"Praise be to G.o.d that He hath enabled us to become ..."

Praise be to G.o.d that He hath enabled us to become cognizant of Him Whom G.o.d shall make manifest in the Day of Resurrection, so that we may derive benefit from the fruit of our existence and be not deprived of attaining the presence of G.o.d. For indeed this is the object of our creation and the sole purpose underlying every virtuous deed we may perform. Such is the bounty which G.o.d hath conferred upon us; verily He is the All-Bountiful, the Gracious. Know thou, that thou wilt succeed in doing so if thou believest with undoubting faith. However, since thou canst not attain the state of undoubting faith, due to the intervening veils of thy selfish desires, therefore thou wilt tarry in the fire, though realizing it not.

On the Day of His manifestation, unless thou truly believest in Him, naught can save thee from the fire, even if thou dost perform every righteous deed. If thou embracest the Truth, everything good and seemly shall be set down for thee in the Book of G.o.d, and by virtue of this thou wilt rejoice in the all-highest Paradise until the following Resurrection.

Consider with due attention, for the path is very strait, even while it is more s.p.a.cious than the heavens and the earth and what is between them. For instance, if all those who were expecting the fulfilment of the promise of Jesus had been a.s.sured of the manifestation of Mu?ammad, the Apostle of G.o.d, not one would have turned aside from the sayings of Jesus. So likewise in the Revelation of the Point of the Bayan, if all should be a.s.sured that this is that same Promised Mihdi [One Who is guided] whom the Apostle of G.o.d foretold, not one of the believers in the Qur'an would turn aside from the sayings of the Apostle of G.o.d. So likewise in the Revelation of Him Whom G.o.d shall make manifest, behold the same thing; for should all be a.s.sured that He is that same 'He Whom G.o.d shall make manifest' whom the Point of the Bayan hath foretold, not one would turn aside. IX, 3.

"In the Name of G.o.d, the Most Exalted, the Most Holy. ..."

In the Name of G.o.d, the Most Exalted, the Most Holy. All praise and glory befitteth the sacred and glorious court of the sovereign Lord, Who from everlasting hath dwelt, and unto everlasting will continue to dwell within the mystery of His Own divine Essence, Who from time immemorial hath abided and will forever continue to abide within His transcendent eternity, exalted above the reach and ken of all created beings. The sign of His matchless Revelation as created by Him and imprinted upon the realities of all beings, is none other but their powerlessness to know Him. The light He hath shed upon all things is none but the splendour of His Own Self. He Himself hath at all times been immeasurably exalted above any a.s.sociation with His creatures. He hath fashioned the entire creation in such wise that all beings may, by virtue of their innate powers, bear witness before G.o.d on the Day of Resurrection that He hath no peer or equal and is sanctified from any likeness, similitude or comparison. He hath been and will ever be one and incomparable in the transcendent glory of His divine being and He hath ever been indescribably mighty in the sublimity of His sovereign Lordship. No one hath ever been able befittingly to recognize Him nor will any man succeed at any time in comprehending Him as is truly meet and seemly, for any reality to which the term 'being' is applicable hath been created by the sovereign Will of the Almighty, Who hath shed upon it the radiance of His Own Self, shining forth from His most august station. He hath moreover deposited within the realities of all created things the emblem of His recognition, that everyone may know of a certainty that He is the Beginning and the End, the Manifest and the Hidden, the Maker and the Sustainer, the Omnipotent and the All-Knowing, the One Who heareth and perceiveth all things, He Who is invincible in His power and standeth supreme in His Own ident.i.ty, He Who quickeneth and causeth to die, the All-Powerful, the Inaccessible, the Most Exalted, the Most High. Every revelation of His divine Essence betokens the sublimity of His glory, the loftiness of His sanct.i.ty, the inaccessible height of His oneness and the exaltation of His majesty and power. His beginning hath had no beginning other than His Own firstness and His end knoweth no end save His Own lastness. I, 1.

"The revelation of the Divine Reality hath everlastingly ..."

The revelation of the Divine Reality hath everlastingly been identical with its concealment and its concealment identical with its revelation.

