Texts 58 - 76
58
Beware lest the desires of the flesh and of a corrupt
inclination provoke divisions among you. Be ye as the
fingers of one hand, the members of one body. Thus
counselleth you the Pen of Revelation, if ye be of them
that believe.
59
Consider the mercy of God and His gifts. He
enjoineth upon you that which shall profit you, though
He Himself can well dispense with all creatures. Your
evil doings can never harm Us, neither can your good
works profit Us. We summon you wholly for the sake
of God. To this every man of understanding and
insight will testify.
60
If ye should hunt with beasts or birds of prey,
invoke ye the Name of God when ye send them to
pursue their quarry; for then whatever they catch shall
be lawful unto you, even should ye find it to have died.
He, verily, is the Omniscient, the All-Informed. Take
heed, however, that ye hunt not to excess. Tread ye the
path of justice and equity in all things. Thus biddeth
you He Who is the Dawning-place of Revelation,
would that ye might comprehend.
61
God hath bidden you to show forth kindliness
towards My kindred, but He hath granted them no
right to the property of others. He, verily, is self-sufficient,
above any need of His creatures.
62
Should anyone intentionally destroy a house by
fire, him also shall ye burn; should anyone deliberately
take another's life, him also shall ye put to death. Take
ye hold of the precepts of God with all your strength
and power, and abandon the ways of the ignorant.
Should ye condemn the arsonist and the murderer to
life imprisonment, it would be permissible according
to the provisions of the Book. He, verily, hath power to
ordain whatsoever He pleaseth.
63
God hath prescribed matrimony unto you. Beware
that ye take not unto yourselves more wives than two.
Whoso contenteth himself with a single partner from
among the maidservants of God, both he and she shall
live in tranquillity. And he who would take into his
service a maid may do so with propriety. Such is the
ordinance which, in truth and justice, hath been
recorded by the Pen of Revelation. Enter into wedlock,
O people, that ye may bring forth one who will make
mention of Me amid My servants. This is My bidding
unto you; hold fast to it as an assistance to yourselves.
64
O people of the world! Follow not the promptings
of the self, for it summoneth insistently to wickedness
and lust; follow, rather, Him Who is the Possessor of all
created things, Who biddeth you to show forth piety,
and manifest the fear of God. He, verily, is independent
of all His creatures. Take heed not to stir up
mischief in the land after it hath been set in order.
Whoso acteth in this way is not of Us, and We are quit
of him. Such is the command which hath, through the
power of truth, been made manifest from the heaven of
Revelation.
65
It hath been laid down in the &Bayan that marriage
is dependent upon the consent of both parties. Desiring
to establish love, unity and harmony amidst Our
servants, We have conditioned it, once the couple's
wish is known, upon the permission of their parents,
lest enmity and rancour should arise amongst them.
And in this We have yet other purposes. Thus hath
Our commandment been ordained.
66
No marriage may be contracted without payment
of a dowry, which hath been fixed for city-dwellers at
nineteen &mithqals of pure gold, and for village-dwellers
at the same amount in silver. Whoso wisheth to
increase this sum, it is forbidden him to exceed the
limit of ninety-five &mithqals. Thus hath the command
been writ in majesty and power. If he content himself,
however, with a payment of the lowest level, it shall be
better for him according to the Book. God, verily, enricheth
whomsoever He willeth through both heavenly
and earthly means, and He, in truth, hath power over
all things.
67
It hath been decreed by God that, should any one
of His servants intend to travel, he must fix for his wife
a time when he will return home. If he return by the
promised time, he will have obeyed the bidding of his
Lord and shall be numbered by the Pen of His behest
among the righteous; otherwise, if there be good reason
for delay, he must inform his wife and make the utmost
endeavour to return to her. Should neither of these
eventualities occur, it behoveth her to wait for a period
of nine months, after which there is no impediment to
her taking another husband; but should she wait
longer, God, verily, loveth those women and men who
show forth patience. Obey ye My commandments, and
follow not the ungodly, they who have been reckoned
as sinners in God's Holy Tablet. If, during the period
of her waiting, word should reach her from her
husband, she should choose the course that is praiseworthy.
He, of a truth, desireth that His servants and
His handmaids should be at peace with one another;
take heed lest ye do aught that may provoke
intransigence amongst you. Thus hath the decree been
fixed and the promise come to pass. If, however, news
should reach her of her husband's death or murder, and be
confirmed by general report, or by the testimony of two
just witnesses, it behoveth her to remain single; then,
upon completion of the fixed number of months, she is
free to adopt the course of her choosing. Such is the
bidding of Him Who is mighty and powerful in His
command.
68
Should resentment or antipathy arise between
husband and wife, he is not to divorce her but to bide
in patience throughout the course of one whole year,
that perchance the fragrance of affection may be
renewed between them. If, upon the completion of this
period, their love hath not returned, it is permissible
for divorce to take place. God's wisdom, verily, hath
encompassed all things. The Lord hath prohibited, in a
Tablet inscribed by the Pen of His command, the
practice to which ye formerly had recourse when thrice
ye had divorced a woman. This He hath done as a
favour on His part, that ye may be accounted among
the thankful. He who hath divorced his wife may
choose, upon the passing of each month, to remarry her
when there is mutual affection and consent, so long as
she hath not taken another husband. Should she have
wed again, then, by this other union, the separation is
confirmed and the matter is concluded unless, clearly,
her circumstances change. Thus hath the decree been
inscribed with majesty in this glorious Tablet by Him
Who is the Dawning-place of Beauty.
