Texts 172 - 190
172
We, of a certainty, have had no purpose in this
earthly realm save to make God manifest and to reveal
His sovereignty; sufficient unto Me is God for a
witness. We, of a certainty, have had no intent in the
celestial Kingdom but to exalt His Cause and glorify
His praise; sufficient unto Me is God for a protector.
We, of a certainty, have had no desire in the Dominion
on high except to extol God and what hath been sent
down by Him; sufficient unto Me is God for a helper.
173
Happy are ye, O ye the learned ones in &Baha. By
the Lord! Ye are the billows of the Most Mighty Ocean,
the stars of the firmament of Glory, the standards of
triumph waving betwixt earth and heaven. Ye are the
manifestations of steadfastness amidst men and the
daysprings of Divine Utterance to all that dwell on
earth. Well is it with him that turneth unto you, and
woe betide the froward. This day, it behoveth whoso
hath quaffed the Mystic Wine of everlasting life from
the Hands of the loving-kindness of the Lord his God,
the Merciful, to pulsate even as the throbbing artery in
the body of mankind, that through him may be
quickened the world and every crumbling bone.
174
O people of the world! When the Mystic Dove
will have winged its flight from its Sanctuary of Praise
and sought its far-off goal, its hidden habitation, refer
ye whatsoever ye understand not in the Book to Him
Who hath branched from this mighty Stock.
175
O Pen of the Most High! Move Thou upon the
Tablet at the bidding of Thy Lord, the Creator of the
Heavens, and tell of the time when He Who is the
Dayspring of Divine Unity purposed to direct His steps
towards the School of Transcendent Oneness; haply the
pure in heart may gain thereby a glimpse, be it as small
as a needle's eye, of the mysteries of Thy Lord, the
Almighty, the Omniscient, that lie concealed behind
the veils. Say: We, indeed, set foot within the School of
inner meaning and explanation when all created things
were unaware. We saw the words sent down by Him
Who is the All-Merciful, and We accepted the verses of
God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting, which He (The &Bab)
presented unto Us, and hearkened unto that which He
had solemnly affirmed in the Tablet. This we assuredly
did behold. And We assented to His wish through Our
behest, for truly We are potent to command.
176
O people of the &Bayan! We, verily, set foot within
the School of God when ye lay slumbering; and We
perused the Tablet while ye were fast asleep. By the one
true God! We read the Tablet ere it was revealed, while
ye were unaware, and We had perfect knowledge of the
Book when ye were yet unborn. These words are to
your measure, not to God's. To this testifieth that
which is enshrined within His knowledge, if ye be of
them that comprehend; and to this the tongue of the
Almighty doth bear witness, if ye be of those who
understand. I swear by God, were We to lift the veil,
ye would be dumbfounded.
177
Take heed that ye dispute not idly concerning the
Almighty and His Cause, for lo! He hath appeared
amongst you invested with a Revelation so great as to
encompass all things, whether of the past or of the
future. Were We to address Our theme by speaking in
the language of the inmates of the Kingdom, We
would say: "In truth, God created that School ere He
created heaven and earth, and We entered it before the
letters B and E were joined and knit together." Such is
the language of Our servants in Our Kingdom;
consider what the tongue of the dwellers of Our exalted
Dominion would utter, for We have taught them Our
knowledge and have revealed to them whatever had lain
hidden in God's wisdom. Imagine then what the
Tongue of Might and Grandeur would utter in His All-Glorious
Abode!
178
This is not a Cause which may be made a
plaything for your idle fancies, nor is it a field for the
foolish and faint of heart. By God, this is the arena of
insight and detachment, of vision and upliftment,
where none may spur on their chargers save the valiant
horsemen of the Merciful, who have severed all
attachment to the world of being. These, truly, are
they that render God victorious on earth, and are the
dawning-places of His sovereign might amidst mankind.
179
Beware lest aught that hath been revealed in the
&Bayan should keep you from your Lord, the Most
Compassionate. God is My witness that the &Bayan was
sent down for no other purpose than to celebrate My
praise, did ye but know! In it the pure in heart will find
only the fragrance of My love, only My Name that
overshadoweth all that seeth and is seen. Say: Turn ye,
O people, unto that which hath proceeded from My
Most Exalted Pen. Should ye inhale therefrom the
fragrance of God, set not yourselves against Him, nor
deny yourselves a portion of His gracious favour and
His manifold bestowals. Thus doth your Lord admonish
you; He, verily, is the Counsellor, the Omniscient.
180
Whatsoever ye understand not in the &Bayan, ask it
of God, your Lord and the Lord of your forefathers.