That which is intended by 'Revelation of G.o.d' is the Tree of divine Truth that betokeneth none but Him, and it is this divine Tree that hath raised and will raise up Messengers, and hath revealed and will ever reveal Scriptures. From eternity unto eternity this Tree of divine Truth hath served and will ever serve as the throne of the revelation and concealment of G.o.d among His creatures, and in every age is made manifest through whomsoever He pleaseth. At the time of the revelation of the Qur'an He a.s.serted His transcendent power through the advent of Mu?ammad, and on the occasion of the revelation of the Bayan He demonstrated His sovereign might through the appearance of the Point of the Bayan, and when He Whom G.o.d shall make manifest will shine forth, it will be through Him that He will vindicate the truth of His Faith, as He pleaseth, with whatsoever He pleaseth and for whatsoever He pleaseth. He is with all things, yet nothing is with Him. He is not within a thing nor above it nor beside it.

Any reference to His being established upon the throne implieth that the Exponent of His Revelation is established upon the seat of transcendent authority...

He hath everlastingly existed and will everlastingly continue to exist. He hath been and will ever remain inscrutable unto all men, inasmuch as all else besides Him have been and shall ever be created through the potency of His command. He is exalted above every mention or praise and is sanctified beyond every word of commendation or every comparison. No created thing comprehendeth Him, while He in truth comprehendeth all things. Even when it is said 'no created thing comprehendeth Him', this refers to the Mirror of His Revelation, that is Him Whom G.o.d shall make manifest. Indeed too high and exalted is He for anyone to allude unto Him.

II, 8.

4: EXCERPTS FROM DALa'IL-I-SAB'IH (THE SEVEN PROOFS)

"Thou hast asked concerning the fundamentals ..."

Thou hast asked concerning the fundamentals of religion and its ordinances: Know thou that first and foremost in religion is the knowledge of G.o.d. This attaineth its consummation in the recognition of His divine unity, which in turn reacheth its fulfilment in acclaiming that His hallowed and exalted Sanctuary, the Seat of His transcendent majesty, is sanctified from all attributes. And know thou that in this world of being the knowledge of G.o.d can never be attained save through the knowledge of Him Who is the Dayspring of divine Reality.

"Gracious G.o.d! Within the domains of Islam there are ..."

Gracious G.o.d! Within the domains of Islam there are at present seven powerful sovereigns ruling the world. None of them hath been informed of His [the Bab'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 pa.s.s. This is what happened to the monarchs that held fast unto the Gospel. They awaited the coming of the Prophet of G.o.d [Mu?ammad], and when He did appear, they failed to recognize Him. Behold how great are the sums which these sovereigns expend without even the slightest thought of appointing an official charged with the task of acquainting them in their own realms with the Manifestation of G.o.d! 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.

"Ponder likewise the Dispensation of the Apostle of G.o.d ..."

Ponder likewise the Dispensation of the Apostle of G.o.d which lasted twelve hundred and seventy years(67) till the dawn of the manifestation of the Bayan. He directed everyone to await the advent of the Promised Qa'im. All deeds which in the Islamic Dispensation began with Mu?ammad should find their consummation through the appearance of the Qa'im. G.o.d hath made Him manifest invested with the proof wherewith the Apostle of G.o.d was invested, so that none of the believers in the Qur'an might entertain doubts about the validity of His Cause, for it is set down in the Qur'an that none but G.o.d is capable of revealing verses. During the period of 1270 years no one among the followers of the Qur'an ever witnessed a person appearing with conclusive proofs. Now the Ever-Living Lord hath made manifest and invested with supreme testimony this long-awaited Promised One from a place no one could imagine and from a person whose knowledge was deemed of no account. His age is no more than twenty-five years, yet His glory is such as none of the learned among the people of Islam can rival; inasmuch as man's glory lieth in his knowledge. Behold the learned who are honoured by virtue of their ability to understand the Holy Writings, and G.o.d hath exalted them to such a degree that in referring to them He saith: 'None knoweth the meaning thereof except G.o.d and them that are well-grounded in knowledge.'(68) How strange then that this twenty-five-year-old untutored one should be singled out to reveal His verses in so astounding a manner. If the Muslim divines have cause for pride in understanding the meaning of the Holy Writings, His glory is in revealing the Writings, that none of them may hesitate to believe in His Words. So great is the celestial might and power which G.o.d hath revealed in Him that if it were His will and no break should intervene He could, within the s.p.a.ce of five days and nights, reveal the equivalent of the Qur'an which was sent down in twenty-three years. Ponder thou and reflect.

