Bahá’í World/Volume 15/Excerpts from the Bahá’í Sacred Writings

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The Bahá’í World Volume 15

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PART ONE

THE Bahá’í REVELATION

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EXCERPTS FROM THE Bahá’í SACRED WRITINGS

1. BAHA’U’LLAH

(Paxsages from the Kitab-i-Aqdas translated by SHOGHI EFFENDI)

l. The first duty prescribed by God for His servants is the recognition of Him Who is the Dayspring of His Revelation and the Fountain of His laws, Who representeth the Godhead in both the Kingdom of His Cause and the world of creation. Whoso achieveth this duty hath attained unto all good; and whoso is deprived thereof, hath gone astray, though he be the author of every righteous deed. lt behoveth every one who reacheth this most sublime station, this summit of transcendent glory, to observe every ordinance of Him Who is the Desire of the world. These twin duties are inseparable. Neither is acceptable without the other. Thus hath it been decreed by Him Who is the Source of Divine inspiration.

They whom God hath endued with insight will readily recognize that the precepts laid down by God constitute the highest means for the maintenance of order in the world and the security of its peoples. He that turneth away from them is accounted among the abject and foolish. We, verily, have commanded you to refuse the dictates of your evil passions and corrupt desires, and not to transgress the bounds which the Pen of the Most High hath fixed, for these are the breath of life unto all created things. The seas of Divine wisdom and Divine utterance have risen under the breath of the breeze of the All-Merciful. Hasten to drink your fill, 0 men of understanding! They that have violated the Covenant of God by breaking His commandments, and have turned back on their heels, these have erred grievously in the sight of God, the All-Possessing, the Most High.

O ye peoples of the world! Know assuredly that My commandments are the lamps of My loving providence among My servants, and the

keys of My mercy for My creatures. Thus hath it been sent down from the heaven of the Will of your Lord, the Lord of Revelation. Were any man to taste the sweetness of the words which the lips of the All-Merciful have willed to utter, he would, though the treasures of the earth be in his possession, renounce them one and all, that he might vindicate the truth ofeven one of His commandments, shining above the Dayspring of His bountiful care and lovingkindness.

Say: From My laws the sweet smelling savour of My garment can be smelled, and by their aid the standards of Victory will be planted upon the highest peaks. The Tongue of My power hath, from the heaven of My omnipotent glory, addressed to My creation these words: “Observe My commandments, for the love of My beauty.” Happy is the lover that hath inhaled the divine fragrance of his Best-Beloved from these words, laden with the perfume ofa grace which no tongue can describe. By My life! He who hath drunk the choice wine of fairness from the hands of My bountiful favour, will circle around My commandments that shine above the Dayspring of My creation.

Think not that We have revealed unto you a mere code of laws. Nay, rather, We have unsealed the choice Wine with the fingers of might and power. To this beareth witness that which the Pen of Revelation hath revealed. Meditate upon this, 0 men of insight!

2. Whenever My laws appear like the sun in the heaven of Mine utterance, they must be faithfully obeyed by all, though My decree be such as to cause the heaven of every religion to be cleft asunder. He doth what He pleaseth. He chooseth; and none may question His choice.

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Whatsoever He, the Well-Beloved, ordaineth, the same is, verily beloved. To this He Who is the Lord of all creation beareth Me witness. Whoso hath inhaled the sweet fragrance of the All—Merciful, and recognized the Source of this utterance, will welcome with his own eyes the shafts of the enemy, that he may establish the truth of the laws of God amongst men. Well is it with him that hath turned thereunto, and apprehended the meaning of His decisive decree.

3. We have commanded you to pray and fast from the beginning ofmaturity; this is ordained by God, your Lord and the Lord of your forefathers. He has exempted from this those who are weak from illness or age, as a bounty from His Presence, and He is the Forgiving, the Generous.

4.. . . We have enjoined upon you fasting during a brief period, and at its close have designated for you Naw-Rúz as a feast. . . The traveller, the ailing, those who are with child or giving suck, are not bound by the fast. . . Abstain from food and drink, from sunrise to sundown, and beware lest desire deprive you of this grace that is appointed in the Book.

5. The Lord hath ordained that in every city a House of Justice be established wherein shall gather counsellors to the number of Baha, and should it exceed this number it does not matter. . . . It behoveth them to be the trusted ones of the Merciful among men and to regard themselves as the guardians appointed of God for all that dwell on earth. It is incumbent upon them to take counsel together and to have regard for the interests of the servants of God, for His sake, even as they regard their own interests, and to choose that which is meet and seemly. Thus hath the Lord your God commanded you. Beware lest ye put away that which is clearly revealed in His Tablet. Fear God, O ye that perceive.

6. O ye servants of the Merciful One! Arise to serve the Cause of God, in such wise that the cares and sorrows caused by them that have disbelieved in the Dayspring of the Signs of God may not afflict you. At the time when the Promise was fulfilled and the Promised One made manifest, differences have appeared amongst the kindred of the earth and each

people hath followed its own fancy and idle imaginings.

Whoso layeth claim to a Revelation direct from God, ere the expiration of a full thousand years, such a man is assuredly a lying imposter. We pray God that He may graciously assist him to retract and repudiate such claim. Should he repent, God will, no doubt, forgive him. If, however, he persisteth in his error, God will, assuredly, send down one who will deal mercilessly with him. Terrible, indeed, is God in punishing! Whosoever interpreteth this verse otherwise than its obvious meaning is deprived of the Spirit of God and of His mercy which encompasseth all created things. Fear God, and follow not your idle fancies. Nay, rather follow the bidding of your Lord, the Almighty, the All-Wise.

Be not dismayed, O peoples of the world, when the Day-star of My beauty is set, and the heaven of My tabernacle is concealed from your eyes. Arise to further My Cause, and to exalt My Word amongst men. We are with you at all times, and shall strengthen you through the power of truth. We are truly almighty. Whoso hath recognized Me, will arise and serve Me with such determination that the powers of earth and heaven shall be unable to defeat his purpose.

The peoples of the world are fast asleep. Were they to wake from their slumber, they would hasten with eagerness unto God, the All-Knowing, the All—Wise. They would cast away everything they possess, be it all the treasures of the earth, that their Lord may remember them to the extent ofaddressing to them but one word. Such is the instruction given you by Him Who holdeth the knowledge of things hidden, in a Tablet which the eye of creation hath not seen, and which is revealed to none except His own Self, the omnipotent Protector of all worlds. So bewildered are they in the drunkenness of their evil desires, that they are powerless to recognize the Lord of all being, Whose voice calleth aloud from every direction: “There is none other God but Me, the Mighty, the All-Wise.”

Say: Rejoice not in the things ye possess; tonight they are yours, tomorrow others will possess them. Thus warneth you He Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. Say: Can ye claim that whatye own is lasting or secure ? Nay! By Myself, the All-Merciful. The days of your

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life flee away as a breath of wind, and all your pomp and glory shall be folded up as were the pomp and glory of those gone before you. Reflect, O people! What hath become of your bygone days, your lost centuries? Happy the days that have been consecrated to the remembrance of God, and blessed the hours which have been spent in praise of Him Who is the All-Wise. By My life! Neither the pomp of the mighty, nor the wealth Ofthe rich, nor even the ascendancy Ofthe ungodly will endure. All will perish, at a word from Him. He, verily, is the All-Powerful, the All-Compelling, the Almighty. What advantage is there in the earthly things which men possess? That which shall profit them, they have utterly neglected. Ere long, they will awake from their slumber, and find themselves unable to obtain that which hath escaped them in the days oftheirLord, the Almighty, the All—Praised. Did they but know it, they would renounce their all, that their names may be mentioned before His throne. They, verily, are accounted among the dead.

7. Lament not in your hours oftrial, neither rejoice therein; seek ye the Middle Way which is the remembrance of Me in your afflictions and reflection over that which may befall you in future. Thus informeth you, He Who is the Omniscient, He Who is Aware.

8. Unto every father hath been enjoined the instruction ofhis son and daughter in the art of reading and writing and in all that hath been laid down in the Holy Tablet. He that putteth away that which is commanded unto him, the Trustees are then to take from him that which is required fox their instruction, if he be wealthy, and ifnot the matter devolveth upon the House of Justice. Verily, have We made it a shelter for the poor and needy. He that bringeth up his son or the son ofanother, it is as though he hath brought up a son of Mine; upon him rest My Glory, My loving kindness, My Mercy, that have compassed the world.

9.O ye Men of Justice! Be ye in the realm of God shepherds unto His sheep and guard them from the ravening wolves that have appeared in disguise, even as ye would guard your own sons. Thus exhorteth you the Counsellor, the Faithful.

10. Let not your hearts be perturbed, O people, when the glory of My Presence is withdrawn,

and the ocean of My utterance is stilled. In My presence amongst you there is a wisdom, and in My absence there is yet another, inscrutable to all but God, the Incomparable, the AllKnowing. Verily, We behold you from Our realm of glory, and shall aid whosoever will arise for the triumph of Our Cause with the hosts of the Concourse on high and a company of Our favoured angels.

O peoples of the earth! God, the Eternal Truth, is My witness that streams of fresh and soft-flowing waters have gushed from the rocks, through the sweetness of the words uttered by your Lord, the Unconstrained; and still ye slumber. Cast away that which ye possess, and, on the wings of detachment, soar beyond all created things. Thus biddeth you the Lord of creation, the movement of Whose Pen hath revolutionized the soul of mankind.

Know ye from what heights your Lord, the All-Glorious, is calling? Think ye that ye have recognized the Pen wherewith your Lord, the Lord of all names, commandeth you? Nay, by My life! Did ye but know it, ye would renounce the world, and would hasten with your whole hearts to the presence of the WellBeloved. Your spirits would be so transported by His Word as to throw into commotion the Greater World—how much more this small and petty one! Thus have the showers of My bounty been poured down from the heaven of My loving-kindness, as a token of My grace; that ye may be Ofthe thankful.

1]. Beware lest the desires of the flesh and ofa 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, ifye be ofthem that believe.

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.

12. Enter into wedlock, O people, that ye may bring forth one who will make mention of Me, . .

13.0 kings of the earth! He Who is the sovereign Lord of all is come. The Kingdom is

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God’s, the omnipotent Protector, the Self-Subsisting. Worship none but God, and, with radiant hearts, lift up yourfaces 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.

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.

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 BestBeloved, is made manifest.”

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.

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 ofthis 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 sovereighty.

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.

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 fountain-head of blessings unto the whole world. Offer up, O people of Bahá, your substance, nay your very lives, for his assistance.

0 Emperor of Austria! He Who is the Dayspring of God’s Light dwelt in the prison of ‘Akká, at the time when thou didst set forth to Visit the Aqsa Mosque.1 Thou passed Him by, and inquired not about Him, by Whom every house is exalted, and every lofty gate unlocked. We, verily, made it1 a place whereunto the world should turn, that they might remember Me, and yet thou hast rejected Him Who is the Object ofthis 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

1 Jerusalem.

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thou invokest in the daytime and in the night season, and gaze on the Light that shineth above this luminous Horizon.

Say: 0 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 one1 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 ofthem 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, 0 King, concerning him, and concerning them who, like unto thee, have conquered cities and ruled over men. The AllMerciful brought them down from their palaces to their graves. Be warned, be of them who reflect.

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!

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 ofdominion with the ornament ofjustice 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 AllKnowing, 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

1 Napoleon III.

that which hath been raised from the Dayspring of Grandeur: Verily, there is none other God but Me, the Lord of Utterance, the AllKnowing. 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.

. . . 0 Spot2 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.

0 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.

Let nothing grieve thee, 0 Land of Ta,“ for God hath chosen thee to be the source of the joy of all mankind. He shall, if it be His Will, bless thy throne with one who will rule with justice, who will gather together the flock of God which the wolves have scattered. Such a ruler will, with joy and gladness, turn his face towards, and extend his favours unto, the people of Bahá. He indeed is accounted in the sight of God as a jewel among men. Upon him rest forever the glory of God, and the glory of all that dwell in the kingdom of His revelation.

Rejoice with great joy, for God hath made thee “the Dayspring of His light”, inasmuch as within thee was born the Manifestation of His Glory. Be thou glad for this name that hath been conferred upon thee—a name through which the Day—star of grace hath shed its splendour, through which both earth and heaven have been illumined.

Ere long will the state ofaffairs within thee be changed, and the reins of power fall into the

2 Constantinople. “ Tihran.

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hands of the people. Verily, thy Lord is the AllKnowing. 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.

14. Say: 0 leaders of religion! Weigh not the Book of God with such standards and sciences as are current amongst you, for the Book itself is the unerring balance established amongst men. In this most perfect balance whatsoever the peoples and kindreds of the earth possess must be weighed, while the measure of its weight should be tested according to its own standard, did ye but know it.

The eye of My loving-kindness weepeth sore over you, inasmuch as ye have failed to recognize the One upon Whom ye have been calling in the daytime and in the night season, at even and at morn. Advance, O people, with snowwhite faces and radiant hearts, unto the blest and crimson Spot, wherein the Sadratu’lMuntaha is calling: “Verily, there is none other God beside Me, the Omnipotent Protector, the Self-Subsisting!”

O ye leaders of religion! Who is the man amongst you that can rival Me in vision or insight? Where is he to be found that dareth to claim to be My equal in utterance or wisdom? No, by My Lord, the All-Merciful! All on the earth shall pass away; and this is the face of your Lord, the Almighty, the WeIl-Beloved.

