Texts 77 - 95
77
God hath relieved you of the ordinance laid down
in the &Bayan concerning the destruction of books. We
have permitted you to read such sciences as are
profitable unto you, not such as end in idle disputation;
better is this for you, if ye be of them that comprehend.
78
O kings of the earth! He Who is the sovereign
Lord of all is come. The Kingdom is God's, the
omnipotent Protector, the Self-Subsisting. Worship
none but God, and, with radiant hearts, lift up your
faces unto your Lord, the Lord of all names. This is a
Revelation to which whatever ye possess can never be
compared, could ye but know it.
79
We see you rejoicing in that which ye have
amassed for others and shutting out yourselves from the
worlds which naught except My guarded Tablet can
reckon. The treasures ye have laid up have drawn you
far away from your ultimate objective. This ill
beseemeth you, could ye but understand it. Wash from
your hearts all earthly defilements, and hasten to enter
the Kingdom of your Lord, the Creator of earth and
heaven, Who caused the world to tremble and all its
peoples to wail, except them that have renounced all
things and clung to that which the Hidden Tablet hath
ordained.
80
This is the Day in which He Who held converse
with God hath attained the light of the Ancient of
Days, and quaffed the pure waters of reunion from this
Cup that hath caused the seas to swell. Say: By the one
true God! Sinai is circling round the Dayspring of
Revelation, while from the heights of the Kingdom the
Voice of the Spirit of God is heard proclaiming: "Bestir
yourselves, ye proud ones of the earth, and hasten ye
unto Him." Carmel hath, in this Day, hastened in
longing adoration to attain His court, whilst from the
heart of Zion there cometh the cry: "The promise is
fulfilled. That which had been announced in the holy
Writ of God, the Most Exalted, the Almighty, the
Best-Beloved, is made manifest."
81
O kings of the earth! The Most Great Law hath
been revealed in this Spot, this scene of transcendent
splendour. Every hidden thing hath been brought to
light by virtue of the Will of the Supreme Ordainer,
He Who hath ushered in the Last Hour, through
Whom the Moon hath been cleft, and every irrevocable
decree expounded.
82
Ye are but vassals, O kings of the earth! He Who
is the King of Kings hath appeared, arrayed in His
most wondrous glory, and is summoning you unto
Himself, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. Take
heed lest pride deter you from recognizing the Source of
Revelation, lest the things of this world shut you out as
by a veil from Him Who is the Creator of heaven.
Arise, and serve Him Who is the Desire of all nations,
Who hath created you through a word from Him, and
ordained you to be, for all time, the emblems of His
sovereignty.
83
By the righteousness of God! It is not Our wish to
lay hands on your kingdoms. Our mission is to seize
and possess the hearts of men. Upon them the eyes of
&Baha are fastened. To this testifieth the Kingdom of
Names, could ye but comprehend it. Whoso followeth
his Lord will renounce the world and all that is therein;
how much greater, then, must be the detachment of
Him Who holdeth so august a station! Forsake your
palaces, and haste ye to gain admittance into His
Kingdom. This, indeed, will profit you both in this
world and in the next. To this testifieth the Lord of the
realm on high, did ye but know it.
84
How great the blessedness that awaiteth the king
who will arise to aid My Cause in My kingdom, who
will detach himself from all else but Me! Such a king
is numbered with the companions of the Crimson
Ark--the Ark which God hath prepared for the people
of &Baha. All must glorify his name, must reverence his
station, and aid him to unlock the cities with the keys
of My Name, the omnipotent Protector of all that
inhabit the visible and invisible kingdoms. Such a king
is the very eye of mankind, the luminous ornament on
the brow of creation, the fountainhead of blessings
unto the whole world. Offer up, O people of &Baha,
your substance, nay your very lives, for his assistance.
85
O Emperor of Austria! He Who is the Dayspring
of God's Light dwelt in the prison of &Akka at the time
when thou didst set forth to visit the &Aqsa Mosque.
Thou passed Him by, and inquired not about Him by
Whom every house is exalted and every lofty gate
unlocked. We, verily, made it a place whereunto the
world should turn, that they might remember Me, and
yet thou hast rejected Him Who is the Object of this
remembrance, when He appeared with the Kingdom of
God, thy Lord and the Lord of the worlds. We have
been with thee at all times, and found thee clinging
unto the Branch and heedless of the Root. Thy Lord,
verily, is a witness unto what I say. We grieved to see
thee circle round Our Name, whilst unaware of Us,
though We were before thy face. Open thine eyes, that
thou mayest behold this glorious Vision, and recognize
Him Whom thou invokest in the daytime and in the
night season, and gaze on the Light that shineth above
this luminous Horizon.