Hath anyone like unto Him ever appeared in former times, or is this characteristic strictly confined unto Him?

"Consider the manifold favours vouchsafed by the ..."

Consider the manifold favours vouchsafed by the Promised One, and the effusions of His bounty which have pervaded the concourse of the followers of Islam to enable them to attain unto salvation. Indeed observe how He Who representeth the origin of creation, He Who is the Exponent of the verse, 'I, in very truth, am G.o.d', identified Himself as the Gate [Bab]

for the advent of the promised Qa'im, a descendant of Mu?ammad, and in His first Book enjoined the observance of the laws of the Qur'an, so that the people might not be seized with perturbation by reason of a new Book and a new Revelation and might regard His Faith as similar to their own, perchance they would not turn away from the Truth and ignore the thing for which they had been called into being.

"Let Me set forth some rational arguments for thee. If ..."

Let Me set forth some rational arguments for thee. If someone desireth to embrace the Faith of Islam today, would the testimony of G.o.d prove conclusive for him? If thou dost contend that it would not, then how is it that G.o.d will chastise him after death, and that, while he lives, the verdict of 'non-believer' is pa.s.sed upon him? If thou affirmest that the testimony is conclusive, how wouldst thou prove this? If thy a.s.sertion is based on hearsay, then mere words are unacceptable as a binding testimony; but if thou deemest the Qur'an as the testimony, this would be a weighty and evident proof.

Now consider the Revelation of the Bayan. If the followers of the Qur'an had applied to themselves proofs similar to those which they advance for the non-believers in Islam, not a single soul would have remained deprived of the Truth, and on the Day of Resurrection everyone would have attained salvation.

Should a Christian contend, 'How can I deem the Qur'an a testimony while I am unable to understand it?' such a contention would not be acceptable.

Likewise the people of the Qur'an disdainfully observe, 'We are unable to comprehend the eloquence of the verses in the Bayan, how can we regard it as a testimony?' Whoever uttereth such words, say unto him, 'O thou untutored one! By what proof hast thou embraced the Religion of Islam? Is it the Prophet on whom thou hast never set eyes? Is it the miracles which thou hast never witnessed? If thou hast accepted Islam unwittingly, wherefore hast thou done so? But if thou hast embraced the Faith by recognizing the Qur'an as the testimony, because thou hast heard the learned and the faithful express their powerlessness before it, or if thou hast, upon hearing the divine verses and by virtue of thy spontaneous love for the True Word of G.o.d, responded in a spirit of utter humility and lowliness-a spirit which is one of the mightiest signs of true love and understanding-then such proofs have been and will ever be regarded as sound.'

"The recognition of Him Who is the Bearer of divine ..."

The recognition of Him Who is the Bearer of divine Truth is none other than the recognition of G.o.d, and loving Him is none other than loving G.o.d.

However, I swear by the sublime Essence of G.o.d-exalted and glorified be He-that I did not wish my ident.i.ty to be known by men, and gave instructions that My name should be concealed, because I was fully aware of the incapacity of this people, who are none other than those who have, in reference to no less a person than the Apostle of G.o.d-incomparable as He hath ever been-remarked, 'He is certainly a lunatic'.(69) If they now claim to be other than those people, their deeds bear witness to the falsity of their a.s.sertions. That which G.o.d testifieth is none other than what His supreme Testimony testifieth. Were all the peoples of the world to testify unto a thing and were He to testify unto another, His testimony will be regarded as G.o.d's testimony, while aught else but Him hath been and will ever be as naught; for it is through His might that a thing a.s.sumeth existence.

Consider the extent of the adherence of these people to matters of faith.

When dealing with their own affairs they are well content with the testimony of two just witnesses, and yet despite the testimony of so many righteous men they hesitate to believe in Him Who is the Bearer of the divine Truth.