We have decreed, O people, that the highest and last end of all learning be the recognition oinm Who is the Object ofall knowledge; and yet, behold how ye have allowed your learning to shut you out, as by a veil, from Him Who is the Dayspring of this Light, through Whom every hidden thing hath been revealed. Could ye but discover the source whence the splendour of this utterance is diffused, ye would cast away the peoples of the world and all that they possess, and would draw nigh unto this most blessed Seat of glory.

Say: This, verily, is the heaven in which the Mother Book is treasured, could ye but comprehend it. He it is Who hath caused the Rock to shout, and the Burning Bush to lift up its voice, upon the Mount rising above the Holy

Land, and proclaim: “The Kingdom is God’s, the sovereign Lord of all, the All-Powerful, the Loving!”

We have not entered any school, nor read any of your dissertations. Incline your ears to the words of this unlettered One, wherewith He summoneth you unto God, the Ever—Abiding. Better is this for you than all the treasures of the earth, could ye but comprehend it.

Whoso interpreteth what hath been sent down from the heaven of Revelation, and altereth its evident meaning, he, verily, is of them that have perverted the Sublime Word of God, and is of the lost ones in the Lucid Book.

15. The Lord hath granted leave to whosoever desireth it that he be instructed in the divers tongues of the world that he may deliver the Message of the Cause of God throughout the East and throughout the West, that he make mention of Him amidst the kindreds and peoples of the world in such wise that hearts may revive and the mouldering bone be quickened.

16. Adorn your heads with the garlands of trustworthiness and fidelity, your hearts with the attire of the Fear of God, your tongues with absolute truthfulness, your bodies with the vesture of courtesy. These are in truth seemly adornings unto the temple of man, if ye be of them that reflect. Cling, O ye people of Bahá, to the cord ofservitude unto God, the True One, for thereby your stations shall be made manifest, your names written and preserved, your ranks raised and your memory exalted in the Preserved Tablet. Beware lest the dwellers on earth hinder you from this glorious and exalted station. Thus have We exhorted you in most of our Epistles and now in this, Our Holy Tablet, above which hath beamed the Day-star of the Laws of the Lord, your God, the Powerful, the All—Wise.

When the ocean of My presence hath ebbed and the Book of My Revelation is ended, turn your faces toward Him Whom God hath purposed, Who hath branched from this Ancient Root. Consider the pettiness of men’s minds. They ask for that which injureth them, and cast away the thing that profiteth them. They are, indeed, ofthose that are far astray. We find some men desiring liberty, and priding themselves therein. Such men are in the depths of ignorance.

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A’iSACRED WRITINGS 13

Aerial view ofpresent-day ‘Akká. The structure with arched windows, centre foreground, is the

House of ‘Abbdd where Bahá’u’lláh revealed the Kitab-i-Aqdas, Circa 1873.

Liberty must, in the end, lead to sedition, whose flames none can quench. Thus warneth you He Who is the Reckoner, the AIl-Knowing. Know ye that the embodiment of liberty and its symbol is the animal. That which beseemeth man is submission unto such restraints as will protect him from his own ignorance, and guard him against the harm of the mischief-maker. Liberty causeth man to overstep the bounds of propriety, and to infringe on the dignity of his station. It debaseth him to the level of extreme depravity and wickedness.

Regard men as a flock of sheep that need a shepherd for their protection. This, verily, is the truth, the certain truth. We approve of liberty in certain circumstances, and refuse to sanction it in others. We, verily, are the All-Knowing.

Say: True liberty consisteth in man’s submission unto My commandments, little as ye know it. Were men to observe that which We have sent down unto them from the Heaven of Revelation, they would, of a certainty, attain unto perfect liberty. Happy is the man that hath apprehended the Purpose of God in whatever He hath revealed from the Heaven of His

Will, that pervadeth all created things. Say: The liberty that profiteth you is to be found nowhere except in complete servitude unto God, the Eternal Truth. Whoso hath tasted of its sweetness will refuse to barter it for all the dominions of earth and heaven.

l7. Consort with all religions with amity and concord, that they may inhale from you the sweet fragrance of God. Beware lest amidst men the flame of foolish ignorance overpower you. All things proceed from God and unto Him they return. He is the source of all things and in Him all things are ended.

18. Blessed is the man that hath acknowledged his belief in God and in His signs, and recognized that “He shall not be asked oins doings.” Such a recognition hath been made by God the ornament of every belief, and its very foundation. Upon it must depend the acceptance of every goodly deed. Fasten your eyes upon it, that haply the whisperings of the rebellious may not cause you to slip.

Were He to decree as lawful the thing which from time immemorial had been forbidden, and

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forbid that which had, at all times, been regarded as lawful, to none is given the right to question His authority. Whoso will hesitate, though it be for less than a moment, should be regarded as a transgressor.

Whoso hath not recognized this sublime and fundamental verity, and hath failed to attain this most exalted station, the winds of doubt will agitate him, and the sayings of the infidels will distract his soul. He that hath acknowledged this principle will be endowed with the most perfect constancy. All honour to this allglorious station, the remembrance of which adorneth every exalted Tablet. Such is the teaching which God bestoweth on you, a teaching that will deliver you from all manner of doubt and perplexity, and enable you to attain unto salvation in both this world and in the next. He, verily, is the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Bountiful.

19.O concourse of divines! When My verses were sent down, and My clear tokens were revealed, We found you behind the veils. This, verily, is a strange thing. . . We have rent the veils asunder. Beware lest ye shut out the people by yet another veil. Pluck asunder the chains of vain imaginings, in the name of the Lord of all men, and be not of the deceitful. Should ye turn unto God, and embrace His Cause, spread not disorder within it, and measure not the Book of God with your selfish desires. This, verily, is the counsel of God aforetime and hereafter. . . Had ye believed in God, when He revealed Himself, the people would not have turned aside from Him, nor would the things ye witness today have befallen Us. Fear God, and be not of the heedless. . . This is the Cause that hath caused all your superstitions and idols t0 tremble. . .

O concourse of divines! Beware lest ye be the . cause of strife in the land, even as ye were the cause of the repudiation of the Faith in its early days. Gather the people around this Word that hath made the pebbles to cry out: “The Kingdom is God’s, the Dawning-Place of all signs!” . . . Tear the veils asunder in such wise that the inmates of the Kingdom will hear them being rent. This is the command of God, in days gone by, and for those to come. Blessed the man that observeth that whereunto he was bidden, and woe betide the negligent.

20. Happy are ye, O ye the learned ones in

lWORLD

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 quafl‘ed 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. When the Mystic Dove will have winged its flight from its Sanctuary of Praise and sought its far-offgoal, its hidden habitation, refer ye whatsoever ye understand not in the Book to Him Who hath branched from this mighty Stock.

21. 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 ofthis unique, this wondrous Systemthe like of which mortal eyes have never witnessed.

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 ofthis Cause—a Cause through which the potentialities of the might of God have been revealed, and His sovereignty established. With faces beaming withjoy, 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—Sul’ficient, above any need of His creatures.

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: 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.

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2. THE BAB

(Patsages from the Writings qf the Báb translated and commented upon by SHOGHI EFFENDI, compiled by BEATRICE ASHTON)

SHOGHI EFFENDI, the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith, has mentioned in GadPasses By, his history of the first hundred years of the Faith, certain Writings of the Báb, in particular, which came to be well known and had a profound effect on the scholars and officials of Persia, not only during the six years of the Báb’s ministry (1844—1850) but in succeeding years as well.

In order that “the people of the West” may become better acquainted with some of these Writings of the Báb, excerpts from them are presented here, chronologically, as they have been identified and made available in translations by Shoghi Effendi, together with historical information concerning them given by the Guardian in his books and by Nabil in his narrative, The Dawn-Breakers.

Concerning the Writings of the Báb Shoghi Effendi states:

“Alike in the magnitude of the writings emanating from His pen, and in the diversity of the subjects treated in those writings, His Revelation stands wholly unparalleled in the annals of

any previous religion. He Himselfatfirms, while confined in Méh-Kl’i, that up to that time His writings, embracing highly diversified subjects, had amounted to more than five hundred thousand verses. ‘The verses which have rained from this Cloud of Divine mercy,’ is Bahá’u’lláh’s testimony in the Kitdb-i-iqdn, ‘have been so abundant that none hath yet been able to estimate their number. A score of volumes are now available. How many still remain beyond our reach! How many have been plundered and have fallen into the hands of the enemy, the fate of which none knoweth!’ No less arresting is the variety of themes presented by these voluminous writings, such as prayers, homilies, orations, Tablets of visitation, scientific treatises, doctrinal dissertations, exhortations, commentaries on the Qur’án and on various traditions, epistles t0 the highest religious and ecclesiastical dignitaries of the realm, and laws and ordinances for the consolidation of His Faith and the direction of its activities.”1

1 GodPasses By, pp. 22—23.

THE QAYYUMU’L-ASMA’

The Qayyu’mu’l-Asmd’ (Commentary on the Qur’án Sl’irih of Joseph) was revealed in Arabic, in Shíráz. The first chapter was revealed “in its entirety” in the presence of Mulla Husayn on “that memorable night” when the Bab declared His Mission, May 23, 1844. It was Characterized by Baha’u’llah in His Kita'b—i iqdn as “the first, the greatest and mightiest of

all books” in the Babi Dispensation.2

Its “fundamental purpose was to forecast what the true Joseph (Baha’u’llah) would, in a succeeding Dispensation, endure at the hands of one who was at once His arch-enemy and blood brother. This work, comprising above nine thousand three hundred verses, and divided into one hundred and eleven chapters, each chapter a commentary on one verse of the above-mentioned sfirih, opens with the Báb’s 2ibid.,p.23.

clarion-call and dire warnings addressed to the ‘concourse of kings and Of the sons of kings’; forecasts the doom of Muhammad Shah; commands his Grand Vazir, Hájí Mirza Áqásí, to abdicate his authority; admonishes the entire Muslim ecclesiastical order; cautions more specifically the members of the fli‘ah community; extols the virtues, and anticipates the coming, of Baha’u’llah, the ‘Remnant of God’, the ‘Most Great Master’; and proclaims, in unequivocal language, the independence and universality of the Babi Revelation, unveils its import, and affirms the inevitable triumph of its Author. It, moreover, directs the ‘people afthe West’ to ‘issue forth from your cities and aid the Cause of God’; warns the peoples of the earth of the ‘terrible, the most grievous vengeance of God’; threatens the whole Islamic world with ‘the Most Great Fire’ were they to turn aside

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from the newly-revealed Law; foreshadows the Author’s martyrdom ; eulogizes the high station ordained for the people of Bahá, the ‘Companions of the crimson-coloured ruby Ark‘; prophesies the fading out and utter obliteration of some of the greatest luminaries in the firmament of the Bábi Dispensation; and even predicts ‘afi‘lictive torment’, in both the ‘Day Ofour Return’ and in ‘the world which is to come”, for the usurpers of the Imamate, who ‘waged war against Husayn (Imam Husayn) in the Land of the Euphrates.’

“It was this Book which the Bábis universally regarded, during almost the entire ministry of the Báb, as the Qur’án of the people of the Bayén; whose first and most challenging chapter was revealed in the presence of Mullá. Husayn, on the night of its Author’s Declaration; some of whose pages were borne, by that same disciple, to Bahá’u’lláh, as the first fruits of a Revelation which instantly won His enthusiastic allegiance; whose entire text was translated into Persian by the brilliant and gifted Táhirih; whose passages inflamed the hostility of Husayn Khán [the governor of the province of Fairs] and precipitated the initial outbreak of persecution in Shíráz; a single page of which had captured the imagination and entranced the soul of Hujjat; and whose contents had set afire the intrepid defenders of the Fort of flayk_h Tabarsi and the heroes of Nayriz and Zanjétn.”l In this book, moreover, the Báb refers to His wife and to His little son.2

“‘1 am the Mystic Fane,’ the Báb thus proclaims His station in the Qayytimu’l—Asma", ‘which the Hand of Omnipotence hath reared. I am the Lamp which the Finger of God hath [it within its niche and caused to shine with deathless splendour. I am the Flame of that supernal Light that glowed upon Sinai in the gladsome Spot, and lay concealed in the midst of the Burning Bush.’

“‘0 Qurratu’l—‘Aynl’ He, addressing Himself in that same commentary, exclaims, ‘I recognize in Thee none other except the “Great Announcement”—the Announcement voiced by the Concourse on high. By this name, I bear witness, they that circle the Throne of Glory have ever known Thee.’

