness the wonders of God's mercy and eager to behold the
splendours of His beauty. Blessed indeed are they that have attained unto such a
station, for this is the station of the ardent lovers and the enraptured
souls.

[page 30]

And when this stage of the journey is completed and the wayfarer hath soared
beyond this lofty station, he entereth the City of Divine Unity, and the garden
of oneness, and the court of detachment. In this plane the seeker casteth away
all signs, allusions, veils, and words, and beholdeth all things with an eye
illumined by the effulgent lights which God Himself hath shed upon him. In his
journey he seeth all differences return to a single word and all allusions
culminate in a single point. Unto this beareth witness he who sailed upon the
ark of fire and followed the inmost path to the pinnacle of glory in the realm
of immortality: "Knowledge is one point, which the foolish have multiplied."

[27]

This is the station that hath been alluded
to in the tradition: "I am He, Himself, and He is I, Myself, except that I am
that I am, and He is that He is."

[28]

In this station, were He Who is the embodiment of the End to say: "Verily, I
am the Point of the Beginning", He would indeed be speaking the truth. And were
He to say: "I am other than Him", this would be equally true. Likewise, were He
to proclaim: "Verily, I am the Lord of heaven and earth", or "the King of
kings", or

[page 31]

"the Lord of the realm above", or Muhammad, or 'Alí, or their
descendants, or aught else, He would indeed be proclaiming the truth of God.
He, verily, ruleth over all created things and standeth supreme above all
besides Him. Hast thou not heard what hath been said aforetime: "Muhammad is
our first, Muhammad our last, Muhammad our all"? And elsewhere: "They all
proceed from the same Light"?

In this station the truth of the unity of God and of the signs of His sanctity
is established. Thou shalt indeed see them all rising above the bosom of God's might and embraced in the arms of His mercy; nor can any distinction be made between His bosom and His arms. To speak
of change or transformation in this plane would be sheer blasphemy and utter
impiety, for this is the station wherein the light of divine unity shineth
forth, and the truth of His oneness is expressed, and the splendours of the
everlasting Morn are reflected in lofty and faithful mirrors. By God! Were I to
reveal the full measure of that which He hath ordained for this station, the
souls of men would depart from their bodies, the inner realities of all things
would be shaken in their foundations, they that

[page 32]

dwell within the realms of creation would be dumbfounded, and those who move in
the lands of allusion would fade into utter nothingness.

Hast thou not heard: "No change is there in God's creation"?

[29]

Hast thou not read: "No change canst thou find in God's
mode of dealing"?

[30]

Hast thou not borne
witness to the truth: "No difference wilt thou see in the creation of the God
of Mercy"?

[31]

Yea, by My Lord! They that
dwell within this Ocean, they that ride upon this Ark, witness no change in the
creation of God and behold no differences upon His earth. And if God's creation
be not prone to change and alteration, how then could they who are the
Manifestations of His own Being be subject to it? Immeasurably exalted is God
above all that we may conceive of the Revealers of His Cause, and immensely
glorified is He beyond all that they may mention in His regard!

Great God! This sea had laid up lustrous  pearls in store;

The wind hath raised a wave that casteth them ashore.

So put away thy robe and drown thyself therein,

[page 33]

And cease to boast of skill: it serveth thee no more!

If thou be of the inmates of this city within the ocean of divine unity, thou
wilt view all the Prophets and Messengers of God as one soul and one body, as
one light and one spirit, in such wise that the first among them would be last
and the last would be first. For they have all arisen to proclaim His Cause and
have established the laws of divine wisdom. They are, one and all, the
Manifestations of his Self, the Repositories of His might, the Treasuries of
His Revelation, the Dawning-Places of His splendour and the Daysprings of His
light. Through them are manifested the signs of sanctity in the realities of
all things and the tokens of oneness in the essences of all beings. Through
them are revealed the elements of glorification in the heavenly realities and
the exponents of praise in the eternal essences. From them hath all creation
proceeded and unto them shall return all that hath been mentioned. And since in
their in most Beings they are the same Luminaries and the self-same Mysteries,
thou shouldst view their outward conditions in the same light, that thou mayest

[page 34]

recognize them all as one Being, nay, find them united in their words, speech,
and utterance.

Wert thou to consider in this station the last of them to be the first, or
conversely, thou wouldst indeed be speaking the truth, as hath been ordained by
Him Who is the Wellspring of Divinity and the Source of Lordship: "Say: Call
upon God or call upon the All-Merciful: by whichsoever name ye will, invoke
him, for He hath most excellent names."

[32]

For they are all the Manifestations of the name of God, the Dawning-Places of
His attributes, the Repositories of His might, and the Focal Points of His
sovereignty, whilst God - magnified be His might and glory - is in his Essence
sanctified above all names and exalted beyond even the loftiest attributes.
Consider likewise the evidences of divine omnipotence both in their Souls and
in their human Temples, that thine heart may be assured and that thou mayest be
of them that speed through the realms of His nearness.

I shall restate here My theme, that perchance this may assist thee in
recognizing thy Creator. Know thou that God - exalted and glorified be He -
doth in no wise manifest His inmost

[page 35]

Essence and Reality. From time immemorial He hath been veiled in the eternity
of His Essence and concealed in the infinitude of His own Being. And when He
purposed to manifest His beauty in the kingdom of names and to reveal His glory
in the realm of attributes, He brought forth His Prophets from the invisible
plane to the visible, that His name "the Manifest" might be distinguished from
"the Hidden" and His name "the Last" might be discerned from "the First", and
that there may be fulfilled the words:

"He is the First and the Last; the Seen and the Hidden; and He knoweth all
things!"

[33]

Thus hath He revealed these most
excellent names and most excellent names and most excellent words in the
Manifestations of His Self and the Mirrors of His Being.

It is therefore established that all names and attributes return unto these
sublime and sanctified Luminaries. Indeed, all names are to be found in their
names, and all attributes can be seen in their attributes. Viewed in this
light, if thou wert to call them by all the names of God, this would be true,
as all these are one and the same as their own Being. Comprehend then the
intent of these words, and guard it within the tabernacle of thy heart, that
thou

[page 36]

mayest recognize the implications of thine inquiry, fulfil them according to
that which God hath ordained for thee, and thus be numbered with those who have
attained unto His purpose.