Should He so desire, He will expound for you that
which is revealed therein, and disclose to you the pearls
of Divine knowledge and wisdom that lie concealed
within the ocean of its words. He, verily, is supreme
over all names; no God is there but Him, the Help in
Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
181
The world's equilibrium hath been upset through
the vibrating influence of this most great, this new
World Order. Mankind's ordered life hath been
revolutionized through the agency of this unique, this
wondrous System--the like of which mortal eyes have
never witnessed.
182
Immerse yourselves in the ocean of My words, that
ye may unravel its secrets, and discover all the pearls of
wisdom that lie hid in its depths. Take heed that ye do
not vacillate in your determination to embrace the
truth of this Cause--a Cause through which the
potentialities of the might of God have been revealed,
and His sovereignty established. With faces beaming
with joy, hasten ye unto Him. This is the changeless
Faith of God, eternal in the past, eternal in the future.
Let him that seeketh, attain it; and as to him that hath
refused to seek it--verily, God is Self-Sufficient, above
any need of His creatures.
183
Say: This is the infallible Balance which the Hand
of God is holding, in which all who are in the heavens
and all who are on the earth are weighed, and their fate
determined, if ye be of them that believe and recognize
this truth. Say: This is the Most Great Testimony, by
which the validity of every proof throughout the ages
hath been established, would that ye might be assured
thereof. Say: Through it the poor have been enriched,
the learned enlightened, and the seekers enabled to
ascend unto the presence of God. Beware lest ye make
it a cause of dissension amongst you. Be ye as firmly
settled as the immovable mountain in the Cause of your
Lord, the Mighty, the Loving.
184
Say: O source of perversion! Abandon thy wilful
blindness, and speak forth the truth amidst the people.
I swear by God that I have wept for thee to see thee
following thy selfish passions and renouncing Him
Who fashioned thee and brought thee into being. Call
to mind the tender mercy of thy Lord, and remember
how We nurtured thee by day and by night for service
to the Cause. Fear God, and be thou of the truly
repentant. Granted that the people were confused
about thy station, is it conceivable that thou thyself art
similarly confused? Tremble before thy Lord and recall
the days when thou didst stand before Our throne, and
didst write down the verses that We dictated unto
thee--verses sent down by God, the Omnipotent
Protector, the Lord of might and power. Beware lest
the fire of thy presumptuousness debar thee from
attaining to God's Holy Court. Turn unto Him, and
fear not because of thy deeds. He, in truth, forgiveth
whomsoever He desireth as a bounty on His part; no
God is there but Him, the Ever-Forgiving, the All-Bounteous.
We admonish thee solely for the sake of
God. Shouldst thou accept this counsel, thou wilt have
acted to thine own behoof; and shouldst thou reject it,
thy Lord, verily, can well dispense with thee, and with
all those who, in manifest delusion, have followed thee.
Behold! God hath laid hold on him who led thee astray.
Return unto God, humble, submissive and lowly;
verily, He will put away from thee thy sins, for thy
Lord, of a certainty, is the Forgiving, the Mighty, the
All-Merciful.
185
This is the Counsel of God; would that thou
mightest heed it! This is the Bounty of God; would
that thou mightest receive it! This is the Utterance of
God; if only thou wouldst apprehend it! This is the
Treasure of God; if only thou couldst understand!
186
This is a Book which hath become the Lamp of the
Eternal unto the world, and His straight, undeviating
Path amidst the peoples of the earth. Say: This is the
Dayspring of Divine knowledge, if ye be of them that
understand, and the Dawning-place of God's commandments,
if ye be of those who comprehend.
187
Burden not an animal with more than it can bear.
We, truly, have prohibited such treatment through a
most binding interdiction in the Book. Be ye the
embodiments of justice and fairness amidst all creation.
188
Should anyone unintentionally take another's life,
it is incumbent upon him to render to the family of the
deceased an indemnity of one hundred &mithqals of
gold. Observe ye that which hath been enjoined upon
you in this Tablet, and be not of those who overstep its
limits.
189
O members of parliaments throughout the world!
Select ye a single language for the use of all on earth,
and adopt ye likewise a common script. God, verily,
maketh plain for you that which shall profit you and
enable you to be independent of others. He, of a truth,
is the Most Bountiful, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.
This will be the cause of unity, could ye but
comprehend it, and the greatest instrument for
promoting harmony and civilization, would that ye
might understand! We have appointed two signs for
the coming of age of the human race: the first, which is
the most firm foundation, We have set down in other of
Our Tablets, while the second hath been revealed in
this wondrous Book.
190
It hath been forbidden you to smoke opium. We,
truly, have prohibited this practice through a most
binding interdiction in the Book. Should anyone
partake thereof, assuredly he is not of Me. Fear God, O
ye endued with understanding!
Texts 172 - 190 |