“‘With each and every Prophet, Wham We have sent down in the past,’ He further adds,

1 GodPasses By, pp. 23— 24. 2 Dawn- Breakersp p. 76, notesS and4; p. 81, note2.

- struck,’ He again addresses Bahá’u

‘ We have established a separate Covenant concerning the “Remembrance of God” and His Day. Manifest, in the realm ofglory and through the power of truth, are the “Remembrance of God” and His Day before the eyes of the angels that circle His mercy—seat.’ ‘Should it be Our wish,’ He again affirms, ‘it is in Our power to compel, through the agency of but one letter 0] Our Revelation, the world and all that is therein to recognize, in less than the twinkling ofan eye, the truth of Our C ause.’ ”3

In this commentary on the Stirih of Joseph “we read the following references to Bahá’u’ lláh: ‘Out of utter nothingness, 0 great and omnipotent Master, T hou hast, through the celestialpotency of Th y might, brought meforth and raised me up to proclaim this Revelation. 1 have made none other but Thee my trust; I have clung to no will but Thy will . . . O Thou Remnant of God! I have sacrificed myself wholly for Thee; I have accepted curses for Thy sake, and have yearned for naught but martyrdom in the path of Thy love. Suficient witness unto me is God, the Exalted, the Protector, the Ancient of Days.’ ‘And when the appointed hour hath ’lláh in that same commentary, ‘do Thou, by the leave ofGoa', the All- Wise, reveal from the heights of the Most Lofty and M ystic Mount a faint, an infinitesimal glimmer of Thy impenetrable Mystery, that they who have recognized the radiance of the Sinaic Splendour may faint away and die as they catch a lightning glimpse of the fierce and crimson Light that envelops Thy Revelation.’ ”4

“ ‘As to those who deny Him Who is the Sublime Gate of God,’ the Báb, for His part, has affirmed in the Qayytimu’l-Asmti’, ‘for them We have prepared, as justly decreed by God, a sore torment. And He, God, is the Mighty, the Wise.’ And further, ‘O peoples of the earth! I swear by your Lord! Ye shall act as former generations have acted. Warn ye, then, yourselves of the terrible, the most grievous vengeance of God. For God is, verily, potent over all things.’ And again: ‘By My glory! I will make the infidels to taste, with the hands of M y power, retributions unknown of any one except Me, and will waft over the faithful those musk-scented breaths which I have nursed in the midmost heart ofMy throne.’ ”5

3 World Ordelr af Bahá’u’lláh, by Shoghi Effendi,p.126. 4ibid., p. 5 The Promisled Day Is Come, by Shoghi Effendi, p. 2.

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Upper chamber of the House oflhe Ed!) in S_/n'rtiz where He announced His Mission to Mulld Husayn.

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In this same commentary the Báb “has issued this stirring call to the kings and princes of the earth:

“‘O concourse of kings and Of the sons of kings! Lay aside, one and all, your dominion which belongeth unto God. . . Vain indeed is your dominion, for God hath set aside earthly possessions for such as have denied Him . . . O concourse of kings! Deliver with truth and in all haste the verses sent down by Us to the peoples of Turkey and of India, and beyond them, with power and with truth, to lands in both the East and the West . . . By God! If ye do well, to your own behoof will ye do well," and if ye deny God and His signs, We, in very truth, having God, can well dispense with all creatures and all earthly dominion.’

“And again: ‘Fear ye God, O concourse of kings, lest ye remain afar from Him Who is His Remembrance (the Báb), after the Truth hath come unto you with a Book and signs from God, as spoken through the wondrous tongue of Him Who is His Remembrance. Seek ye grace from God, for God hath ordained for you, after ye have believed in Him, a Garden the vastness of which is as the vastness of the whole of Paradise.’ ”1

Addressing Muhammad fléh: “0 King of Islam! Aid thou, with the truth, after having aided the Book, Him Who is Our Most Great Remembrance, for God hath, in very truth, deslined for thee, and for such as circle round thee, on the Day of Judgement, a responsible position in His Path. I swear by God, 0 firth! If thou showest enmity unto Him Who is His Remembrance, God will, on the Day of Resurrection, condemn thee, before the kings, unto hell-fire, and thou shalt not, in very truth, find on that Day any helper except God, the Exalted. Purge thou, O fldh, the Sacred Land (Ṭihrán) from such as have repudiated the Book, ere the day whereon the Remembrance ofGoa' cometh, terribly and of a sudden, with Hispotent Cause, by the leave ofGad, the Most High. God, verily, hath prescribed to thee to submit unto Him Who is His Remembrance, and unto His C ause, and to sub ' The Promised Day is Come, by Shoghi Effendi, p. 27.

due, with the truth and by His leave, the countries. for in this world thou hast been mercifully invested with sovereignty, and will, in the next. dwell, nigh unto the Seat ofHoliness, with the inmates of the Paradise of His gaod—pleasure. Let not thy so vereignty deceive thee, 0 flahL/br ‘every soul shall taste of death,’ and this, in very truth, hath been written d0 wn as a decree of G 0d. ”’

To the Shi‘ih clericals “who, as Bahá’u’lláh declared, had they not intervened, Persia would have been subdued by the power of God in hardly more than two years” the Báb addressed the following words: “O concourse of divines! Fear God from this day onwards in the views ye advance, for He Who is Our Remembrance in your midst, and Who cometh from Us, is, in very truth, the Judge and Witness. Turn away from that which ye lay hold of, and which the Book ofGoa', the True One, hath not sanctioned, fbr 0n the Day ofResurreetion ye shall, upon the Bridge, be, in very truth, held answerablefor the positionyeoceupie 3’3

“O concourse of S__hz' ‘ihs.’ Fear ye God, and Our Cause, which concerneth Him Who is the Most

. Great Remembrance of God. For great is its fire,

as decreed in the M0ther-Book." “O people of the Qur’a’n/ Ye are as nothing unless ye submit unto the Remembrance of God and unto this Book. Ifyefollow the Cause of God, We will fbrgive you your sins, and if ye turn aside from Our command, We will, in truth, condemn your souls in Our Book, unto the Most Great Fire. We, verily, do not deal unjustly with men, even to the extent of a speck on a date-stone.”

“And finally, in that same Commentary, this startling prophecy is recorded: ‘Erelong We will, in very truth, torment such as waged war against Husoyn (Imém Husayn), in the Land of the Euphrates, with the most afiiictive torment, and the most dire and exemplary punishment.’ ‘Erelong,’ He also, referring to that same people, in that same Book, has written, ‘will God wreak His vengeance upon them, at the time of Our Return, and He hath, in very truth, prepared for them, in the world to come, a severe torment.’ ”4

2ibid.,p.43. 3ibid.,p.88. 4 ibid.,p.89.

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THE SAHlFIY—I-BAYNU’L—HARAMAYN

The “Epistle between the Two Shrines” was “revealed between Mecca and Medina, in answer to questions posed by Mirza Muhit—iKirmani”, a flayfli leader, who had presented many questions to the Báb while in Mecca. This Epistle was revealed in January, 1845.1

Shoghi Effendi states that the visit of the Bab to Hijaz “was marked by two episodes of particular importance. The first was the declaration of His mission and His open challenge to the haughty Mirza Muhit—i-Kirmani, one of

1 Grad Passes By, p. 24; Dawn-Breakers, pp. 136—137, 14 .

the most outstanding exponents of the fiayfli school, who at times went so far as to assert his independence of the leadership of that school assumed after the death of Siyyid Kazim by Haji Muhammad Karim Khán, a redoubtable enemy of the Babi Faith. The second was the invitation, in the form of an Epistle, conveyed by QuddL’ls, to the Sherif of Mecca, in which the custodian of the House of God was called upon to embrace the truth of the new Revelation.”2

2 GodPasses By, p. 9.

EPISTLE TO THE SHERIF OF MECCA

“No sooner had the Báb performed the last of the Observances in connection with His pilgrimage to Mecca than He addressed an epistle t0 the Sherif of that holy city, wherein He set forth, in clear and unmistakable terms, the distinguishing features of His mission, and called upon him to arise and embrace His Cause. This epistle, together with selections from His other writings, He delivered to Quddt’ls, and instructed him to present them to the Sherif. The latter, however, too absorbed in his own material pursuits to incline his ear to the words

which had been addressed to him by the Báb, failed to respond to the call of the Divine Message.”3 “Seven years later, when in the course of a conversation with a certain Haji Niyaz-i-Baghdádi, this same Sherif was informed of the circumstances attending the mission and martyrdom of the Prophet of mm, he listened attentively to the description of those events and expressed his indignation at the tragic fate that had overtaken Him.”1

3 Dawn-Breakers, p. l38. 4 GodPasses By, p. 9.

KITABU’R—RUH

This work of the Báb, “comprising seven hundred sflrihs”,5 was also revealed in the 5 GodPasses By,p.24.

period before His banishment to the fortress prison of Mah-KL'I.

Ig-IASA’IL—I-SAB‘IH

The Lhasd’il—i—Sab‘ih (meaning literally “The Seven Qualifications”) “enjoined the alteration of the formula of the agi_h_én” (the Muslim call to prayer). This was a treatise in which the Bab had “set forth the essential requirements for those who had attained to the knowledge of the new Revelation and had recognized its Claim”. A copy was entrusted by the Báb to Quddl'ls when he departed from Bt’lshihr to Shíráz. QuddL'is, soon after arriving in Shíráz, gave it to Mulla Sádiq-i-flurasani, and “stressed the necessity of putting into effect

immediately all its provisions”. Mulla Sádiq, “among the first believers who identified themselves with the Message proclaimed by the Báb”, “impelled by the injunction of the Bath in the [Lhasd’il-i-Sab‘ih to alter the sacrosanct formula of the ad_han, sounded it in its amended form before a scandalized congregation in mm, and was instantly arrested, reviled, stripped of his garments, and scourged with a thousand lashes.”6

6 ibid., pp.24,10—1]; Dawn-Breakers, pp. 143-144.

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!'~ .

View of the house where the Báb spentforty days of H is sojourn in I sfdhdn in 1846 as the guest

1;

't

of the Imdm-Jum‘ih, “one of the principal ecclesiastical dignitaries of the realm, in accordance with the instructions of the governor of the city, Mamighihr Iflza’n . . . who had received from the Báb a letter requesting him to appoint the place where He should dwell.”

RISALIY-LFURU‘J-‘ADLiYYIH

Written originally in Arabic, this work of the Bab was “rendered into Persian by Mulla Muhammad-Taqiy—i—Harati” while the Báb

was staying at the residence of the ImémJum‘ih in Isfa'thém.1

1 GodPasses By, p. 24; Dawn-Breakers, p. 208.

COMMENTARY ON THE SURIH OF KAWfl-IAR

The Commentary on the Sfirih of Kawmar (Qur’án, 108) was revealed by the Báb during the third interview held with Him by Siyyid Yaḥyáy-i-Darabi, surnamed Vahid, sent by Muhammad flab, “to investigate and report to him the true situation” concerning the Bab’s claims. Vahid was “one of the most erudite, eloquent and influential” Of the subjects of the flab. “Broad-minded, highly imaginative, zealous by nature, intimately associated with the court, he, in the co urse of three interviews, was completely won over by the arguments and personality of the Báb. . . During the third interview the circumstances attending the revelation of the Báb’s commentary on the St’trih of Kawmar, comprising no less than two thousand verses, so overpowered

the delegate of the mm that he, contenting himself with a mere written report to the Court Chamberlain, arose forthwith to dedicate his entire life and resources to the service of a Faith that was to requite him with the crown Cf martyrdom during the Nayriz upheaval.” Th: one in whose soul this commentary of th : Báb’s “effected such a transformation” was designated by Bahá’u’lláh in His Kitdb-i-I’qdfil “that unique and peerless figure of his age.” He: was “a man of immense erudition and the most pre—eminent figure to enlist under the banner of the new Faith.” To his “talents and saintliness" and “high attainments in the realm of science and philosophy” the Báb testified in His Dald’ifii—Sab‘ih (“Seven Proofs”).2

2 God Passes By, pp. 11—12, 24, 50.

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COMMENTARY ON THE SURIH OF VA’L-‘ASR

The Commentary on the SL’irih of Va’l-‘Asr (Qur’án, 103) was revealed by the Báb during the first forty days of His sojourn in Iṣfahán when he was “the guest of Mirza’. Siyyid Muhammad, the Sulténu’l-‘Ulamé, the ImamJum‘ih, one of the principal ecclesiastical dignitaries of the realm, in accordance with the instructions of the governor of the city, Manilc_hihr I_(_l_1én, the Mu‘tamidu’d-Dawlih, who had received from the Báb a letter requesting him to appoint the place where He should dwell.”

This well-known commentary was revealed “one night, after supper” at the request of the

Imém—Jum‘ih. The Báb, “writing with astonishing rapidity . . . in a few hours, had devoted to the exposition of the significance of only the first letter of that sfirih—-—a letter which ShayH_1 Ahmad-i-Ahsa’ihad stressed, and which Bahá’u’lláh refers to in the Kitdb—i-Aqdas—verses that equalled in number a third of the Qur’án, a feat that called forth such an outburst of reverent astonishment from those who witnessed it that they arose and kissed the hem of His robe.”1

1 GadPasses By, pp. 14, 24; Dawn-Breakers, p. 201 .

DISSERTATION ON THE SPECIFIC MISSION OF MUHAMMAD

Written at the request of Manfic_hihr I_(_hén, the governor of Iṣfahán, “a Georgian by origin and a Christian by birth,” the Dissertation on the Specific Mission of Muhammad was revealed also in the house of the Imam-Jum‘ih. “Before a brilliant assemblage of the most accomplished divines” the Mu‘tamid “requested the Báb to expound and demonstrate the truth of Muhammad’s specific mission. To this request, which those present had felt compelled to decline, the Báb readily responded. In less than two hours, and in the space of fifty pages, He had not only revealed a minute, a vigorous and original dissertation on this noble theme, but had also linked it with both the coming of the Qa’im and the return of the Imam Husayn—an exposition that prompted Mantighihr Khán to declare before that gathering his faith in the Prophet of Islam, as well as his recognition of the supernatural gifts with which the Author of so convincing a treatise was endowed.”2 2 20614(11’asses By, pp. 14—15; Dawn-Breakers, pp. 202 As Shoghi Effendi points out, “The great bulk of the writings emanating from the Báb’s prolific mind was, however, reserved for the period of His confinement in Mah-Kt’i and Qihriq. To this period must probably belong the unnumbered Epistles which, as attested by no less an authority than Bahá’u’lláh, the Báb specifically addressed to the divines of every city in Persia, as well as to those residing in Najaf and Karbila, wherein He set forth in detail the errors committed by each one of them. It was during His incarceration in the fortress of Mah-Kt’i that He, according to the testimony of flayfl Hasan-i-Zum’izi, who transcribed during those nine months the verses dictated by the Báb to His amanuensis, revealed no less than nine commentaries on the whole of the Qur’án—commentaries whose fate, alas, is unknown, and one of which, at least the Author Himself affirmed, surpassed in some respects a book as deservedly famous as the Qayyt'lmu’lAsmz’t’.”a 3 GodPasxes By, 13. 24.