All that thou hast heard regarding Muhammad the son of Hasan

[34]

- may the souls of all that are immersed in the oceans of
the spirit be offered up for His sake - is true beyond the shadow of a doubt,
and we all verily bear allegiance unto Him. But the Imáms of the Faith
have fixed His abode in the city of Jábulqá,

[35]

which they have depicted in strange and marvellous signs.
To interpret this city according to the literal meaning of the tradition would
indeed prove impossible, nor can such a city ever be found. Wert thou to search
the uttermost corners of the earth, nay probe its length and breadth for as long
as God's eternity hath lasted and His sovereignty will endure, thou wouldst
never find a city such as they have described, for the entirety of the earth
could neither contain nor encompass it. If thou wouldst lead Me unto this city,
I could assuredly lead thee unto this holy Being, Whom the people have
conceived according to what they possess and not to that which pertaineth unto
Him! Since

[page 37]

this is not in thy power, thou hast no recourse but to interpret symbolically
the accounts and traditions that have been reported from these luminous souls.
And as such an interpretation is needed for the traditions pertaining to the
aforementioned city, so too is it required for this holy Being. When thou hast
understood this interpretation, thou shalt no longer stand in need of
"transformation" or aught else.

Know then that, inasmuch as all the Prophets are but one and the same soul,
spirit, name, and attribute, thou must likewise see them all as bearing the
name Muhammad and as being the son of Hasan, as having appeared from the
Jábulqá of God's power and from the Jábulsá of His
mercy. For by Jábulqá is meant none other than the
treasure-houses of eternity in the all-highest heaven and the cities of the
unseen in the supernal realm. We bear witness that Muhammad, the son of Hasan, was
indeed in Jábulqá and appeared therefrom. Likewise, He Whom God
shall make manifest abideth in that city until such time as God will have
established Him upon the seat of His sovereignty. We, verily, acknowledge this
truth and bear allegiance unto each and every one of them. We have chosen

[page 38]

here to be brief in our elucidation of the meanings of Jábulqá, but
if thou be of them that truly believe, thou shalt indeed comprehend all the
true meanings of the mysteries enshrined within these Tablets.

But as to Him Who appeared in the year sixty, He standeth in need of neither
transformation nor interpretation, for His name was Muhammad, and He was a
descendant of the Imáms of the Faith. Thus it can be truly said of Him
that He was the son of Hasan, as is undoubtedly clear and evident unto thine
eminence. Nay, He it is Who fashioned that name and created it for Himself,
were ye to observe with the eye of God.

It is Our wish at this juncture to digress from Our theme to recount that
which befell the point of the Qur'án,

[36]

and to extol His remembrance, that perchance thou mayest
gain into all things an insight born of Him Who is the Almighty, the
Incomparable.

Consider and reflect upon His days, when God raised Him up to promote His Cause and to stand as the representative of His own Self. Witness how He was
assailed, denied, and denounced by all; when He set foot in the in the streets
and marketplaces, the people derided

[page 39]

Him, wagged their heads at Him, and laughed Him to scorn; how at every moment
they sought to slay Him. Such were their doings that the earth in all its
vastness was straitened for Him, the Concourse on High bewailed His plight, the
foundations of existence were reduced to nothingness, and the eyes of the
well-favoured denizens of his Kingdom wept sore over Him. Indeed, so grievous
were the afflictions which the infidels and the wicked showered upon Him that
no faithful soul can bear to hear them.

If these wayward souls had indeed paused to reflect upon their conduct,
recognized the sweet melodies of that Mystic Dove singing upon the twigs of
this snow-white Tree, embraced that which God had revealed unto and bestowed
upon them, and discovered the fruits of the Tree of God upon its branches,
wherefore then did they reject and denounce Him? Had they not lifted their
heads to the heavens to implore His appearance? Had they not besought God at
every moment to honour them with His Beauty and sustain them through His
presence?

But as they failed to recognize the accents of God and the divine mysteries
and holy allusions

[page 40]

enshrined in that which flowed from the tongue of Muhammad, and as they
neglected to examine the matter in their own hearts, and followed instead those
priests of error who have hindered the progress of the people in past
dispensations and who will continue to do so in future cycles, they were thus
veiled from the divine purpose, failed to quaff from the celestial streams, and
deprived themselves of the presence of God, the Manifestation of His Essence,
and the Dayspring of His eternity. Thus did they wander in the paths of
delusion and the ways of heedlessness, and return to their abode in that fire
which feedeth on their own souls. These, verily, are numbered with the infidels
whose names have been inscribed by the Pen of God in His holy Book. Nor have
they ever found, or will ever find, a friend or helper.

Had these souls but clung steadfastly to the Handle of God manifested in the
Person of Muhammad, had they turned wholly unto God and cast aside all that
they had learned from their divines, He would assuredly have guided them
through His grace and acquainted them with the sacred truths that are enshrined
within His imperishable utterances. For far be

[page 41]

it from His greatness and His glory that He should turn away a seeker at His
door, cast aside from His Threshold one who hath set his hopes on Him, reject
one who hath sought the shelter of His shade, deprive one who hath held fast to
the hem of His mercy, or condemn to remoteness the poor one who hath found the
river of His riches. But as these people failed to turn wholly unto God, and to
hold fast to the hem of His all-pervading mercy at the appearance of the
Daystar of Truth, they passed out from under the shadow of guidance and entered
the city of error. Thus did they become corrupt and corrupt the people. Thus
did they err and lead the people into error. And thus were they recorded among
the oppressors in the books of heaven.

Now that this evanescent One hath reached this exalted point in the exposition
of the inner mysteries, the reason for the denial of these uncouth souls will
be described briefly, that it may serve as a testimony unto them that are
endued with understanding and insight, and be a token of My favour unto the
concourse of the faithful.

Know then that when Muhammad, the Point of the Qur'án and the Light of
the All-Glorious,

[page 42]

came with perspicuous verses and luminous proofs manifested in such signs as
are beyond the proof of all existence to produce, He bade all men follow this
lofty and outstretched Path in accordance with the precepts that He had brought
from God. Whoso acknowledged Him, recognized the signs of God in His inmost
Being, and saw in His beauty the changeless beauty of God, the decree of
"resurrection", "ingathering", "life", and "paradise" was passed upon him. For
he who had believed in God and in the Manifestation of His beauty was raised
from the grave of heedlessness, gathered together in the sacred ground of the
heart, quickened to the life of faith and certitude, and admitted into the
paradise of the divine presence. What paradise can be loftier than this, what
ingathering mightier, and what resurrection greater? Indeed, should a soul be
acquainted with these mysteries, he would grasp that which none other hath
fathomed.