86
Say: O King of Berlin! Give ear unto the Voice
calling from this manifest Temple: "Verily, there is
none other God but Me, the Everlasting, the Peerless,
the Ancient of Days." Take heed lest pride debar thee
from recognizing the Dayspring of Divine Revelation,
lest earthly desires shut thee out, as by a veil, from the
Lord of the Throne above and of the earth below. Thus
counselleth thee the Pen of the Most High. He, verily,
is the Most Gracious, the All-Bountiful. Do thou
remember the one (Napoleon III) whose power transcended thy
power, and whose station excelled thy station. Where
is he? Whither are gone the things he possessed? Take
warning, and be not of them that are fast asleep. He it
was who cast the Tablet of God behind him when We
made known unto him what the hosts of tyranny had
caused Us to suffer. Wherefore, disgrace assailed him
from all sides, and he went down to dust in great loss.
Think deeply, O King, concerning him, and concerning
them who, like unto thee, have conquered cities
and ruled over men. The All-Merciful brought them
down from their palaces to their graves. Be warned, be
of them who reflect.
87
We have asked nothing from you. For the sake of
God We, verily, exhort you, and will be patient as We
have been patient in that which hath befallen Us at
your hands, O concourse of kings!
88
Hearken ye, O Rulers of America and the
Presidents of the Republics therein, unto that which
the Dove is warbling on the Branch of Eternity: "There
is none other God but Me, the Ever-Abiding, the
Forgiving, the All-Bountiful." Adorn ye the temple of
dominion with the ornament of justice and of the fear
of God, and its head with the crown of the
remembrance of your Lord, the Creator of the heavens.
Thus counselleth you He Who is the Dayspring of
Names, as bidden by Him Who is the All-Knowing,
the All-Wise. The Promised One hath appeared in this
glorified Station, whereat all beings, both seen and
unseen, have rejoiced. Take ye advantage of the Day of
God. Verily, to meet Him is better for you than all that
whereon the sun shineth, could ye but know it. O
concourse of rulers! Give ear unto that which hath been
raised from the Dayspring of Grandeur: "Verily, there
is none other God but Me, the Lord of Utterance, the
All-Knowing." Bind ye the broken with the hands of
justice, and crush the oppressor who flourisheth with
the rod of the commandments of your Lord, the
Ordainer, the All-Wise.
89
O people of Constantinople! Lo, from your midst
We hear the baleful hooting of the owl. Hath the
drunkenness of passion laid hold upon you, or is it that
ye are sunk in heedlessness? O Spot that art situate on
the shores of the two seas! The throne of tyranny hath,
verily, been established upon thee, and the flame of
hatred hath been kindled within thy bosom, in such
wise that the Concourse on high and they who circle
around the Exalted Throne have wailed and lamented.
We behold in thee the foolish ruling over the wise, and
darkness vaunting itself against the light. Thou art
indeed filled with manifest pride. Hath thine outward
splendour made thee vainglorious? By Him Who is the
Lord of mankind! It shall soon perish, and thy
daughters and thy widows and all the kindreds that
dwell within thee shall lament. Thus informeth thee
the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
90
O banks of the Rhine! We have seen you covered
with gore, inasmuch as the swords of retribution were
drawn against you; and you shall have another turn.
And We hear the lamentations of Berlin, though she be
today in conspicuous glory.
91
Let nothing grieve thee, O Land of &Ta,(&Tihran) for God
hath chosen thee to be the source of the joy of all
mankind. He shall, if it be His Will, bless thy throne
with one who will rule with justice, who will gather
together the flock of God which the wolves have
scattered. Such a ruler will, with joy and gladness, turn
his face towards, and extend his favours unto, the
people of &Baha. He indeed is accounted in the sight of
God as a jewel among men. Upon him rest forever the
glory of God and the glory of all that dwell in the
kingdom of His revelation.
92
Rejoice with great joy, for God hath made thee
"the Dayspring of His light", inasmuch as within thee
was born the Manifestation of His Glory. Be thou glad
for this name that hath been conferred upon thee--a
name through which the Day-Star of grace hath shed its
splendour, through which both earth and heaven have
been illumined.
93
Erelong will the state of affairs within thee be
changed, and the reins of power fall into the hands of
the people. Verily, thy Lord is the All-Knowing. His
authority embraceth all things. Rest thou assured in
the gracious favour of thy Lord. The eye of His loving-kindness
shall everlastingly be directed towards thee.
The day is approaching when thy agitation will have
been transmuted into peace and quiet calm. Thus hath
it been decreed in the wondrous Book.
94
O Land of &Kha!(&Khurasan) We hear from thee the voice of
heroes, raised in glorification of thy Lord, the All-Possessing,
the Most Exalted. Blessed the day on which
the banners of the divine Names shall be upraised in
the kingdom of creation in My Name, the All-Glorious.
On that day the faithful shall rejoice in the
victory of God, and the disbelievers shall lament.
95
None must contend with those who wield
authority over the people; leave unto them that which
is theirs, and direct your attention to men's hearts.
Texts 77 - 95 |