THE PERSIAN BAYAN

“Within the walls of that same fortress [MahK11] the Bayan (Exposition)—that monumental repository of the laws and precepts of the new Dispensation and the treasury enshrining most of the Báb’s references and tributes to, as well

as His warning regarding, ‘Him Whom God will make manifest’—was revealed. Peerless among the doctrinal works of the Founder of the Bábi Dispensation; consisting of nine Véhids (Unities) of nineteen chapters each, except the last

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Véhid, comprising only ten chapters; not to be confounded with the smaller and less weighty Arabic Bayan, revealed during the same period ; fulfilling the Muhammadan prophecy that ‘a Youth from Bani—Héshim . . . will reveal a new Book and promulgate a new Law’; wholly safeguarded from the interpolation and corruption which has been the fate of so many of the Báb’s lesser works, this Book, of about eight thousand verses, occupying a pivotal position in Babi literature, should be regarded primarily as a eulogy of the Promised One rather than a code of laws and ordinances designed to be a permanent guide to future generations. This Book at once abrogated the laws and ceremonials enjoined by the Qur’án regarding prayer, fasting, marriage, divorce and inheritance, and upheld, in its integrity, the belief in the prophetic mission of Muhammad, even as the Prophet of Islam before Him had annulled the ordinances of the Gospel and yet recognized the Divine origin of the Faith of Jesus Christ. It moreover interpreted in a masterly fashion the meaning of certain terms frequently occurring in the sacred Books of previous Dispensations, such as Paradise, Hell, Death, Resurrection, the Return, the Balance, the Hour, the Last Judgement, and the like. Designedly severe in the rules and regulations it imposed, revolutionizing in the principles it instilled, calculated to awaken from their agelong torpor the clergy and the people, and to administer a sudden and fatal blow to obsolete and corrupt institutions, it proclaimed, through its drastic provisions, the advent of the anticipated Day, the Day when ‘the Summoner shall summon to a stern business,’ when He will ‘a'emolish whatever hath been before Him, even as the Apostle of God demolished the ways of those that preceded H im.’

. Unlike the Prophets gone before Him, Whose Covenants were shrouded in mystery, unlike Bahá’u’lláh, Whose clearly defined Covenant was incorporated in a specially written Testament, and designated by Him as ‘the Book of My Covenant’, the Báb chose to intersperse His Book of Laws, the Persian Bayén, with unnumbered passages, some designedly obscure, mostly indubitably clear and conclusive, in which He fixes the date of the promised Revelation, extols its virtues, asserts its pre-eminent character, assigns to it unlimited powers and prerogatives, and tears down every

barrier that might be an obstacle to its recognition. ‘He, verily,’ Bahá’u’lláh, referring to the Bab in His Kitab-i—Badt", has stated, ‘hath not fallen short of His duty to exhort the people of the Bayán and to deliver unto them His Message. In no age or dispensation hath any Manifestation made mention, in such detail and in such explicit language, of the Manifestation destined to succeed H im.’ ”1

“. . . in the third Vahid of this Book there occurs a passage which, alike in its explicit reference to the name of the Promised One, and in its anticipation of the Order which, in a later age, was to be identified with His Revelation, deserves to rank as one of the most significant statements recorded in any of the Báb’s writings. ‘Well is it with him,’ is His prophetic announcement, ‘who fixeth his gaze upon the Order of'Bahá’u’lláh, and rendereth thanks unto his Lard. For He will assuredly be made manifest. God hath indeed irrevocably ordained it in the Bayan.’ ”2

“The germ that holds within itself the potentialities of the Revelation that is to come is endowed with a potency superior to the combined forces ofall those who follow Me.” “0/ all the tributes I have paid to Him Who is to come after Me, the greatest is this, My written confession, that no words of Mine can adequately describe Him, nor can any reference to Him in My Book, the Haydn, do justice to His Cause.”3 “The Bayán and whosoever is therein revolve round the saying of‘Him Whom God shall make manifest’, even as the Alif (the Gospel) and whosoever was therein revolved round the saying of Muhammad, the Apostle of God.” “A thousand perusals Of the Baya'n cannot equal the perusal of a single verse to be revealed by ‘Him Wham God shall make mamfest’. . . Today the Baya’n is in the stage of seed; at the beginning of the manifestation of ‘Him Whom God shall make mani-fest’ its ultimate perfection will become apparent

. The Baya’n and such as are believers therein yearn more ardently after H im than the yearning of any lover after his beloved. . . The Haydn deriveth all its glory from ‘Him Whom Gadshali make n‘mnifest’. All blessing be upon him who believeth in Him and woe betide him that rejecteth His truth.“1

“It is clear and evident that the object of all

1 GodPasses By, pp.2 4—25, 28. 2ibid. 3 Warldordero/Baha’ u llah, by Shoghi Effendis, p 100. ‘ibid.,pp.100—10

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THE BAHA [SACRED WRITINGS 23

A present-day view of Máh-Kú’ ‘Aa_hirbdyjan, where the Báb was confined for nine consecutive months commencing in the summer of 1 84 7. The castle is seen at the base of the overhanging rock above the village.

preceding Dispensations hath been to pave the way for the advent of Muhammad, the Apostle of God. These, including the Muhammadan Dispensation, have had, in their turn, as their objective the Revelation proclaimed by the Qa’im. The purpose underlying this Revelation, as well as those that preceded it, has, in like manner, been to announce the advent of the Faith of Him Whom God will make manifest. And this Faith —the Faith oinm Whom God will make manifest—in its turn, together with all the Revelations gone before it, have as their object the Manifestation destined to succeed it. And the latter, no less than all the Revelations preceding it, prepare the way for the Revelation which is yet to follow. The process of the rise and setting of the Sun of Truth will thus indefinitely continue—a process that hath had no beginning and will have no end.”1

“‘The Bayan,’ the Báb in that book, referring to the Promised One, affirms, ‘is, from beginning to end, the repository of all of His attributes, and the treasury of bath His fire and His 1 World Order of Bahá’ít’l/dh, by Shoghi Effendi, p. 117.

light.’ ‘If thou attainest unto His Revelation,’ He, in another connection declares, ‘and obeyest Him, thou wilt have revealed the fruit of the Baya'n; if not, thou art unworthy of mention before God.’

“‘O people of the Bayan!’ He, in that same Book, thus warns the entire company of His followers, “act not as the people of the Qur’án have acted, for if ye do so, the fruits of your night will come to naught.’ ‘Sufler not the Bayan,’ is His emphatic injunction, ‘and all that hath been revealed therein to withhold you from that Essence of Being and Lord of the visible and invisible.’ ”2

“And finally is this, His moving invocation to God: ‘Bear Thou witness that, through this Book, I have covenanted with all created things concerning the mission of Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest, ere the covenant concerning My own mission had been established. Sufficient witness art Thou and they that have believed in Thy signs.’ ”3

“‘How veiled are ye, 0 My creatures,’ He, 2 GodPasses By, p. 29. 3 ibid.,p. 30.

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speaking with the voice of God, has revealed in the Bayan, ‘ . . . who, without any right, have consigned Him unto a mountain (Méh-Kl’l), not one of whose inhabitants is worthy of mention. . . With Him, which is with Me, there is no one except him who is one of the Letters of the Living of My Book. In His presence, which is My Presence, there is not at night even a ligh ted

lamp! And yet, in places (of worship) which in varying degrees reach out unto Him, unnumbered lamps are shining! All that is on earth hath been created for Him, and all partake with delight of H is benefits, and yet they are so veiled from H im as to refuse Him even a lamp!’ ”1

1 The Promised Day Is Come, p. 7.

THE ARABIC BAYAN

The “smaller and less weighty Arabic Bayan” was also revealed during the Bab’s confinement in Me'lh-Kt’t.2 2 GadPasses By, p. 25.

TABLETS TO MUHAMMAD EAH

The first Tablet of the Bath to Muhammad Shéh was written following the Commentary on the St’xrih of Joseph, and the second Tablet some two years later, after the Báb’s Dissertation on the Specific Mission of Muhammad, revealed in Iṣfahán. In the second Tablet t0 Muhammad Shah, the Báb wrote “craving an audience in which to set forth the truths of the new Revelation, and dissipate his doubts”.3

“The Báb was still in Méh-Kt't when He wrote the most detailed and illuminating of His Tablets to Muhammad S__hah. Prefaced by a laudatory reference to the unity of God, to His Apostles and to the twelve Iméms; unequivocal in its assertion of the divinity of its Author and of the supernatural powers with which His Revelation had been invested; precise in the verses and traditions it cites in confirmation of so audacious a claim; severe in its condemnation of some of the officials and representatives of the flah’s administration, particularly of the ‘ wicked and accursed ’ Husayn 1(_han; moving in its description of the humiliation and hardships to which its writer had been subjected, this historic document resembles, in many of its features, the Lawh-i-Sultdn, the Tablet addressed, under similar circumstances, from the prison fortress of ‘Akká by Baha’u’llah to Nésiri’d-Din mm, and constituting His lengthiest epistle to any single sovereign.“1

The Báb was confined in the fortress of Méh-Kt’t for nine months, about July, 1847 to April, 1848.5 From this mountain fortress He thus addressed Muhammad fléh:

3 ibid.,p.24. 4 ibid.,p. 26. 5ibid.,pp. 17—19.

“I am the Primal Point from which have been generated all created things. I am the Countenance of God Whose splendour can never be obscured, the Light of God Whose radiance can never fade. . . All the keys ofheaven God hath chosen to place on My right hand, and all the keys of hell on My left. . . [am one of the sustaining pillars of the Primal Word of God. Whosoever hath recognized Me, hath known all that is true and right, and hath attained all that is good and seemly. . . The substance wherewith Godhath created Me is not the clay out ofwhich others have been formed. He hath conferred upon Me that which the worldly-wise can never comprehend, nor the faithful discover. . .

“By My life! But for the obligation to acknowledge the Cause of Him Who is the Testimony of'God . . . I would not have announced this unto thee. . . In that same year (year 60) I despatched a messenger and a book unto thee, that thou mightest act towards the Cause of Him Who is the Testimony of God as befitteth the station of thy sovereignty. . .

“I swear by the truth of God! Were he who hath been willing to treat Me in such a manner to know who it is whom he hath so treated, he, verily, would never in his life be happy. Nay—I, verily, acquaint thee with the truth of the matter —it is as ifhe hath imprisoned all the Prophets, and all the men Oftruth, and all the chosen ones. . . Woe betide him from whose hands floweth evil, and blessed the man from whose hands floweth good. . .

“I swear by God! I seek no earthly goods from thee, be it as much as a mustard seed. . . I swear

[Page 25]THE BAHA’I' SACRED WRITINGS

by the truth of God! Wert than to know that which I know, thou wouldst forego the sovereignty of the world and of the next, that thou mightest attain My good—pleasure, through thine obedience unto the True One. . . Wert thou to refuse, the Lord of the world would raise up one who will exalt His Cause, and the C ommand of God will, verily, be carried into efiect.”l

“I swear by God! Shouldst thou know the things which in the space of these four years have befallen Me at the hands of thy people and thine army, thou wouldst hold thy breath from fear of

1 The Promised Day Is Come, pp. 43—44.

DALA’IL-I-SAB‘IH

“The most important of the polemical works of the Báb”, the Dala’il—i-Sab‘ih was also revealed during the Báb’s confinement in MéhKL’I. “Remarkably lucid, admirable in its precision, original in conception, unanswerable in its argument, this work, apart from the many and divers proofs of His mission which it adduces, is noteworthy for the blame it assigns to the ‘seven powerful sovereigns ruling the world’ in His day, as well as for the manner in which it stresses the responsibilities, and censures the conduct, of the Christian divines of a former age who, had they recognized the truth of Muhammad’s mission, He contends, would have been followed by the mass of their coreligionists.”‘

“ ‘Gracious God.” writes the Báb with reference to the ‘seven powerful sovereigns ruling the world’ in His day, ‘None of them hath been informed of His (the Báb’s) Manifestation, and if informed, none hath believed in Him. Who knoweth they may leave this world below full of desire, and without having realized that the thing for which they were waiting had come to

3 For the translation into the French, by A. L. M. Nicolas of excerpts from this Tablet, see The Bahá’í World, vol. vm, p. 205. ‘ Goa’Passes By, p. 26.

25

God. . . Alas, alas, for the things which have touched Me! I swear by the Most Great Lord! Wert thou to be told in what place I dwell, the first person to have mercy on Me would be thyself In the heart of a mountain is a fortress (Méh-KL’I) . . . the inmates of which are confined to two guards and four dogs. Picture, then, My plight. . . In this mountain I have remained alone, and have come to such a pass that none of those gone before Me have saflered what I have suffered, nor any transgressor endured what I have endured!” 2

2 ibid., pp. 6—7.

(SEVEN PROOFS)3

pass. This is what happened to the monarchs that held fast unto the Gospel. They awaited the coming of the Prophet of God (Muhammad), and when He did appear, they failed to recognize Him. Behold how great are the sums which these so vereigns expend without even the slightest thought ofappointing an official charged with the task ofacquainting them in their own realms with the Manifestation of God! They would thereby have fulfilled the purpose for which they have been created. All their desires have been and are still fixed upon leaving behind them traces of their names.’