Know then that the paradise that appeareth in the day of God surpasseth every
other paradise and excelleth the realities of Heaven. For when God--blessed and
glorified is He--sealed the station of prophethood in the person of Him Who was
His Friend, His Chosen One,

[page 43]

and His Treasure amongst His creatures, as hath been revealed from the Kingdom
of glory: "but He is the Apostle of God and the Seal of the Prophets",

[37]

He promised all men that they shall attain
unto His own presence in the Day of Resurrection. In this He meant to emphasize
the greatness of the Revelation to come, as it hath indeed been manifested
through the power of truth. And there is of a certainty no paradise greater
than this, nor station higher, should ye reflect upon the verses of the
Qur'án. Blessed be he who knoweth of a certainty that he shall attain
unto the presence of God on that day when His Beauty shall be made manifest.

Were I to recount all the verses that have been revealed in connection with
this exalted theme, it would weary the reader and divert Us from Our purpose.
The following verse shall therefore suffice Us; may thine eyes be solaced
therewith, and mayest thou attain unto that which hath been treasured and
concealed therein: "It is God who hath reared the heavens without pillars thou
canst behold; then mounted His throne, and imposed laws on the sun and moon:
each travelleth to its appointed goal. He ordereth all things. He maketh His
signs clear,

[page 44]

that ye may have firm faith in the presence of your Lord."

[38]

Ponder then, O My friend, the words "firm faith" that have been mentioned in
this verse. It saith that the heavens and the earth, the throne, the sun and
the moon, all have been created to the end that His servants may have
unswerving faith in His presence in His days. By the righteousness of God!
Contemplate, O My brother, the greatness of this station, and behold the
condition of the people in these days, fleeing from the Countenance of God and
His Beauty "as though they were affrighted asses".

[39]

Wert thou to reflect upon that which We have revealed
unto thee, thou wouldst undoubtedly grasp Our purpose in this utterance and
discover that which We have desired to impart unto thee within this paradise.
Perchance thine eyes may rejoice in beholding it, thine ears take delight in
hearing that which is recited therein, thy soul be enthralled by recognizing
it, thy heart illumined by comprehending it, and thy spirit gladdened by the
fragrant breezes that waft therefrom. Haply thou mayest attain unto the
pinnacle of divine grace and abide within the Ridván of transcendent
holiness.

[page 45]

He, however, who denied God in His Truth, who turned his back upon Him and
rebelled, who disbelieved and made mischief, the verdict of "impiety",
"blasphemy", "death", and "fire" was passed upon him. For, what blasphemy is
greater than to turn unto the manifestations of Satan, to follow the doctors of
oblivion and the people of rebellion? What impiety is more grievous than to
deny the Lord on the day when faith itself is renewed and regenerated by God,
the Almighty, the Beneficent? What death is more wretched than to flee from the
Source of everlasting life? What fire is fiercer on the Day of Reckoning than
that of remoteness from the divine Beauty and the celestial Glory?

These were the very words and utterances used by the pagan Arabs living in the
days of Muhammad to dispute with and pronounce judgement against Him. They
said: "Those who believed in Muhammad dwelt in our midst and associated with us
day and night. When did they die and when were they raised again to life?"
Hearken unto that which was revealed in reply: "If ever thou dost marvel,
marvellous surely is their saying, 'What! When we have become dust and
mouldering bones, shall we be restored in a

[page 46]

new creation.'"

[40]

And in another passage:
"And if thou shouldst say, 'After death ye shall surely be raised again', the
infidels will certainly exclaim, 'This is naught but palpable sorcery.'"

[41]

Thus did they mock and deride Him, for they
had read in their Books and heard from their divines the terms "life" and
"death", and understood them as this elemental life and physical death, and
hence when they found not that which their vain imaginings and their false and
wicked minds had conceived, they hoisted the banners of discord and the
standards of sedition and kindled the flame of war. God, however, quenched it
through the power of His might, as thou seest again in this day with these
infidels and evil-doers.

At this hour, when the sweet savours of attraction have wafted over Me from
the everlasting city, when transports of yearning have seized Me from the land
of splendours at the dawning of the Daystar of the worlds above the horizon of
'Iráq, and the sweet melodies of Hijáz have brought to Mine ears
the mysteries of separation, I have purposed to relate unto thine eminence a
portion of that which the Mystic Dove hath warbled in the midmost heart of

[page 47]

Paradise as to the true meaning of life and death, though the task be
impossible. For were I to interpret these words for thee as it hath been
inscribed in the Guarded Tablets, all the books and pages of the world could
not contain it, nor could the souls of men bear its weight. I shall nonetheless
mention that which beseemeth this day and age, that it might serve as a
guidance unto whosoever desireth to gain admittance into the retreats of glory
in the realms above, to hearken unto the melodies of the spirit intoned by this
divine and mystic bird, and to be numbered with those who have severed
themselves from all save God and who in this day rejoice in the presence of
their Lord.

Know then that "life" has a twofold meaning. The first pertaineth to the
appearance of man in an elemental body, and is as manifest to thine eminence
and to others as the midday sun. This life cometh to an end with physical
death, which is a God-ordained and inescapable reality. That life, however,
which is mentioned in the Books of the Prophets and the Chosen Ones of God is
the life of knowledge; that is to say, the servant's recognition of the sign of
the splendours wherewith He Who is the Source of all

[page 48]

splendour hath Himself invested him, and his certitude of attaining unto the
presence of God through the Manifestations of His Cause. This is that blessed
and everlasting life that perisheth not: whosoever is quickened thereby shall
never die, but will endure as long as His Lord and Creator will endure.

The first life, which pertaineth to the elemental body, will come to an end,
as hath been revealed by God: "Every soul shall taste of death."

[42]

But the second life, which ariseth from the knowledge of
God, knoweth no death, as hath been revealed aforetime: "Him will We surely
quicken to a blessed life."

[43]

And in another
passage concerning the martyrs: "Nay, they are alive and sustained by their
Lord."

[44]

And from the Traditions: "He who is
a true believer liveth both in this world and in the world to come."

[45]

Numerous examples of similar words are to be
found in the Books of God and of the Embodiments of His justice. For the sake
of brevity, however, We have contented Ourself with the above passages.