69
If the wife accompany her husband on a journey,
and differences arise between them on the way, he is
required to provide her with her expenses for one whole
year, and either to return her whence she came or to
entrust her, together with the necessaries for her
journey, to a dependable person who is to escort her
home. Thy Lord, verily, ordaineth as He pleaseth, by
virtue of a sovereignty that overshadoweth the peoples
of the earth.
70
Should a woman be divorced in consequence of a
proven act of infidelity, she shall receive no maintenance
during her period of waiting. Thus hath the day-star
of Our commandment shone forth resplendent
from the firmament of justice. Truly, the Lord loveth
union and harmony and abhorreth separation and
divorce. Live ye one with another, O people, in
radiance and joy. By My life! All that are on earth shall
pass away, while good deeds alone shall endure; to the
truth of My words God doth Himself bear witness.
Compose your differences, O My servants; then heed ye
the admonition of Our Pen of Glory and follow not the
arrogant and wayward.
71
Take heed lest the world beguile you as it beguiled
the people who went before you! Observe ye the
statutes and precepts of your Lord, and walk ye in this
Way which hath been laid out before you in
righteousness and truth. They who eschew iniquity and
error, who adhere to virtue, are, in the sight of the one
true God, among the choicest of His creatures; their
names are extolled by the Concourse of the realms
above, and by those who dwell in this Tabernacle
which hath been raised in the name of God.
72
It is forbidden you to trade in slaves, be they men
or women. It is not for him who is himself a servant to
buy another of God's servants, and this hath been
prohibited in His Holy Tablet. Thus, by His mercy,
hath the commandment been recorded by the Pen of
justice. Let no man exalt himself above another; all are
but bondslaves before the Lord, and all exemplify the
truth that there is none other God but Him. He,
verily, is the All-Wise, Whose wisdom encompasseth
all things.
73
Adorn yourselves with the raiment of goodly
deeds. He whose deeds attain unto God's good pleasure
is assuredly of the people of &Baha and is remembered
before His throne. Assist ye the Lord of all creation
with works of righteousness, and also through wisdom
and utterance. Thus, indeed, have ye been commanded
in most of the Tablets by Him Who is the All-Merciful.
He, truly, is cognizant of what I say. Let
none contend with another, and let no soul slay
another; this, verily, is that which was forbidden you in
a Book that hath lain concealed within the Tabernacle
of glory. What! Would ye kill him whom God hath
quickened, whom He hath endowed with spirit
through a breath from Him? Grievous then would be
your trespass before His throne! Fear God, and lift not
the hand of injustice and oppression to destroy what He
hath Himself raised up; nay, walk ye in the way of
God, the True One. No sooner did the hosts of true
knowledge appear, bearing the standards of Divine
utterance, than the tribes of the religions were put to
flight, save only those who willed to drink from the
stream of everlasting life in a Paradise created by the
breath of the All-Glorious.
74
God hath decreed, in token of His mercy unto His
creatures, that semen is not unclean. Yield thanks unto
Him with joy and radiance, and follow not such as are
remote from the Dawning-place of His nearness. Arise
ye, under all conditions, to render service to the Cause,
for God will assuredly assist you through the power of
His sovereignty which overshadoweth the worlds.
Cleave ye unto the cord of refinement with such
tenacity as to allow no trace of dirt to be seen upon your
garments. Such is the injunction of One Who is
sanctified above all refinement. Whoso falleth short of
this standard with good reason shall incur no blame.
God, verily, is the Forgiving, the Merciful. Wash ye
every soiled thing with water that hath undergone no
alteration in any one of the three respects; take heed not
to use water that hath been altered through exposure to
the air or to some other agent. Be ye the very essence of
cleanliness amongst mankind. This, truly, is what your
Lord, the Incomparable, the All-Wise, desireth for
you.
75
God hath, likewise, as a bounty from His
presence, abolished the concept of "uncleanness",
whereby divers things and peoples have been held to be
impure. He, of a certainty, is the Ever-Forgiving, the
Most Generous. Verily, all created things were
immersed in the sea of purification when, on that first
day of &Ridvan, We shed upon the whole of creation the
splendours of Our most excellent Names and Our most
exalted Attributes. This, verily, is a token of My loving
providence, which hath encompassed all the worlds.
Consort ye then with the followers of all religions, and
proclaim ye the Cause of your Lord, the Most
Compassionate; this is the very crown of deeds, if ye be
of them who understand.
76
God hath enjoined upon you to observe the utmost
cleanliness, to the extent of washing what is soiled
with dust, let alone with hardened dirt and similar
defilement. Fear Him, and be of those who are pure.
Should the garb of anyone be visibly sullied, his prayers
shall not ascend to God, and the celestial Concourse
will turn away from him. Make use of rose-water, and
of pure perfume; this, indeed, is that which God hath
loved from the beginning that hath no beginning, in
order that there may be diffused from you what your
Lord, the Incomparable, the All-Wise, desireth.
Texts 58 - 76 |