“The Báb, moreover, in that same treatise, censuring the failure of the Christian divines to acknowledge the truth of Muhammad’s mission, makes this illuminating statement: ‘The blame falleth upon their doctors, for if these had believed, they would have been followed by the mass of their countrymen. Behold, then, that which hath come to pass! The learned men of C hristendom are held to be learned by virtue of their safeguarding the teaching of Christ, and yet consider how they themselves have been the cause of men’s failure to accept the Faith and attain unto salvation!’ ”5

5 The Promised Day Is Come, p. 17.

LAWH-I-HURUFAT (TABLET OF THE LETTERS)

“During the Báb’s confinement in the fortress of _C_t_1ihriq, where He spent almost the whole of the two remaining years of His life, the Lawh-iHurafa’t (Tablet of the Letters) was revealed, in honour of Dayyén—a Tablet which, however misconstrued at first as an exposition of the

science of divination, was later recognized to have unravelled, on the one hand, the mystery of the Mustagham, and to have abstrusely alluded, on the other, to the nineteen years which must needs elapse between the Declaration of the Báb and that of Bahá’u’lláh. . .

[Page 26]

The fbrtress of flihriq, near Uru’miyyih (known today as Ridd’

r, 26 THE BAHA [WORLD

‘Va 1;

iyyih). The Báb was transferred

to Qihrt’q, surnamed by Him “the Grievous Mountain”, about April 10, 1848.

“To this period of incarceration in the fortresses of Mah-Kl'i and gw_ihriq—a period of unsurpassed fecundity, yet bitter in its humiliations and ever-deepening sorrows—belong almost all the written references, whether in the form of warnings, appeals or exhortations, which the Báb, in anticipation of the approaching hour of His supreme affliction, felt it necessary to make to the Author of a Revelation that was soon to supersede His own.”1

This Tablet was revealed for “a prominent official of high literary ability . . . later surnamed Dayyén by the Báb”,2 on whom “He conferred the title of ‘the third Letter to believe in H im Whom Godshall make manifest’.” 3

According to Nabil, “The mystery of the Mustaghétj; [literally, “He Who is invoked”] had long baflied the most searching minds among the people of the Bayén and had proved an insurmountable obstacle to their recognition of the Promised One. The Báb had Himself in that Tablet unravelled that mystery; no one, however, was able to understand the explanation which He had given. It was left to Bahá’u’lláh to unveil it to the eyes of all men.”‘

1 GadPasses By, p. 27. 2 The Dawn-Breakers, p. 303. 3 GodPasses By, p. 28. ‘ The Dawn-Breakers, pp. 304—305.

Baha’u’llah, in His Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, cites a passage from the Tablet of the Báb to Dayyén, prefacing it with these words:

“Dayydn, who, according to the words of Him Who is the Point . . . is the repository of the trust of the one true God . . . and the treasury of the pearls of His knowledge, was made by them to suffer so cruel a martyrdom that the Concourse on high wept and lamented. He it is whom He (the Báb) had taught the hidden and preserved knowledge and entrusted him therewith, through His words: ‘O thou who art named Dayydn! This is a hidden and preserved Knowledge. We have entrusted it unto thee, and brought it to thee, as a mark of honour from God, inasmuch as the eye of thine heart is pure. Thou wilt appreciate its value, and wilt cherish its excellence. God, verily, hath deigned to bestow upon the Point of the Bayán a hidden and preserved Knowledge, the like of which God hath not sent down prior to this Revelation. More precious is it than any other kno wledge in the estimation of God—glorified be He! He, verily, hath made it His testimony, even as He hath made the verses to be His testimony.’ ” 5

5 op cit., pp.174—175.

[Page 27]THE Bahá’í SACRED WRITINGS 27

DENUNCIATORY TABLET TO HAJi MiRZA AQAsi

“It was during these years—years darkened throughout by the rigours of the Báb’s captivity, by the severe indignities inflicted upon Him, and by the news of the disasters that overtook the heroes of Mézindarén and Nayrizthat He revealed, soon after His return from Tabríz, His denunciatory Tablet to Haji Mirza Áqásí. Couched in bold and moving language,

unsparing in its condemnation, this epistle was forwarded to the intrepid Hujjat, who, as corroborated by Bahá’u’lláh, delivered it to that wicked minister”1 [Grand Vazir of Muhammad Shéh]. This Tablet was given the name of the Khutbiy-i-Qahriyyih (literally, “Sermon of Wrath”).2

‘ GodPasxex By, p. 27.

2 The Dawn-Breakers, p. 323.

KITAB-I-PANJ-fiflA’N

“In the Kitdb-i-Panj-glla’n, one of His last works, He had alluded to the fact that the sixth Naw-Rúz after the declaration of His mission would be the last He was destined to celebrate on earth.”3 “. . . to ‘Azim He divulged, in the

Kitdb-i—Panj—fla’n, the name, and announced the approaching advent, of Him Who was to 3 G‘odPasses By,p. 51.

consummate His own Revelation . . . ‘ Wait thou,’ is His statement to ‘Azim, ‘until nine will have elapsed from the time of the Bayán. Then exclaim: “Blessed, therefore, be God, the most excellent ofMakers!” ’ ”‘

" ibid., pp. 28, 29. Mulla flath ‘Ali, surnamed: ‘Azim (literally, “great") by the Bath, was one of the ”outstanding figures among the ecclesiastical leaders of flurasén” (Dawn-Breakers, p. 125).

\

mxm

5“

1 S.

1:" K‘wfi

Interior view of the Masjid—i- Vakil, flirdz.

[Page 28]28 THE Bahá’í WORLD

Pulpit Of the Masjid—i- Vakil, Sht’rdz, from which the Báb addressed the congregation in 1845.

[Page 29]I,r

THE BAHA ISACRED WRITINGS 29

3. ‘ABDU’L-BAHA

Tablet t0 the Central Organization for a Durable Peace, The Hague

‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s reply to a communication addressed to Him by the Executive Committee of

the Central Organization for a Durable Peace, despatched to it at The Hague by the hands

of a special delegation, a Tablet described by Shoghi Effendi in God Passes By as being of “far reaching importance”.

December 1 7, 1919

O YE esteemed ones who are pioneers among the well-wishers of the world of humanity!

The letters which ye sent during the war were not received, but a letter dated February 11th, 1916, has just come to hand, and immediately an answer is being written. Your intention deserves a thousand praises, because you are serving the world of humanity, and this is conducive to the happiness and welfare of all. This recent war has proved to the world and the people that war is destruction while Universal Peace is construction; war is death while peace is life; war is rapacity and bloodthirstiness while peace is beneficence and humaneness; war is an appurtenance of the world of nature while peace is of the foundation of the religion of God; war is darkness upon darkness while peace is heavenly light; war is the destroyer of the edifice of mankind while peace is the everlasting life of the world ofhumanity; war is like a devouring wolf while peace is like the angels of heaven; war is the struggle for existence while peace is mutual aid and co-operation among the peoples of the world and the cause of the good-pleasure of the True One in the heavenly realm.

There is not one soul whose conscience does not testify that in this day there is no more important matter in the world than that of Universal Peace. Every just one bears witness to this and adores that esteemed Assembly because its aim is that this darkness may be changed into light, this bloodthirstiness into kindness, this torment into bliss, this hardship into ease and this enmity and hatred into fellowship and love. Therefore, the effort of those esteemed souls is worthy of praise and commendation.

But the wise souls who are aware of the essential relationships emanating from the realities of things consider that one single matter cannot, by itself, influence the human reality as it ought and should, for until the minds of men become united, no important matter can be accomplished. At present Universal Peace is a matter of great importance, but unity of conscience is essential, so that the foundation of this matter may become secure, its establishment firm and its edifice strong.

Therefore His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh, fifty years ago, expounded this question of Universal Peace at a time when He was confined in the fortress of ‘Akká and was wronged and imprisoned. He wrote about this important matter of Universal Peace to all the great sovereigns of the world, and established it among His friends in the Orient. The horizon of the East was in utter darkness, nations displayed the utmost hatred and enmity towards each other, religions thirsted for each other’s blood, and it was darkness upon darkness. At such a time His Holiness Baha’u’llah shone forth like the sun from the horizon of the East and illumined Persia with the lights of these teachings.

Among His teachings was the declaration of Universal Peace. People of different nations, religions and sects who followed Him came together to such an extent that remarkable gatherings were instituted consisting of the various nations and religions of the East. Every soul who entered these gatherings saw but one nation, one teaching, one pathway, one order, for the teachings of His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh were not limited to the establishment of Universal Peace. They embraced many teachings which supplemented and supported that of Universal Peace.

Among these teachings was the independent

[Page 30]30 THE BAHA

investigation of reality so that the world of humanity may be saved from the darkness of imitation and attain to the truth; may tear off and cast away this ragged and outgrown garment of 1,000 years ago and may put on the robe woven in the utmost purity and holiness in the loom ofreality. As reality is one and cannot admit of multiplicity, therefore different opinions must ultimately become fused into one.

And among the teachings of His Holiness Baha’u’llah is the oneness of the world of humanity; that all human beings are the sheep of God and He is the kind Shepherd. This Shepherd is kind to all the sheep, because He created them all, trained them, provided for them and protected them. There is no doubt that the Shepherd is kind to all the sheep and should there be among these sheep ignorant ones, they must be educated; if there be children, they must be trained until they reach maturity; if there be sick ones, they must be cured. There must be no hatred and enmity, for as by a kind physician these ignorant, sick ones should be treated.

And among the teachings of His Holiness Baha’u’llah is, that religion must be the cause of fellowship and love. If it becomes the cause of estrangement then it is not needed, for religion is like a remedy; if it aggravates the disease then it becomes unnecessary.

And among the teachings of Baha’u’llah is, that religion must be in conformity with science and reason, so that it may influence the hearts ofmen. The foundation must be solid and must not consist ofimitations.

And among the teachings of Baha’u’llah is, that religious, racial, political, economic and patriotic prejudices destroy the edifice of humanity. As long as these prejudices prevail, the world of humanity will not have rest. For a period of 6,000 years history informs us about the world ofhumanity. During these 6,000 years the world of humanity has not been free from war, strife, murder and bloodthirstiness. In every period war has been Waged in one country or another and that war was due to either religious prejudice, racial prejudice, political prejudice or patriotic prejudice. It has therefore been ascertained and proved that all prejudices are destructive of the human edifice. As long as these prejudices persist, the struggle for existence must remain dominant, and bloodthirstiness and rapacity continue. There 3

IWORLD

fore, even as was the case in the past, the world of humanity cannot be saved from the darkness of nature and cannot attain illumination except through the abandonment of prejudices and the acquisition of the morals of the Kingdom.

Ifthis prejudice and enmity are on account of religion consider that religion should be the cause of fellowship, otherwise it is fruitless. And if this prejudice be the prejudice of nationality consider that all mankind are of one nation; all have sprung from the tree of Adam, and Adam is the root of the tree. That tree is one and all these nations are like branches, while the individuals of humanity are like leaves, blossoms and fruits thereof. Then the establishment ofvarious nations and the consequent shedding of blood and destruction of the edifice of humanity result from human ignorance and selfish motives.

As to the patriotic prejudice, this is also due to absolute ignorance, for the surface of the earth is one native land. Every one can live in any spot on the terrestrial globe. Therefore all the world is man’s birthplace. These boundaries and outlets have been devised by man. In the creation, such boundaries and outlets were not assigned. Europe is one continent, Asia is one continent, Africa is one continent, Australia is one continent, but some of the souls, from personal motives and selfish interests, have divided each one of these continents and considered a certain part as their own country. God has set up no frontier between France and Germany; they are continuous. Yea, in the first centuries, selfish souls, for the promotion of their own interests, have assigned boundaries and outlets and have, day by day, attached more importance to these, until this led to intense enmity, bloodshed and rapacity in subsequent centuries. In the same way this will continue indefinitely, and if this conception of patriotism remains limited within a certain circle, it will be the primary cause of the world’s destruction. No wise andjust person will acknowledge these imaginary distinctions. Every limited area which we call our native country we regard as our motherland, whereas the terrestrial globe is the motherland of all, and not any restricted area. In short, for a few days we live on this earth and eventually we are buried in it, it is our eternal tomb. Is it worth while that we should engage in bloodshed and tear one another to pieces for this eternal tomb? Nay,

[Page 31]THE Bahá’í SACRED WRITINGS 31

far from it, neither is God pleased with such conduct nor would any sane man approve of it.

Consider! The blessed animals engage in no patriotic quarrels. They are in the utmost fellowship with one another and live together in harmony. For example, if a dove from the East and a dove from the West, a dove from the North and a dove from the South chance to arrive, at the same time, in one spot, they immediately associate in harmony. So is it with all the blessed animals and birds. But the ferocious animals, as soon as they meet, attack and fight with each other, tear each other to pieces and it is impossible for them to live peaceably together in one spot. They are all unsociable and fierce, savage and combative fighters.

Regarding the economic prejudice, it is apparent that whenever the ties between nations become strengthened and the exchange of commodities accelerated, and any economic principle is established in one country, it will ultimately affect the other countries and universal benefits will result. Then why this prejudice?

As to the political prejudice, the policy of God must be followed and it is indisputable that the policy of God is greater than human policy. We must follow the Divine policy and that applies alike to all individuals. He treats all individuals alike: no distinction is made, and that is the foundation of the Divine Religions.