O My brother! Forsake thine own desires, turn thy face unto thy Lord, and walk
not in the footsteps of those who have taken their corrupt

[page 49]

inclinations for their god, that perchance thou mayest find shelter in the
heart of existence, beneath the redeeming shadow of Him Who traineth all names
and attributes. For they who turn away from their Lord in this day are in truth
accounted amongst the dead, though to outward seeming they may walk upon the
earth, amongst the deaf, though they may hear, and amongst the blind, though
they may see, as hath been clearly stated by Him Who is the Lord of the Day of
Reckoning: "Hearts have they with which they understand not, and eyes have they
with which they see not...."

[46]

They walk the
edge of a treacherous bank and tread the brink of a fiery abyss.

[47]

They partake not of the billows of this surging and
treasure-laden Ocean, but disport themselves with their own idle words.

In this connection We will relate unto thee that which was revealed of old
concerning "life", that perchance it may turn thee away from the promptings of
self, deliver thee from the narrow confines of thy prison in this gloomy plane,
and aid thee to become of them that are guided aright in the darkness of this
world.

He saith, and He, verily, speaketh the truth: "Shall the dead whom We have
quickened, and

[page 50]

for whom We have ordained a light whereby he may walk amongst men, be like him
whose likeness is in the darkness, whence he will not come forth?"

[48]

This verse was revealed with respect to
Hamzih and Abú-Jahl, the former of whom was a believer whilst the latter
disbelieved. Most of the pagan leaders mocked and derided it, were agitated,
and clamoured: "How did Hamzih die? And how was he restored to his former
life?" Were ye to examine carefully the verses of God, ye would find many such
statements recorded in the Book.

Would that pure and stainless hearts could be found, that I might impart unto
them a sprinkling from the oceans of knowledge which My Lord hath bestowed upon
Me, so that they may soar in the heavens even as they walk upon the earth and
speed over the waters even as they course the land, and that they may take up
their souls in their hands and lay them down in the path of their Creator.
Howbeit, leave hath not been granted to divulge this mighty secret. Indeed, it
hath been from everlasting a mystery enshrined within the treasuries of His
power and a secret concealed within the repositories of His might, lest His
faithful servants forsake their

[page 51]

own lives in the hope of attaining this most great station in the realms of
eternity. Nor shall they who wander in this oppressive darkness ever attain
unto it.

O My brother! At every juncture We have restated Our theme, that all that hath
been recorded in these verses may, by the leave of God, be made clear unto
thee, and that thou mayest become independent of those who are plunged in the
darkness of self and who tread the valley of arrogance and pride, and be of
them that move within the paradise of everlasting life.

Say: O people! The Tree of Life hath verily been planted in the heart of the
heavenly paradise and bestoweth life in every direction. How can ye fail to
perceive and recognize it? It will in truth aid thee to grasp all this
well-assured Soul hath disclosed unto thee of the essence of the divine
mysteries. The Dove of holiness warbleth in the heaven of immortality and
admonisheth thee to array thyself with a new vesture, wrought of steel to
shield thee from the shafts of doubt concealed in the allusions of men, saying:
"Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the
kingdom of

[page 52]

God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the
Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again."

[49]

Wing then thy flight unto this divine Tree and partake of its fruits. Gather
up that which hath fallen therefrom and guard it faithfully. Medidate then upon
the utterance of one of the Prophets as He intimated to the souls of men,
through veiled allusions and hidden symbols, the glad-tidings of the One Who
was to come after Him, that thou mayest know of a certainty that their words are inscrutable to all save those who are endued
with an understanding heart. He saith: "His eyes were as a flame of fire", and
"brass-like were His feet", and "out of His mouth goeth a two-edged sword".

[50]

How could these words be literally
interpreted? Were anyone to appear with all these signs, he would assuredly not
be human. And how could any soul seek his company? Nay, should he appear in one
city, even the inhabitants of the next would flee from him, nor would any soul
dare approach him! Yet, shouldst thou reflect upon these statements, thou
wouldst find them to be of such surpassing eloquence and clarity as to mark the
loftiest heights

[page 53]

of utterance and the epitome of wisdom. Methinks it is from them that the suns
of eloquence have appeared and the stars of clarity have dawned forth and shone
resplendent.

Behold, then, the foolish ones of bygone times and those who, in this day,
await the advent of such a being! Nor would they ever bear allegiance unto him
except that he appear in the aforementioned form. And as such a being will
never appear, so too will they never believe. Such indeed is the measure of the
understanding of these perverse and ungodly souls! How could those who fail to
understand the most evident of the evident and the most manifest of the manifest ever
apprehend the abstruse realities of the divine precepts and the essence of the
mysteries of His everlasting wisdom?

I shall now briefly explain the true meaning of this utterance, that thou
mayest discover its hidden mysteries and be of them that perceive. Examine then
and judge aright that which We shall reveal unto thee, that haply thou mayest
be accounted in the sight of God amongst those who are fair-minded in these
matters.

Know then that He who uttered these words in the realms of glory meant to
describe the

[page 54]

attributes of the One Who is to come in such veiled and enigmatic terms as to
elude the understanding of the people of error. Now, when He saith: "His eyes
were as a flame of fire", He alludeth but to the keenness of sight and
acuteness of vision of the Promised One, Who with His eyes burneth away every
veil and covering, maketh known the eternal mysteries in the contingent world,
and distinguisheth the faces that are obscured with the dust of hell from those
that shine with the light of paradise.

[51]

Were His eyes not made of the blazing fire of God, how could He consume every
veil and burn away all that the people possess? How could He behold the signs
of God in the Kingdom of His names and in the world of creation? How could He
see all things with the all-perceiving eye of God? Thus have we conferred upon
Him a penetrating vision in this day. Would that ye believe in the verses of
God! For, indeed, what fire is fiercer than this flame that shineth in the
Sinai of His eyes, whereby He consumeth all that hath veiled the peoples of the
world? Immeasurably exalted shall God remain above all that hath been revealed
in His unerring Tablets concerning the mysteries of the beginning and the
end

[page 55]

until that day when the Crier will cry out, the day whereon we shall all return
unto Him.

As to the words "brass-like were His feet", by this is meant His constancy
upon hearing the call of God that commandeth Him: "Be thou steadfast as thou
hast been bidden."

[52]

He shall so persevere
in the Cause of God, and evince such firmness in the path of His might, that
even if all the powers of earth and heaven were to deny Him, He would not waver
in the proclamation of His Cause, nor flee from His command in the promulgation
of His Laws. Nay rather, He will stand as firm as the highest mountains and the
loftiest peaks. He will remain immovable in His obedience to God and steadfast
in revealing His Cause and proclaiming His Word. No obstacle will hinder Him,
nor will the censure of the froward deter Him or the repudiation of the
infidels cause Him to waver. All the hatred, the rejection, the iniquity, and
the unbelief that He witnesseth serve but to strengthen His love for God, to
augment the yearning of His heart, to heighten the exultation of His soul, and
to fill His breast with passionate devotion. Hast thou ever seen in this world
brass stronger, or blade sharper, or mountain more unyielding than this?

[page 56]

He shall verily stand upon His feet to confront all the inhabitants of the
earth, and will fear no one, notwithstanding that which, as thou well knowest,
the people are wont to commit. Glory be to God, Who hath established Him and
called Him forth! Potent is God to do what He pleaseth. He, in truth, is the
Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.

And further He saith: "Out of his mouth goeth a two-edged sword." Know thou
that since the sword is an instrument that divideth and cleaveth asunder, and
since there proceedeth from the mouth of the Prophets and the Chosen Ones of
God that which separateth the believer from the infidel and the lover from the
beloved, this term hath been so employed, and apart from this dividing and
separating no other meaning is intended. Thus, when He Who is the Primal Point
and the eternal Sun desireth, by the leave of God, to gather together all
creation, to raise them up from the graves of their own selves, and to divide
them one from another, He shall pronounce but one verse from Him, and this
verse will distinguish truth from error from this day unto the Day of
Resurrection. What sword is sharper than this heavenly sword, what blade

[page 57]

more trenchant than this incorruptible steel that severeth every tie and
separateth thereby the believer from the infidel, father from son, brother from
sister, and lover from beloved?

[53]

For whoso
believeth in that which hath been revealed unto him is a true believer and
whoso turneth away is an infidel, and such an irrevocable separation occurreth
between them that they will cease to consort and associate with each other in
this world. And so it is between father and son, for should the son believe and
the father deny, they will be severed and forever dissociated from each other.
Nay rather, thou witnesseth how the son slayeth the father and the father the
son. Consider in the same light all that We have explained and related unto
thee.

Wert thou to behold all things with the eye of discernment, thou wouldst
indeed see that this divine sword doth cleave asunder generations. Would that
ye could understand it! All this is by virtue of the word of separation that is
manifested on the Day of Judgement and Separation, were the people to take heed
in the days of their Lord. Nay, couldst thou but sharpen thy sight and refine
thy heart, thou wouldst witness that all the material swords which in every day
and

[page 58]

age have slain the infidels and waged war against the impious proceed from this
divine and invisible sword. Open thine eyes, that thou mayest behold all that
We have revealed to thee and attain unto that which none other hath attained.
We verily exclaim: "Praise be to God, He Who is the Lord of the Day of
Reckoning!"

[54]

Yea, inasmuch as these people have failed to acquire true knowledge from its
source and wellspring, and from the ocean of fresh and soft-flowing waters that
stream, by the leave of God, through hearts that are pure and stainless, they
have been veiled from that which God hath intended by those words and allusions
and have remained confined within the prison of their own selves.

We render thanks unto God for that which He hath bestowed upon us of His
grace. He it is Who hath caused us to be assured of the truth of His Faith - a
Faith which the combined forces of earth and heaven are powerless to resist. He
it is Who hath enabled us to acknowledge Him in the day of His presence, to
testify unto Him Whom God shall make manifest in the latter Resurrection, and
to be among them that have believed in Him ere His appearance, that

[page 59]

His favour may be made complete unto us and unto all mankind.

But hear, O My brother, My plaint against them that claim to be associated
with God and with the Manifestations of His knowledge, and yet follow their
corrupt inclinations, consume the substance of their neighbour, are given to
wine, commit murder, defraud and slander each other, hurl calumnies against
God, and are wont to speak falsely. The people attribute all these deeds unto
Us, whilst their perpetrators remain shameless before God. They cast aside that
which He hath enjoined upon them and commit that which He hath forbidden. Yet
it behoveth the people of truth that the signs of humility should shine upon
their faces, that the light of sanctity should radiate from their countenances,
that they should walk upon the earth as though they were in the presence of God and distinguish themselves in their deeds from all the dwellers of the earth. Such must be their state that their eyes should behold the evidences of His might, their tongues and hearts make mention
of His name, their feet be set towards the lands of His nearness, and their
hands take fast hold upon His precepts. And were they to pass through a valley
of pure

[page 60]

gold and mines of precious silver, they should regard them as wholly unworthy
of their attention.

These people, however, have turned aside from all this and placed instead
their affections upon that which accordeth with their own corrupt inclinations.
Thus do they roam in the wilderness of arrogance and pride. I bear witness at
this moment that God is wholly quit of them, and likewise are We. We beseech
God to suffer Us not to associate with them either in this life or in the life
to come. He, verily, is the Eternal Truth. No God is there but Him, and His
might is equal to all things.

Quaff then, O my brother, from the living waters that We have caused to flow
in the oceans of these words. Methinks the seas of grandeur are surging within
them, and the gems of divine virtue are shining within and upon them. Divest
then thyself of that which debarreth thee from this fathomless crimson sea, and
to the cry of "In the name of God and by His grace!" immerse thyself therein.
Let the fear of no one dismay thee. Trust in the Lord, thy God, for He is
sufficient unto whosoever trusteth in Him. He, verily, shall protect thee, and
in Him shalt thou abide in safety.

[page 61]

Know thou, moreover, that in this most hallowed and resplendent city thou
shalt find the wayfarer to be lowly before all men and humble before all
things. For naught doth he behold save that he perceiveth God therein. He
beholdeth the effulgent glories of God in the lights of His Revelation that
have encompassed the Sinai of creation. In this station the wayfarer must not
claim the seat of honour in any gathering or walk before others in the desire to
vaunt and exalt himself. Rather must he regard himself as standing at all times
in the presence of his Lord. He must not wish for anyone that which he would
doth not wish for himself, nor speak that which he would not bear to hear
spoken by another, nor yet desire for any soul that which he would not have
desired for himself. It befitteth him, rather, to walk upon the earth with
undeviating steps in the kingdom of His new creation.

Know, however, that the seeker, at the outset of his journey, witnesseth change
and transformation, as hath already been mentioned. This is undoubtedly the
truth, as hath been revealed concerning those days: "On the day when the earth
shall be changed into another earth."

[55]

[page 62]

These are indeed days the like of which no mortal eye hath ever seen. Blessed
is he that attaineth thereunto and realizeth their full worth. "We had sent
Moses with Our signs, saying unto him: 'Bring forth thy people from darkness
into light and remind them of the days of
God.'"