And among the teachings of His Holiness Baha’u’llah is the origination of one language that may be spread universally among the people. This teaching was revealed from the pen of His Holiness Baha’u’llah in order that this universal language may eliminate misunderstandings from among mankind.

And among the teachings of His Holiness Baha’u’llah is the equality of women and men. The world of humanity has two wingswone is women and the other men. Not until both wings are equally developed can the bird fly. Should one wing remain weak, flight is impossible. Not until the world of women becomes equal to the world of men in the acquisition of virtues and perfections, can success and prosperity be attained as they ought to be.

And among the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh is voluntary sharing of one’s property with others among mankind. This voluntary sharing is greater than equality, and consists in this, that

man should not prefer himself to others, but rather should sacrifice his life and property for others. But this should not be introduced by coercion so that it becomes a law and man is compelled to follow it. Nay, rather, man should voluntarily and of his own choice sacrifice his property and life for others, and spend willingly for the poor, just as is done in Persia among the Bahá’ís.

And among the teachings of His Holiness Baha’u’llah is man’s freedom, that through the ideal Power he should be free and emancipated from the captivity of the world of nature; for as long as man is captive to nature he is a ferocious animal, as the struggle for existence is one of the exigencies of the world of nature. This matter of the struggle for existence is the fountain-head of all calamities and is the supreme affliction.

And among the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh is that religion is a mighty bulwark. If the edifice of religion shakes and totters, commotion and chaos will ensue and the order of things will be utterly upset, for in the world of mankind there are two safeguards that protect man from wrongdoing. One is the law which punishes the criminal; but the law prevents only the manifest crime and not the concealed sin; whereas the ideal safeguard, namely, the religion of God, prevents both the manifest and the concealed crime, trains man, educates morals, compels the adoption of virtues and is the all—inclusive power which guarantees the felicity of the world of mankind. But by religion is meant that which is ascertained by investigation and not that which is based on mere imitation, the foundation of Divine Religions and not human imitations.

And among the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh is that although material civilization is one of the means for the progress of the world of mankind, yet until it becomes combined with Divine civilization, the desired result, which is the felicity of mankind, will not be attained. Consider! These battleships that reduce a city to ruins within the space of an hour are the result of material civilization; likewise the Krupp guns, the Mauser rifles, dynamite, submarines, torpedo boats, armed aircraft and bombing aeroplanes—all these weapons of war are the malignant fruits of material civilization. Had material civilization been combined with Divine civilization, these fiery weapons would

[Page 32]32 THE Bahá’í WORLD

never have been invented. Nay, rather, human energy would have been wholly devoted to useful inventions and would have been concentrated on praiseworthy discoveries. Material civilization is like a lamp-glass. Divine civilization is the lamp itself and the glass without the light is dark. Material civilization is like the body. No matter how infinitely graceful, elegant and beautiful it may be, it is dead. Divine civilization is like the spirit, and the body gets its life from the spirit, otherwise it becomes a corpse. It has thus been made evident that the world of mankind is in need of the breaths of the Holy Spirit. Without the spirit the world of mankind is lifeless, and without this light the world of mankind is in utter darkness. For the world of nature is an animal world. Until man is born again from the world of nature, that is to say, becomes detached from the world of nature, he is essentially an animal, and it is the teachings of God which convert this animal into a human soul.

And among the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh is the promotion of education. Every child must be instructed in sciences as much as is necessary. If the parents are able to provide the expenses of this education, it is all right, otherwise the community must provide the means for the teaching of that child.

And among the teachings of His Holiness Baha’u’llah is justice and right. Until these are realized on the plane of existence, all things shall be in disorder and remain imperfect. The world of mankind isaworld of oppression and cruelty, and a realm of aggression and error.

In fine, such teachings are numerous. These manifold principles, which constitute the greatest basis for the felicity of mankind and are of the bounties of the Merciful, must be added to the matter of Universal Peace and combined with it, so that results may accrue. Otherwise the realization of Universal Peace by itself in the world of mankind is difficult. As the teachings of His Holiness Baha’u’llah are combined with Universal Peace, they are like a table provided with every kind of fresh and delicious food. Every soul can find, at that table of infinite bounty, that which he desires. If the question is restricted to Universal Peace alone, the remarkable results which are expected and desired will not be attained. The scope of Universal Peace must be such that all the communities and religions may find their highest

wish realized in it. At present the teachings of His Holiness Baha’u’llah are such that all the communities of the world, whether religious, political or ethical, ancient or modern, find in the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh the expression of their highest wish.

For example, the people of religions find, in the teachings of His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh, the establishment of Universal Religion—a religion that perfectly conforms with present conditions, which in reality effects the immediate cure of the incurable disease, which relieves every pain, and bestows the infallible antidote for every deadly poison. For if we wish to arrange and organize the world of mankind in accordance with the present religious imitations and thereby to establish the felicity of the world of mankind, it is impossible and impracticable—for example, the enforcement of the laws of the Old Testament (Torah) and also of the other religions in accordance with present imitations. But the essential basis of all the Divine Religions which pertains to the virtues of the world of mankind and is the foundation of the welfare of the world of man, is found in the teachings of His Holiness Baha’u’llah in the most perfect presentation,

Similarly, with regard to the peoples who clamour for freedom: the moderate freedom which guarantees the welfare of the world of mankind and maintains and preserves the universal relationships, is found in its fullest power and extension in the teachings of His Holiness Baha’u’llah.

So with regard to political parties: that which is the greatest policy directing the world of mankind, nay, rather, the Divine policy, is found in the teachings of His Holiness Baha’u’llah.

Likewise with regard to the party of “equality” which seeks the solution of the economic problems: until now all proposed solutions have proved impracticable except the economic proposals in the teachings of His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh which are practicable and cause no distress to society.

So with the other parties: when ye look deeply into this matter, ye will discover that the highest aims of those parties are found in the teachings of Baha’u’llah. These teachings constitute the all-inclusive power among all men and are practicable. But there are some teachings of the past, such as those of the Torah, which cannot be carried out at the present day.

[Page 33]THE Bahá’í SACRED WRITINGS

‘ '1‘“ *3 T; “ ‘ ‘ . ‘.‘...~xu‘Li ~’ I.‘ Photograph of‘Abdu’l—Bahd taken in Adrianople, Circa 1868.

[Page 34]34 THEBAHA’I’WORLD

it is the same with the other religions and the tenets of the various sects and the different parties.

For example, the question of Universal Peace, about which His Holiness Baha’u’llah says that the Supreme Tribunal must be established: although the League of Nations has been brought into existence, yet it is incapable of establishing Universal Peace. But the Supreme Tribunal which His Holiness Baha’u’llah has described will fulfil this sacred task with the utmost might and power. And His plan is this : that the national assemblies of each country and nation—that is to say parliaments —~should elect two or three persons who are the choicest men of that nation, and are well informed concerning international laws and the relations between governments and aware of the essential needs of the world of humanity in this day. The number of these representatives should be in proportion to the number of inhabitants of that country. The election of these souls who are chosen by the national assembly, that is, the parliament, must be confirmed by the upper house, the congress and the cabinet and also by the president or monarch so these persons may be the elected ones of all the nation and the government. From among these people the members of the Supreme Tribunal will be elected, and all mankind will thus have a share therein, for every one of these delegates is fully representative of his nation. When the Supreme Tribunal gives a ruling on any international question, either unanimously or by majority1‘ule, there will no longer be any pretext for the plaintiff or ground of objection for the defendant. In case any of the governments or nations, in the execution of the irrefutable decision of the Supreme Tribunal, be negligent or dilatory, the rest of the nations will rise up against it, because all the governments and nations of the world are the supporters of this Supreme Tribunal. Consider what a firm foundation this is! But by a limited and restricted League the purpose will not be realized as it ought and should. This is the truth about the situation, which has been stated.

Consider how powerful are the teachings of His Holiness Baha’u’llah. At a time when His Holiness was in the prison of ‘Akká and was under the restrictions and threats of two bloodthirsty kings, notwithstanding this fact, His teachings spread with all power in Persia and

other countries. Should any teaching, or any principle, or any community fall under the threat of a powerful and bloodthirsty monarch it will be annihilated within a short space of time. At present for fifty years the Bahá’ís in Persia and most regions have been under severe restrictions and the threat of sword and spear. Thousands of souls have given their lives in the arena of sacrifice and have fallen as victims under the swords of oppression and cruelty. Thousands of esteemed families have been uprooted and destroyed. Thousands of children have been made fatherless. Thousands of fathers have been bereft of their sons. Thousands of mothers have wept and lamented for their boys who have been beheaded. All this oppression and cruelty, rapacity and bloodthirstiness did not hinder or prevent the spread of the teachings of Baha’u’llah. They spread more and more every day, and their power and might became more evident.

It may be that some foolish person among the Persians will affix his name to the contents of the Tablets of His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh or to the explanations given in the letters [Tablets] of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and send it to that esteemed Assembly. Ye must be aware of this fact, for any Persian who seeks fame or has some other intention will take the entire contents of the Tablets of His Holiness Baha’u’llah and publish them in his own name or in that of his community, just as happened at the Universal Races Congress in London before the war. A Persian took the substance of the Epistles of His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh, entered that Congress, gave them forth in his own name and published them, whereas the wording was exactly that of His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh. Some such souls have gone to Europe and have caused confusion in the minds of the people of Europe and have disturbed the thoughts of some Orientalists. Ye must bear this fact in mind, for not a word of these teachings was heard in Persia before the appearance of Bahá’u’lláh. Investigate this matter so that it may become to you evident and manifest. Some souls are like parrots. They learn any note which they may hear, and sing it, but they themselves are unaware of what they utter. There is a sect in Persia at present made up of a few souls who are called Babis, who claim to be followers of His Holiness the Bath, whereas they are utterly unaware of His Holiness. They have some secret teachings

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THEBAHA’ISACRED WRITINGS 35

which are entirely opposed to the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh and in Persia people know this. But when these souls come to Europe, they conceal their own teachings and utter those of His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh, for they know that the teachings of His Holiness Baha’u’llah are powerful and they therefore declare publicly those teachings of Baha’u’llah in their own name. As to their secret teachings, they say that they are taken from the Book of Bayán, and the Book of Bayán is from His Holiness the Báb. When ye get hold of the translation of the Book of Baya’n, which has been translated in Persia, ye will discover the truth that the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh are utterly opposed to the teachings of this sect. Beware lest ye disregard this fact. Should ye desire to investigate the matter further, enquire from Persia.

In fine, when travelling and journeying throughout the world, wherever one finds construction, it is the result of fellowship and love, while everything that is in ruin shows the effect of enmity and hatred. Notwithstanding this, the world of humanity has not become aware and has not awakened from the sleep of heedlessness. Again it engages in differences, in disputes and wrangling, that it may set up ranks of war and may run to and fro in the arena of battle and strife.

So is it with regard to the universe and its corruption, existence and non-existence. Every contingent being is made up of different and numerous elements and the existence of everything is a result of composition. That is to say, when between simple elements a composition takes place a being arises; the creation of beings comes about in this way. And when that composition is upset, it is followed by decomposition, the elements disintegrate, and that being becomes annihilated. That is to say, the annihilation of everything consists in the decomposition and the separation of elements. Therefore, every composition among the elements is the cause of life, while dissociation and separation are the cause of death. In short, attraction and harmony of things are the cause of the production of fruits and useful results, while repulsion and inharmony of things are the cause of disturbance and annihilation. From harmony and attraction, all living contingent beings, such as plant, animal and man, are realized, and from inharmony and repulsion decay sets in and annihilation becomes manifest.

Therefore whatever is the cause of harmony, attraction and union among men is the life of the world of humanity, and whatever is the cause of difierence, of repulsion and of separation is the cause of the death of mankind. And when you pass by a garden wherein vegetable beds and plants, flowers and fragrant herbs are all combined so as to f orm a harmonious whole, this is an evidence that this plantation and this rose garden have been cultivated and arranged by the care of a perfect gardener, while when you see a garden in disorder, lacking arrangement and confused, this indicates that it has been deprived of the care of a skilful gardener, nay, rather, it is nothing but a mass of weeds. It has therefore been made evident that fellowship and harmony are indicative of the training by the real Educator, while separation and dispersion prove wildness and deprivation of Divine training.

Should any one object that, since the communities and nations and races and peoples of the world have different formalities, customs, tastes, temperaments, morals, varied thoughts, minds and opinions, it is therefore impossible for ideal unity to be made manifest and complete union among men to be realized, we say that differences are of two kinds: One leads to destruction, and that is like the difference between warring peoples and competing nations who destroy one another, uproot each other’s families, do away with rest and comfort and engage in bloodshed and rapacity. That is blameworthy. But the other diflerence consists in variation. This is perfection itself and the cause of the appearance of Divine bounty. Consider the flowers of the rose garden. Although they are of different kinds, various colours and diverse forms and appearances, yet as they drink from one water, are swayed by one breeze and grow by the warmth and light of one sun, this variation and this difierence cause each to enhance the beauty and splendour of the others. The differences in manners, in customs, in habits, in thoughts, opinions and in temperaments is the cause of the adornment of the world of mankind. This is praiseworthy. Likewise this difference and this variation, like the difference and variation of the parts and members of the human body, are the cause of the appearance of beauty and perfection. As these different parts and members are under the control of the dominant spirit, and the spirit

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permeates all the organs and members, and rules all the arteries and veins, this difference and this variation strengthen love and harmony and this multiplicity is the greatest aid to unity. If in a garden the flowers and fragrant herbs, the blossoms and fruits, the leaves, branches and trees are of one kind, of one form, of one colour and of one arrangement, there is no beauty or sweetness, but when there is variety, each will contribute to the beauty and charm of the others and will make an admirable garden, and will appear in the utmost loveliness, freshness and sweetness. Likewise, when difference and variety of thoughts, forms, opinions, characters and morals of the world of mankind come under the control of one Supreme Power, and the influence of the Word of the One True God, they will appear and be displayed in the most perfect glory, beauty, exaltation and perfection. Today nothing but the power of the Word of God which encompasses the realities of things can bring the thoughts, the minds, the hearts and the spirits under the shade of one Tree. He is the potent in all things, the vivifier of souls, the preserver and the controller of the world of mankind. Praise be to God, in this day the light of the Word of God has shone forth upon all regions, and from all sects, communities, nations, tribes, peoples, religions and denominations, souls have gathered under the shadow of the Word of Oneness and have in the most intimate fellowship united and harmonized!