[56]

And these are in truth the days of
God, could ye but know it.

In this station, all changing and varying realities are manifest before thee.
Whosoever denieth this truth hath verily turned aside from the Cause of God,
rebelled against His rule, and gainsaid his sovereignty. For it is indeed
within the power of Him Who changeth the earth into another earth to transform
all that dwell and move thereon. Wherefore marvel not at how He turneth
darkness into light, light into darkness, ignorance into knowledge, error into
guidance, death into life, and life into death. It is in this station that the
law of transformation taketh effect. Ponder thereon, if thou be of them that
tread this path, that all thou didst ask of this lowly One may be made plain
unto thee and that thou mayest abide within the tabernacle of this guidance.
For He doeth whatsoever He willeth and ordaineth whatsoever He pleaseth.

[page 63]

Nor shall He be asked of His doings, whilst all men will be asked of their
every deed.

[57]

O My brother! In this stage, which marketh the beginning of the journey, thou
shalt behold divers stations and differing signs, even as was mentioned in
connection with the City of Search. All these hold true in their respective
planes. It behoveth thine eminence in this station to consider each created
thing in its own place, neither abasing nor exalting its true rank. For
instance, if thou wert to reduce the unseen world to the realm of creation,
this would be an act of sheer of blasphemy, and the converse would likewise be
the essence of impiety. Wert thou, however, to describe the unseen world and
the realm of creation within their own stations, this would be the undoubted
truth. In other words, wert thou to witness any transformation in the realm of
the divine unity, no greater sin could be conceived in all creation, but wert
thou to consider transformation in its own place and understand accordingly, no
harm could befall thee.

By My Lord! Notwithstanding all that We have revealed unto thee of the
mysteries of utterance and the degrees of exposition, methinks

[page 64]

I have spoken not a single letter of the ocean of God's hidden knowledge and
the essence of His inscrutable wisdom. God willing, this We shall erelong
accomplish in its appointed time. He verily, remembereth all things in their
own place, and we, in truth, all yield praise unto Him.

Know thou, moreover, that the bird that taketh flight in the atmosphere of the
realm on high will never be able to soar unto the heaven of transcendent
holiness, nor taste of the fruits which God hath brought forth therein, nor
quaff from the streams which He hath caused to flow in its midst. And were it
to partake but a drop thereof, it would perish forthwith. Even as thou dost
witness in these days with regard to those who profess allegiance unto Us, and
yet perform such deeds, utter such words, and advance such claims as they have.
Methinks they lie as dead within their own veils.

Comprehend, in like manner, every station, sign, and allusion, that thou
mayest perceive all things in their own place and consider all matters in their
proper light. For in this station, the City of Divine Unity, are to be found
those who have entered within the ark of divine guidance and journeyed through
the heights of divine

[page 65]

unity. Thou shalt behold the lights of beauty upon their faces and the mysteries of glory in their human temples.  Thou shalt perceive the musk-laden fragrance of their words and behold the
signs of His sovereignty in all their ways and doings. Now wilt thou be veiled
by the deeds of them that have failed to quaff from the crystal springs or to
attain unto the cities of holiness, and who follow their selfish desires and
spread disorder in the land, all the while believing themselves to be guided
aright. It is indeed of them that it hath been said: "These are the abject and
foolish, who follow every clamourous impostor and who bend with every changing
wind."

[58]

The stages of this journey,
station, and abode are clear and manifest to thee and require no further
explanation.

Know then that all thou hast heard and witnessed that Daystar of Truth, the
Primal Point, ascribe to Himself from the designations of former times is only
on account of the weakness of men and the scheme of the world of creation.
Otherwise, all names and attributes revolve round His Essence and circle about
the threshold of His Sanctuary. For He it is Who traineth all names, revealeth
all attributes, conferreth life

[page 66]

upon all beings, proclaimeth the divine verses, and arrayeth the heavenly
signs. Nay, shouldst thou gaze with thine inner eye, thou wouldst find that all
save Him fade into utter nothingness and are as a thing forgotten in His holy
presence. "God was alone; there was none else besides Him. He remaineth now
what He hath ever been." Since it hath been established that God - hallowed and
glorified be He! - was alone and there was none besides Him, how can the law of
change and transformation apply here? Shouldst thou reflect upon that which We
have disclosed unto thee, the daystar of guidance would shine resplendent
before thee in this everlasting morn, and thou wouldst be numbered therein with
the pious.

Know, moreover, that all that We have mentioned concerning these journeys is
intended for none but the elect amongst the righteous. And shouldst thou spur
on the charger of the spirit and traverse the meads of heaven, thou wouldst
complete all these journeys and discover every mystery in less than the
twinkling of an eye.

O My brother! If thou be a champion of this arena, speed within the lands of
certitude, that thy soul may be delivered in this day from the

[page 67]

bondage of misbelief, and that thou mayest perceive the sweet savours that waft
from this garden. Verily, the perfume-laden breezes that carry the fragrance of
this city blow over all regions. Forfeit not thy portion thereof and be not of
the heedless. How well hath it been said:

His fragrant breaths diffused in Eastern lands could well

To sick ones in the West restore their sense of smell!

[59]

After this heavenly journey and mystical ascent the wayfarer will enter within
the Garden of Wonderment. Were I to disclose unto thee the reality of this
station, thou wouldst lament and bewail the plight of this Servant Who
remaineth in the hands of these infidels, Who hath grown perplexed at his
plight, and is lost in bewilderment in this fathomless ocean. They conspire
each day to put Me to death, and seek at every hour to banish Me from this
land, even as they banished Me from another land. Yet this Servant standeth
ready before them, awaiting whatsoever the Almighty hath ordained and decreed
for Us. Nor do I fear any soul, encompassed as We may

[page 68]

be by such trials and tribulations as are inflicted by the wicked and the
malicious and surrounded at this hour by a myriad woes and sorrows. "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."

[60]

Were I to recount unto thine eminence the dire adversities that have befallen
Me, thou wouldst be so grieved as to forsake the mention of all things and to
forget thyself and all that the Lord hath created on earth. But as this is not
Our wish, I have concealed the revelation of the divine decree in the heart of
Bahá and veiled it from the eyes of all that move in the realm of
creation, that it may lay hid within the tabernacle of the Unseen until such
time as God will have revealed its secret. "Naught in the heavens or on the
earth can escape His knowledge, and He, verily, perceiveth all things."

[61]

As We have digressed from Our theme, let Us leave aside these allusions and
return to Our discussion of this city. Verily, whoso entereth therein shall be
saved, and whoso turneth aside therefrom will assuredly perish.

[page 69]

O thou who art mentioned in these Tablets! Know thou that he who embarketh upon
this journey will marvel at the signs of the power of God and the wondrous
evidences of His handwork. Bewilderment will seize him from every side, even as
hath been attested by that Essence of immortality from the Concourse on high:
"Increase My wonder and amazement at Thee, O God!"

[62]

Well hath it been said:

I knew not what amazement was

Until I made Thy love my cause.

O how amazing would it be

If I were not amazed by Thee!

[63]

In this valley the wayfarers stray and perish ere they attain their final
abode. Gracious God! So immense is this valley, so vast this city in the
kingdom of creation, that it seemeth to have neither beginning nor end. How
great the blessedness of him who completeth his journey therein and who
traverseth, through the assistance of God, the hallowed soil of this heavenly
city, a city in which the favoured ones of God and the pure in heart are
overcome with wonder and awe. And We say: "Praise be to God, the Lord of the
worlds."

[page 70]

And should the servant ascend to even loftier heights, quit this mortal world
of dust, and seek to ascend unto the celestial abode, he will then pass from
this city into the City of Absolute Nothingness, that is, of dying to self and
living in God. In this station, this most exalted habitation, this journey of
utter self-effacement, the wayfarer forgetteth his soul, spirit, body, and very
being, immerseth himself in the sea of nothingness, and liveth on earth as one
unworthy of mention. Nor will one find any sign of his existence, for he hath
vanished from the realm of the visible and attained unto the heights of
self-abnegation.

Were We to recount the mysteries of this city, the dominions of the hearts of
men would be laid to waste in the intensity of their longing for this mighty
station. For this is the station wherein the effulgent glories of the Beloved
are revealed to the sincere lover and the resplendent lights of the Friend are
cast upon the severed heart that is devoted to Him.

How can a true lover continue to exist when once the effulgent glories of the
Beloved are revealed? How can the shadow endure when once the sun hath shone
forth? How can

[page 71]

a devoted heart have any being before the existence of the Object of its
devotion? Nay, by the One in Whose hand is my soul! In this station, the
seeker's complete surrender and utter effacement before his Creator will be
such that, were he to search the East and the West, and traverse land, sea,
mountain and plain, he would find no trace of his own self or of any other
soul.

Gracious God! But for fear of the Nimrod of tyranny and for the protection of
the Abraham of justice, I would reveal unto thee that which, wert thou to
abandon self and desire, would enable thee to dispense with aught else and to
draw nigh unto this city. Be patient, however, until such time as God will have
proclaimed His Cause. He, verily, rewardeth beyond measure them that endure
with patience.

[64]

Inhale then the sweet
savours of the spirit from the garment of hidden meanings, and say: "O ye that
are immersed in the ocean of selflessness! Hasten to enter the City of
Immortality, if ye seek to ascend its heights." And We exclaim: "Verily we are
God's, and to Him shall we return."

[65]

From this most august and exalted station, and from this most sublime and
glorious plane,

[page 72]

the seeker entereth the City of Immortality, therein to abide forever. In this
station he beholdeth himself established upon the throne of independence and
the seat of exaltation. Then will he comprehend the meaning of that which hath
been revealed of old concerning the day "whereon God shall enrich all through
His abundance".

[66]

Well is it with them that
have attained unto this station and drunk their fill from this snow-white
chalice before this Crimson Pillar.

Having, in this journey, immersed himself in the ocean of immortality, rid his
heart from attachment to aught save Him, and attained unto the loftiest heights
of everlasting life, the seeker will see no annihilation either for himself or
for any other soul. He will quaff from the cup of immortality, tread in its
land, soar in its atmosphere, consort with them that are its embodiments,
partake of the imperishable and incorruptible fruits of the tree of eternity,
and be forever accounted, in the lofty heights of immortality, amongst the
denizens of the everlasting realm.

All that existeth in this city shall indeed endure and will never perish.
Shouldst thou, by

[page 73]

the leave of God, enter this sublime and exalted garden, thou wouldst find its
sun in its noontide glory, never to set, never to be eclipsed. The same holdeth
true of its moon, its firmament, its stars, trees, and oceans, and of all that
pertaineth thereunto or existeth therein. By Him besides Whom there is none
other God! Were I to recount, from this day unto the end that hath no end, its
wondrous attributes, the love that My heart cherisheth for this hallowed and
everlasting city would never be exhausted. I shall, however, bring My theme to
a close, since time is short and the inquirer impatient, and since these
secrets are not to be openly divulged save by the leave of God, the Almighty,
the All-Compelling.

Erelong shall the faithful behold, in the day of the latter Resurrection, Him
Whom God shall make manifest descending with this city from the heaven of the
Unseen, together with a company of His exalted and favoured angels. Great,
therefore, is the blessedness of him that attaineth unto His presence and
beholdeth His countenance. We all, verily, cherish this hope, and exclaim:
"Praise be unto Him, for verily He is the Eternal Truth, and unto Him do we
return!"

[page 74]

Know, moreover, that should one who hath attained unto these stations and
embarked upon these journeys fall prey to pride and vainglory, he would at that
very moment come to naught and return to the first step without realizing it.
Indeed, they that seek and yearn after Him in these journeys are known by this
sign, that they humbly defer to those who have believed in God and in His
verses, that they are lowly before those who have drawn nigh unto Him and unto
the Manifestations of His beauty, and that they bow in submission to them that
are firmly established upon the lofty heights of the Cause of God and before
its majesty.

For were they to reach the ultimate object of their quest for God and their
attainment unto Him, they would have but reached that abode which hath been
raised up within their own hearts. How then could they ever hope to ascend unto
such realms as have not been ordained for them or created for their station?
Nay, though they journey from everlasting to everlasting, they will never
attain unto Him Who is the midmost Heart of existence and the Axis of the
entire creation, He on Whose right hand flow the seas of grandeur, on Whose
left

[page 75]

stream the rivers of might, and Whose court none can ever hope to reach, how
much less His very abode! For He dwelleth in the ark of fire, speedeth, in the
sphere of fire, through the ocean of fire, and moveth within the atmosphere of
fire. How can he who hath been fashioned of contrary elements ever enter or
even approach this fire? Were he to do so, he would be instantly consumed.