Some time ago, during the war, a letter [Tablet] was written regarding the teachings of His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh which may appropriately be appended to this epistle.

THEBAHA

O people of the world!

The down of the Sun of Reality is assuredly for the illumination of the world and for the manifestation of mercy. In the assemblage of the family of A (lam results and frui ts are praiseworthy, and the holy bestowals of every bounty are abundant. It is an absolute mercy and a complete bounty, the illumination of the world, fellowship and harmony, love and union; nay, rather, mercifulness and oneness, the elimination of discord and the unity of whomsoever are on the earth in the utmost of freedom and dignity. The Blessed Beauty [Bahá’u’lláh] said: “All are the frui ts of one tree and the lea ves of 'one branch. ” He likened the world of existence to one tree and

!

lWORLD

all the souls to leaves, blossoms and fi'uits. Therefore all the branches, leaves, blossoms and fruits must be in the utmost offreshness, and the bringing about of this delicacy and sweetness depends upon union and fellowship. Therefore they must assist each other with all their power and seek everlasting life. Thus the friends of God must manifest the mercy of the Compassionate Lord in the world of existence and must show forth the bounty of the visible and invisible King. They must purify their sight, and look upon mankind as the leaves, blossoms and fruits of the tree of creation, and must always be thinking of doing good to someone, of love, consideration, affection and assistance to somebody. They must see no enemy and count no one as an ill wisher. They must consider every one on the earth as a friend; regard the stranger as an intimate, and the alien as a companion. T hey must not be bound by any tie, nay, rather, they should be free from every band. In this day the one who is favoured in the threshold of grandeur is the one who offers the cup of faithfulness and bestows the pearl ofgift to the enemies, even to the fallen oppressor, lends a helping hand, ana’ considers every bitter foe as an afl'ectionate friend.

These are the commands of the Blessed Beauty, these are the counsels of the Greatest Name. O ye dear fi'iendsl The world is engaged in war and struggle, and mankind is in the utmost conflict and danger. The darkness of unfaithfulness has enshrouded the earth and the illumination of faithfulness has become concealed. All nations and tribes of the world have sharpened their claws and are warring and fighting with each other. The edifice of man is shattered. Thousands of families are wandering disconso late. Thousands of thousands of souls are besmearea’ with dust and blood in the arena of battle and struggle every year, and the tent of happiness and life is overthrown. The prominent men become commanders and boast of bloodshed, and glory in destruction. One says: “I have severed with m)‘ sword the necks of a nation,” and one: “I have levelled a kingdom to the dust”; and another. “I have overthrown the foundation of a government.” This is the pivot around which the pride and glory of mankind are revolving. In all regionsfriendship and uprightness are denounced and reconciliation and regard for truth are despised. The herald ofpeace, reformation, love anc.’ reconciliation is the Religion of the Blessei,l

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THE BAHA’ISACRED WRITINGS 37

Beauty which has pitched its tent on the apex of the world and proclaimed its summons to the people.

Then, O ye friends of God! Appreciate the value of this precious Revelation, move and act in accordance with it and walk in the straight path and the right way. Show it to the people. Raise the melody of the Kingdom and spread abroad the teachings and ordinances of the [0 ving Lord so that the world may become another world, the darkened earth may become illumined and the dead body of the people may obtain new life. Every soul may seek everlasting life through the breath of the Merciful. Life in this mortal world will quickly come to an end, and this earthly glory, wealth, comfort, and happiness will soon vanish and be no more. Summon ye the people to God and call the souls to the manners and conduct of the Supreme Concourse. T0 the orphans be ye kind fathers, and to the unfertunate a refuge and shelter. To the poor be a treasure of wealth, and to the sick a remedy and

healing. Be a helper of every oppressed one, the protector ofevery destitute one, be ye ever mindful to serve any soul of mankind. A ttach n0 importance to seIf-seeking, rejection, arrogahee, 0ppression and enmity. Heed them not. Deal in the contrary way. Be kind in truth, not only in appearance and outwardly. Every soul of the friends of God must concentrate his mindon this, that he may manifest the mercy of God and the bounty of the Forgiving One. He must do good to every soul whom he encounters, and render benefit to him, becoming the cause of improving the morals and correcting the thoughts so that the light of guidance may shine forth and the bounty of His Holiness the Merciful One may encompass. Love is light in whatsoever house it may shine and enmity is darkness in whatsoever abode it dwell.

O friends of God! Strive ye so that this darkness may be utterly dispelled and the Hidden Mystery may be revealed and the realities of things made evident and manifest.

Tablet to Dr. Auguste Henri Forel1

O REVERED personage, lover of truth! Thy letter dated J uly 28, 1921, hath been received. The contents thereof were most pleasing and indicated that, praised be the Lord, thou art as yet young, and searchest after truth, that thy power of thought is strong and the discoveries of thy mind manifest.

Numerous copies of the epistle I had written to Dr. F isher are spread far and wide and every one knoweth that it hath been revealed in the year 1910. Apart from this, numerous epistles have been written before the war upon the same theme, and reference, too, hath been made to these questions in the Journal of the San Francisco University,2 the date whereof is known beyond any doubt. In like manner have the philosophers of broad vision praised highly the discourse eloquently delivered in the abovenamed University. A copy of that paper is thus enclosed and forwarded. Thy works are no

1 Dr. Auguste Henri Forel of Zurich was born in 1848 and became a Bahá’í in 1920. His special field was entomology and psychology. For many years he held the chair of psychiatry at Zurich. ”By his tireless research Dr. Forel greatly augmented scientific knowledge and rendered inestimable service to mankind.” (“In Memoriam”, The Bahá’í World, vol. v, p. 420.) This Tablet was written in 1921.

2 Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, 1912.

doubt of great benefit, and if published, send us a copy ofeach.

By materialists, whose belief with regard to Divinity hath been explained, is not meant philosophers in general, but rather that group of materialists of narrow vision that worship that which is sensed, that depend upon the five senses only, and whose criterion of knowledge is limited to that which can be perceived by the senses. All that can be sensed is to them real, whilst whatever falleth not under the power of the senses is either unreal or doubtful. The existence of the Deity they regard as wholly doubtful.

It is as thou hast written, not philosophers in general but narrow—minded materialists that are meant. As to deistic philosophers, such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, they are indeed worthy of esteem and of the highest praise, for they have rendered distinguished services to mankind. In like manner we regard the materialistic, accomplished, moderate philosophers, that have been of service (to mankind).

We regard knowledge and wisdom as the foundation of the progress of mankind, and extol philosophers that are endowed with

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broad vision. Peruse carefully the San Francisco University Journal that the truth may be revealed to thee.

Now concerning mental faculties, they are in truth of the inherent properties of the soul, even as the radiation of light is the essential property of the sun. The rays of the sun are renewed but the sun itself is ever the same and unchanged. Consider how the human intellect develops and weakens, and may at times come to naught, whereas the soul changeth not. For the mind to manifest itself, the human body must be whole; and a sound mind cannot be but in a sound body, whereas the soul dependeth not upon the body. It is through the power of the soul that the mind comprehendeth, imagineth and exerteth its influence, whilst the soul is a power that is free. The mind comprehendeth the abstract by the aid of the concrete, but the soul hath limitless manifestations of its own. The mind is circumscribed, the soul limitless. It is by the aid of such senses as those of sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch, that the mind comprehendeth, whereas, the soul is free from all agencies. The soul as thou observest, whether it be in sleep or waking, is in motion and ever active. Possibly it may, whilst in a dream, unravel an intricate problem, incapable of solution in the waking state. The mind, moreover, understandeth not whilst the senses have ceased to function, and in the embryonic stage and in early infancy the reasoning power is totally absent, whereas the soul is ever endowed with full strength. In short, the proofs are many that go to show that despite the loss of reason, the power of the soul would still continue to exist. The spirit however possesseth various grades and stations.

As to the existence of spirit in the mineral: it is indubitable that minerals are endowed with a spirit and life according to the requirements of that stage. This unknown secret, too, hath become known unto the materialists who now maintain that all beings are endowed with life, even as He saith in the Qur’án, “All things are living.”

In the vegetable world, too, there is the power of growth, and that power of growth is the spirit. In the animal world there is the sense of feeling, but in the human world there is an allembracing power. In all the preceding stages the power of reason is absent, but the soul existeth and revealeth itself. The sense of feeling under standeth not the soul, whereas the reasoning power of the mind proveth the existence thereof.

In like manner the mind proveth the existence of an unseen Reality that embraceth all beings, and that existeth and revealeth itself in all stages, the essence whereof is beyond the grasp of the mind. Thus the mineral world understandeth neither the nature nor the perfections of the vegetable world; the vegetable world understandeth not the nature of the animal world, neither the animal world the nature of the reality of man that discovereth and embraceth all things.

The animal is the captive of nature and cannot transgress the rules and laws thereof. In man, however, there is a discovering power that transcendeth the world of nature and controlleth and interfereth with the laws thereof. For instance, all minerals, plants and animals are captives of nature. The sun itself with all its majesty is so subservient to nature that it hath no will of its own and cannot deviate a hair’shbreadth from the laws thereof. In like manner all other beings, whether of the mineral, the vegetable or the animal world, cannot deviate from the laws of nature, nay, all are the slaves thereof. Man, however, though in body the captive of nature is yet free in his mind and soul, and hath the mastery over nature.

Consider: according to the law of nature man liveth, moveth and hath his being on earth, yet his soul and mind interfere with the laws thereof, and, even as the bird he flieth in the air, saileth speedily upon the seas and as the fish soundeth the deep and discovereth the things therein. Verily this is a grievous defeat inflicted upon the laws of nature.

So is the power of electrical energy: this unruly violent force that cleaveth mountains is yet imprisoned by man within a globe! This is manifestly interfering with the laws of nature. Likewise man discovereth those hidden secrets of nature that in conformity with the laws thereof must remain concealed, and transfereth them from the invisible plane to the visible. This, too, is interfering with the law of nature. In the same manner he discovereth the inherent properties of things that are the secrets of nature. Also he bringeth to light the past events that have been lost to memory, and foreseeth by his power of induction future happenings that are as yet unknown. Furthermore, communication and discovery are limited by

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the laws of nature to short distances, whereas man, through that inner power of his that discovereth the reality of all things, connecteth the

East with the West. This, too, is interfering with ’

the laws of nature. Similarly, according to the law of nature all shadows are fleeting, whereas man fixeth them upon the plate, and this, too, is interference with a law of nature. Ponder and reflect: all sciences, arts, crafts, inventions and discoveries, have been once the secrets of nature and in conformity with the laws thereof must remain hidden; yet man through his discovering power interfereth with the laws of nature and transfereth these hidden secrets from the invisible to the visible plane. This again is interfering with the laws ofnature.

In fine, that inner faculty in man, unseen of the eye, wresteth the sword from the hands of nature, and giveth it a grievous blow. All other beings, however great, are bereft of such perfections. Man hath the powers of will and understanding, but nature hath them not. Nature is constrained, man is free. Nature is bereft of understanding, man understandeth. Nature is unaware of past events, but man is aware of them. Nature forecasteth not the future; man by his discerning power seeth that which is to

Dr. Auguste Henri Fore].

come. Nature hath no consciousness of itself, man knoweth about all things.

Should any one suppose that man is but a part of the world of nature, and he being endowed with these perfections, these being but manifestations of the world of nature, and thus nature is the originator of these perfections and is not deprived therefrom, to him we make reply and say: the part dependeth upon the whole; the part cannot possess perfections whereof the whole is deprived.

By nature is meant those inherent properties and necessary relations derived from the realities of things. And these realities of things, though in the utmost diversity, are yet intimately connected one with the other. For these diverse realities an all-unifying agency is needed that shall link them all one to the other. For instance, the various organs and members, the parts and elements, that constitute the body of man, though at variance, are yet all connected one with the other by that all-unifying agency known as the human soul, that causeth them to function in perfect harmony and with absolute regularity, thus making the continuation of life possible. The human body, however, is utterly unconscious of that all-unifying agency, and

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yet acteth with regularity and dischargeth its functions according to its will.

Now concerning philosophers, they are of two schools. Thus Socrates the wise believed in the unity of God and the existence of the soul after death; as his opinion was contrary to that of the narrow-minded people of his time, that divine sage was poisoned by them. All divine philosophers and men of wisdom and understanding, when observing these endless beings, have considered that in this great and infinite universe all things end in the mineral kingdom, that the outcome of the mineral kingdom is the vegetable kingdom, the outcome of the vegetable kingdom is the animal kingdom and the outcome of the animal kingdom the world of man. The consummation of this limitless universe with all its grandeur and glory hath been man himself, who in this world of being toileth and suffereth for a time, with divers ills and pains, and ultimately disintegrates, leaving no trace and no fruit after him. Were it so, there is no doubt that this infinite universe with all its perfections has ended in sham and delusion with no result, no fruit, no permanence and no effect. It would be utterly without meaning. They were thus convinced that such is not the case, that this Great Workshop with all its power, its bewildering manificence and endless perfections, cannot eventually come to naught. That still another life should exist is thus certain, and, just as the vegetable kingdom is unaware of the world of man, so we, too, know not of the Great Life hereafter that followest the life of man here below. Our non-comprehension of that life, however, is no proof of its non-existence. The mineral world, for instance, is utterly unaware of the world of man and cannot comprehend it, but the ignorance of a thing is no proof of its non-existence. Numerous and conclusive proofs exist that go to show that this infinite world cannot end with this human life.

Now concerning the essence of Divinity: in truth it is on no account determined by anything apart from its own nature, and can in nowise be comprehended. For whatsoever can be conceived by man is a reality that hath limitations and is not unlimited; it is circumscribed, not all-embracing. It can be comprehended by man, and is controlled by him. Similarly it is certain that all human conceptions are contingent, not absolute; that they have a mental

existence, not a material one. Moreover, differentiation of stages in the contingent world is an obstacle to understanding. How then can the contingent conceive the Reality of the absolute? As previously mentioned, differentiation of stages in the contingent plane is an obstacle to understanding. Minerals, plants and animals are bereft of the mental faculties of man that discover the realities of all things, but man himself comprehendeth all the stages beneath him. Every superior stage comprehendeth that which is inferior and discovereth the reality thereof, but the inferior one is unaware of that which is superior and cannot comprehend it. Thus man cannot grasp the Essence of Divinity, but can, by his reasoning power, by observation, by his intuitive faculties and the revealing power of his faith, believe in God, discover the bounties of His Grace. He becometh certain that though the Divine Essence is unseen of the eye, and the existence of the Deity is intangible, yet conclusive spiritual proofs assert the existence of that unseen Reality. The Divine Essence as it is in itself is however beyond all description. For instance, the nature of ether is unknown, but that it existeth is certain by the effects it produceth, heat, light and electricity being the waves thereof. By these waves the existence of ether is thus proven. And as we consider the outpourings of Divine Grace we are assured of the existence of God. For instance, we observe that the existence of beings is conditioned upon the coming together of various elements and their non-existence upon the decomposition of their constituent elements. For decomposition causes the dissociation of the various elements. Thus, as we observe the coming together of elements giveth rise to the existence of beings, and knowing that beings are infinite, they being the effect, how can the Cause be finite ?

Now, formation is of three kinds and of three kinds only: accidental, necessary and voluntary. The coming together of the various constituent elements of beings cannot be accidental, for unto every effect there must be a cause. It cannot be compulsory, for then the formation must be an inherent property of the constituent parts and the inherent property of a thing can in nowise be dissociated from it, such as light that is the revealer of things, heat that catiseth the expansion of elements and the solar rays which are the essential property of

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the sun. Thus under such Circumstances the decomposition of any formation is impossible, for the inherent properties of a thing cannot be separated from it. The third formation remaineth and that is the voluntary one, that is, an unseen force described as the Ancient Power, causeth these elements to come together, every formation giving rise to a distinct being.

As to the attributes and perfections such as will, knowledge, power and other ancient attributes that we ascribe to that Divine Reality, these are the signs that reflect the existence of beings in the visible plane and not the absolute perfections of the Divine Essence that cannot be comprehended. For instance, as we consider created things we observe infinite perfections, and the created things being in the utmost regularity and perfection we infer that the Ancient Power on whom dependeth the existence of these beings, cannot be ignorant; thus we say He is All-Knowing. It is certain that it is not impotent, it must be then All-Powerful; it is not poor, it must be All-Possessing; it is not nonexistent, it must be Ever-Living. The purpose is to show that these attributes and perfections that we recount for that Universal Reality are only in order to deny imperfections, rather than to assert the perfections that the human mind can conceive. Thus we say His attributes are unknowable.

In fine, that Universal Reality with all its qualities and attributes that we recount is holy and exalted above all minds and understandings. As we, however, reflect with broad minds upon this infinite universe, we observe that motion without a motive force, and an effect without a cause are both impossible; that every being hath come to exist under numerous influences and continually undergoeth reaction. These influences, too, are formed under the action of still other influences. For instance, plants grow and flourish through the outpourings of vernal showers, whilst the cloud itself is formed under various other agencies and these agencies in their turn are reacted upon by still other agencies. For example, plants and animals grow and develop under the influence of what the philosophers of our day designate as hydrogen and oxygen and are reacted upon by the effects of these two elements; and these in turn are formed under still other influences. The same can be said of other beings whether they affect other things or be affected. Such process of

causation goes on, and to maintain that this process goes on indefinitely is manifestly absurd. Thus such a chain of causation must of necessity lead eventually to Him who is the EverLiving, the All-Powerful, who is Self-Dependent and the Ultimate Cause. This Universal Reality cannot be sensed, it cannot be seen. It must be so of necessity, for it is All-Embracing, not circumscribed, and such attributes qualify the effiact and not the cause.

And as we reflect, we observe that man is like unto a tiny organism contained within a fruit; this fruit hath developed out of the blossom, the blossom hath grown out of the tree, the tree is sustained by the sap, and the sap formed out of earth and water. How then can this tiny organism comprehend the nature of the garden, conceive of the gardener and comprehend his being? That is manifestly impossible. Should that organism understand and reflect, it would observe that this garden, this tree, this blossom, this fruit would in nowise have come to exist by themselves in such order and perfection. Similarly the wise and reflecting soul will know of a certainty that this infinite universe with all its grandeur and perfect order could not have come to exist by itself.

Similarly in the world of being there exist forces unseen of the eye, such as the force of ether previously mentioned, that cannot be sensed, that cannot be seen. However, from the effects it produceth, that is from its waves and vibrations, light, heat, electricity appear and are made evident. In like manner is the power of growth, of feeling, of understanding, of thought, of memory, of imagination and of discernment; all these inner faculties are unseen of the eye and cannot be sensed, yet all are evident by the effects they produce.

Now as to the infinite Power that knoweth no limitations; limitation itself proveth the existence of the unlimited, for the limited is known through the unlimited, just as weakness itself proveth the existence of power, ignorance the existence of knowledge, poverty the existence of wealth. Without wealth there would be no poverty, without knowledge no ignorance, without light no darkness. Darkness itself is a proof of the existence of light for darkness is the absence of light.

Now concerning nature, it is but the essential properties and the necessary relations inherent in the realities of things. And though

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these infinite realities are diverse in their character yet they are in the utmost harmony and closely connected together. As one’s vision is broadened and the matter observed carefully, it will be made certain that every reality is but an essential requisite of other realities. Thus to connect and harmonize these diverse and infinite realities an all-unifying Power is necessary, that every part of existent being may in perfect order discharge its own function. Consider the body ofman, and let the part be an indication of the whole. Consider how these diverse parts and members of the human body are closely connected and harmoniously united one with the other. Every part is the essential requisite of all other parts and has a function by itself. It is the mind that is the all-unifying agency that so uniteth all the component parts one with the other that each dischargeth its specific function in perfect order, and thereby co-operation and reaction are made possible. All parts function under certain laws that are essential to existence. Should that aIl-unifying agency that directeth all these parts be harmed in any way there is no doubt that the constituent parts and members will cease functioning properly; and though that all-unifying agency in the temple of man be not sensed or seen and the reality thereof be unknown, yet by its effects it manifesteth itself with the greatest power.

Thus it hath been proven and made evident that these infinite beings in this wondrous universe will discharge their functions properly only when directed and controlled by that Universal Reality, so that order may be established in the world. For example, interaction and co-operation between the constituent parts of the human body are evident and indisputable, yet this does not suffice; an all-unifying agency is necessary that shall direct and control the component parts, so that these through interaction and co-operation may discharge in perfect order their necessary and respective functions.

You are well aware, praised be the Lord, that both interaction and co-operation are evident and proven amongst all beings, whether large or small. In the case of large bodies interaction is as manifest as the sun, whilst in the case of small bodies, though interaction be unknown, yet the part is an indication of the whole. All these interactions therefore are connected with that all-embracing power which is their pivot,

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theircentre, their source and their motive power.

For instance, as we have observed, co-operation among the constituent parts of the human body is clearly established, and these parts and members render services unto all the component parts of the body. For instance, the hand, the foot, the eye, the ear, the mind, the imagination all help the various parts and members of the human body, but all these interactions are linked by an unseen, all—embracing power, that causeth these interactions to be produced with perfect regularity. This is the inner faculty of man, that is his spirit and his mind, both of which are invisible.

In like manner consider machinery and workshops and the interaction existing among the various component parts and sections, and how connected they are one with the other. All these relations and interactions, however, are connected with a central power which is their motive force, their pivot and their source. This central power is either the power of steam or the skill of the master-mind.

It hath therefore been made evident and proved that interaction, co-operation and interrelation amongst beings are under the direction and will ofa motive Power which is the origin, the motive force and the pivot of all interactions in the universe.

Likewise every arrangement and formation that is not perfect in its order we designate as accidental, and that which is orderly, regular, perfect in its relations and every part of which is in its proper place and is the essential requisite of the other constituent parts, this we call a composition formed through will and knowledge. There is no doubt that these infinite beings and the association of these diverse elements arranged in countless forms must have proceeded from a Reality that could in no wise be bereft of will or understanding. This is clear and proven to the mind and no one can deny it. It is not meant, however, that that Universal Reality or the attributes thereof have been comprehended. Neither its Essence nor its true attributes hath any one comprehended. Wt: maintain, however, that these infinite beings these necessary relations, this perfect arrangement must of necessity have proceeded from a source that is not bereft of will and understanding, and this infinite composition cast into infinite forms must have been caused by an allembracing Wisdom. This none can dispute saw:

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he that is obstinate and stubborn, and denieth the clear and unmistakable evidence, and becometh the object of the blessed Verse: “They are deaf, they are dumb, they are blind and shall return no more.”

Now regarding the question whether the faculties of the mind and the human soul are one and the same. These faculties are but the inherent properties of the soul, such as the power of imagination, of thought, of understanding; powers that are the essential requisites of the reality of man, even as the solar ray is the inherent property of the sun. The temple of man is like unto a mirror, his soul is as the sun, and his mental faculties even as the rays that emanate from that source of light. The ray may cease to fall upon the mirror, but it can in no wise be dissociated from the sun.

In short, the point is this, that the world of man is supernatural in its relation to the vegetable kingdom, though in reality it is not so. Relatively to the plant, the reality of man, his power of hearing and sight, are all supernatural, and for the plant to comprehend that reality and the nature of the powers of man’s mind is impossible. In like manner for man to comprehend the Divine Essence and the nature of the great Hereafter is in no wise possible. The merciful outpourings of that Divine Essence, however, are vouchsafed unto all beings and it is incumbent upon man to ponder in his heart upon the efi‘usions of the Divine Grace, the soul being counted as one, rather than upon the Divine Essence itself. This is the utmost limit for human understanding. As it hath previously been mentioned, these attributes and perfections that we recount of the Divine Essence, these we have derived from the existence and observation of beings, and it is not that we have comprehended the essence and perfection of God. When we say that the Divine Essence understandeth and is free, we do not mean that we have discovered the Divine Will and Purpose, but rather that we have acquired knowledge of them through the Divine Grace revealed and manifested in the realities of things.

Now concerning our social principles, namely the teachings of His Holiness Baha’u’llah spread far and wide fifty years ago, they verily comprehend all other teachings. It is clear and evident that without these teachings progress and advancement for mankind are in

no wise possible. Every community in the world findeth in these Divine Teachings the realization of its highest aspirations. These teachings are even as the tree that beareth the best fruits of all trees. Philosophers, for instance, find in these heavenly teachings the most perfect solution of their social problems, and similarly a true and noble exposition of matters that pertain to philosophical questions. In like manner men of faith behold the reality of religion manifestly revealed in these heavenly teachings, and clearly and conclusively prove them to be the real and true remedy for the ills and infirmities of all mankind. Should these sublime teachings be diffused, mankind shall be freed from all perils, from all chronic ills and sicknesses. In like manner are the Bahá’í economic principles the embodiment of the highest aspirations of all wage-earning classes and of economists of various schools.

In short, all sections and parties have their aspirations realized in the teachings of Baha’u’llah. As these teachings are declared in churches, in mosques and in other places of worship, whether those of the followers of Buddha or of Confucius, in political circles or amongst ma‘ terialists, all shall bear witness that these teachings bestow a fresh life upon mankind and constitute the immediate remedy for all the ills of social life. None can find fault with any of these teachings, nay rather, once declared they will all be acclaimed, and all will confess their vital necessity, exclaiming, “Verily this is the truth and naught is there beside the truth but manifest error.”

In conclusion, these few words are written, and unto everyone they will be a clear and conclusive evidence of the truth. Ponder them in thine heart. The will of every sovereign prevaileth during his reign, the will of every philosopher findeth expression in a handful of disciples during his lifetime, but the Power of the Holy Spirit shineth radiantly in the realities of the Messengers of God, and strengtheneth Their will in such wise as to influence a great nation for thousands of years and to regenerate the human soul and revive mankind. Consider how great is this power! It is an extraordinary Power, an all-sufficient proof of the truth of the mission of the Prophets of God, and a conclusive evidence of the power of Divine inspiration.

The Glory of Glories rest upon thee.

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The upper rooms at No. 7Persian Street, Haifa, where Shoghi Effendi did much of his writing.