Know, moreover, that should the cord of assistance binding this mighty Pivot
to the dwellers of earth and heaven be severed, they would all assuredly
perish. Great God! How can the lowly dust ever reach unto Him Who is the Lord
of lords? Immeasurably exalted is God above that which they conceive in their
hearts, and immensely glorified is He beyond that which they attribute to
Him.

Yea, the seeker reacheth a station wherein that which hath been ordained for
him knoweth no bounds. The fire of love so blazeth in his heart that it seizeth
the reins of constraint from his grasp. At every moment his love for his Lord
increaseth and draweth him nearer unto his Creator, in such wise that if his
Lord be in the east of nearness, and he dwell in the west of

[page 76]

remoteness and possess all that earth and heaven contain of rubies and gold, he
would forsake it all and rush forth to the land of the Desired One. And
shouldst thou find him to be otherwise, know assuredly that such a man is a
lying impostor. We, verily, all belong unto Him Whom God shall make manifest in
the latter Resurrection, and through Him shall we be raised again to life.

In these days, inasmuch as We have lifted not the veils that conceal the
countenance of the Cause of God, nor disclosed unto men the fruits of these
stations which We have been forbidden to describe, thou beholdest them drunk
with heedlessness. Otherwise, were the glory of this station to be revealed
unto men to an extent smaller than a needle's eye, thou wouldst witness them
gathering before the threshold of divine mercy and hastening from all sides to
the court of nearness in the realms of divine glory. We have concealed it,
however, as mentioned before, that those who believe may be distinguished from
them that deny, and that those who turn unto God may be discerned from them
that turn aside. I verily proclaim: "There is no power nor strength except in
God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting."

[page 77]

From this station the wayfarer ascendeth unto a City that hath no name or
description, and whereof one heareth neither sound nor mention. Therein flow
the oceans of eternity, whilst this city itself revolveth round the seat of
eternity. Therein the sun of the Unseen shineth resplendent above the horizon
of the Unseen, a sun that hath its own heavens and its own moons, which partake
of its light and which rise from and set upon the ocean of the Unseen. Nor can
I ever hope to impart even a dewdrop of that which hath been decreed therein,
as none is acquainted with its mysteries save God, its Creator and Fashioner,
and His Manifestations.

Know, moreover, that when We undertook to reveal these words and committed
some of them to writing, it was Our intention to elucidate for thine eminence,
in the sweet accents of the blessed and the well-favoured of God, all that We
had previously mentioned of the words of the Prophets and the sayings of the
Messengers. Time, however, was lacking, and the traveller who came from thy
presence was in great haste and eager to return. Thus have We cut short Our
discourse and contented Ourself with this much, without completing the
description of these

[page 78]

stages in a seemly and befitting manner. Indeed, We have omitted the
description of major cities and mighty journeys. Such was the haste of the
courier that We even forsook the mention of the two exalted journeys of
Resignation and Contentment.

Yet, should thine eminence reflect upon these brief statements, thou wouldst
assuredly acquire every knowledge, attain, unto the Object of all learning, and
exclaim: "Sufficient are these words unto all creation both visible and
invisible!"

Even so, should the fire of love burn within thy soul, thou wouldst ask: "Is
there yet any more?"

[67]

And We say: "Praise
be to God, the Lord of the worlds!"

Notes

[1]

Shoghi Effendi , God Passes By (Wilmette:
Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1974), p.
110
.

[2]

Bahá'u'lláh, The
Kitáb-i-Íqán (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing
Trust, 1994), p.
26
.

[3]

cf. Qur'án 67:3.

[4]

cf. Qur'án 24:35.

[5]

Matt. 24:19.

[6]

cf. Matt. 24:29-31.

[7]

Mark 13:19.

[8]

cf. Luke 21:25-28.

[9]

John 15:26-27.

[10]

John 14:26.

[11]

John 16:5-6.

[12]

John 16:7.

[13]

John 16:13.

[14]

The Imáms of Shí'ih Islám.

[15]

Jesus.

[16]

cf. Matt. 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33.

[17]

The Antichrist, who it was believed
would appear at the advent of the Promised One, to contend with and be
ultimately defeated by Him.

[18]

Another figure who it was believed would
raise the banner of rebellion between Mecca and Damascus at the appearance of
the Promised One.

[19]

Qur'án 16:43.

[20]

A magician in the court of Pharaoh
during the time of Moses.

[21]

Qur'án 83:6; 2:89.

[22]

The Imáms of Shí'ih
Islám.

[23]

Qur'án 29:2.

[24]

Qur'án 2:156.

[25]

Qur'án 29:69.

[26]

Qur'án 2:282.

[27]

From Hadí
th
.

[28]

ibid.

[29]

Qur'án 30:30.

[30]

Qur'án 48:23.

[31]

Qur'án 67:3.

[32]

Qur'án 17:110.

[33]

Qur'án 57:3.

[34]

The twelfth Imám, Muhammad
al-Mahdí, the son of Hasan al-'Askarí.

[35]

According to Shí'ih traditions,
the twin cities of Jábulqá and Jábulsá are the
dwelling place of the Hidden Imám (the Promised One), whence He will
appear on the Day of Resurrection.

[36]

Muhammad.

[37]

Qur'án 33:40.

[38]

Qur'án 13:2.

[39]

Qur'án 74:50.

[40]

cf. Qur'án 13:5.

[41]

Qur'án 11:7.

[42]

Qur'án 3:185.

[43]

Qur'án 16:97.

[44]

Qur'án 3:169.

[45]

From a Hadíth.

[46]

Qur'án 7:179.

[47]

cf. Qur'án 9:109; 3:103.

[48]

Qur'án 6:122.

[49]

John 3:5-7

[50]

cf. Rev. 1:14-16; 2:18; 19:15.

[51]

cf. Qur'án 80:41; 83:24.

[52]

Qur'án 11:112.

[53]

cf. Luke 12:53.

[54]

cf. Qur'án 1:4.

[55]

Qur'án 14:48.

[56]

Qur'án 14:5.

[57]

cf. Qur'án 21:23.

[58]

From a saying of Imám
'Alí.

[59]

From the Díván of
Ibn-i-Fárid.

[60]

ibid.

[61]

cf. Qur'án 10:61; 34:3.

[62]

From a Hadí
th
.

[63]

From the Díván of
Ibn-i-Fárid.

[64]

cf. Qur'án 39:10.

[65]

Qur'án 2:156.

[66]

Qur'án 4:130.

[67]

cf. Qur'án 50:30.

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