"The evidences which the people demanded from the ..."

The evidences which the people demanded from the Apostle of G.o.d through their idle fancy have mostly been rejected in the Qur'an, even as in the Surih of the Children of Israel [Surih XVII] it hath been revealed: 'And they say, by no means will we believe on thee till thou cause a fountain to gush forth for us from the earth; or till thou have a garden of palm trees and vines, and thou cause rivers to spring forth from the midst thereof in abundance; or thou cause the heaven to fall down upon us, as thou hast given out, in pieces; or thou bring G.o.d and the angels to vouch for thee; or thou have a house of gold; or thou ascend to heaven nor will we believe in thine ascension, till thou send down to us a book which we may read. Say, Praise be to my Lord! Am I more than a man, an apostle?'

Now be fair! The Arabs uttered such words, and now, prompted by thy desire, thou dost demand yet other things? What is the difference between thee and them? If thou dost ponder a while, it will be evident that it is inc.u.mbent upon a lowly servant to acquiesce to whatever proof G.o.d hath appointed, and not to follow his own idle fancy. If the wishes of the people were to be gratified not a single disbeliever would remain on earth. For once the Apostle of G.o.d had fulfilled the wishes of the people they would unhesitatingly have embraced His Faith. May G.o.d save thee, shouldst thou seek any evidence according to thy selfish desire; rather it behooveth thee to uphold the unfailing proof which G.o.d hath appointed. The object of thy belief in G.o.d is but to secure His good-pleasure. How then dost thou seek as a proof of thy faith a thing which hath been and is contrary to His good-pleasure?

"Rid thou thyself of all attachments to aught except G.o.d, ..."

Rid thou thyself of all attachments to aught except G.o.d, enrich thyself in G.o.d by dispensing with all else besides Him, and recite this prayer:

Say: G.o.d sufficeth all things above all things, and nothing in the heavens or in the earth or in whatever lieth between them but G.o.d, thy Lord, sufficeth. Verily, He is in Himself the Knower, the Sustainer, the Omnipotent.

Regard not the all-sufficing power of G.o.d as an idle fancy. It is that genuine faith which thou cherishest for the Manifestation of G.o.d in every Dispensation. It is such faith which sufficeth above all the things that exist on the earth, whereas no created thing on earth besides faith would suffice thee. If thou art not a believer, the Tree of divine Truth would condemn thee to extinction. If thou art a believer, thy faith shall be sufficient for thee above all things that exist on earth, even though thou possess nothing.

"It is recorded in a tradition that of the entire concourse of ..."

It is recorded in a tradition that of the entire concourse of the Christians no more than seventy people embraced the Faith of the Apostle of G.o.d. The blame falleth upon their doctors, for if these had believed, they would have been followed by the ma.s.s of their countrymen. Behold, then, that which hath come to pa.s.s! The learned men of Christendom 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! Is it still thy wish to follow in their footsteps? The followers of Jesus submitted to their clerics to be saved on the Day of Resurrection, and as a result of this obedience they eventually entered into the fire, and on the Day when the Apostle of G.o.d appeared they shut themselves out from the recognition of His exalted Person. Dost thou desire to follow such divines?

Nay, by G.o.d, be thou neither a divine without discernment nor a follower without discernment, for both of these shall perish on the Day of Resurrection. Rather it behooveth thee to be a discerning divine, or to walk with insight in the way of G.o.d by obeying a true leader of religion.

In every nation thou beholdest unnumbered spiritual leaders who are bereft of true discernment, and among every people thou dost encounter myriads of adherents who are devoid of the same characteristic. Ponder for a while in thy heart, have pity on thyself and turn not aside thine attention from proofs and evidences. However, seek not proofs and evidences after thine idle fancy; but rather base thy proofs upon what G.o.d hath appointed.

Moreover, know thou that neither being a man of learning nor being a follower is in itself a source of glory. If thou art a man of learning, thy knowledge becometh an honour, and if thou art a follower, thine adherence unto leadership becometh an honour, only when these conform to the good-pleasure of G.o.d. And beware lest thou regard as an idle fancy the good-pleasure of G.o.d; it is the same as the good-pleasure of His Messenger. Consider the followers of Jesus. They were eagerly seeking the good-pleasure of G.o.d, yet none of them attained the good-pleasure of His Apostle which is identical with G.o.d's good-pleasure, except such as embraced His Faith.

"Thy letter hath been perused. Were the truth of this ..."

Thy letter hath been perused. Were the truth of this Revelation to be fully demonstrated with elaborate proofs, all the scrolls that exist in the heaven and on the earth would be insufficient to contain them.

However, the substance and essence of the subject is this, that there can be no doubt that from everlasting G.o.d hath been invested with the independent sovereignty of His exalted Being, and unto everlasting He will remain inaccessible in the transcendent majesty of His holy Essence. No creature hath ever recognized Him as befitteth His recognition, nor hath any created being ever praised Him as is worthy of His praise. He is exalted above every name, and is sanctified from every comparison. Through Him all things are made known, while too lofty is His reality to be known through anyone but Him. The process of His creation hath had no beginning and can have no end, otherwise it would necessitate the cessation of His celestial grace. G.o.d hath raised up Prophets and revealed Books as numerous as the creatures of the world, and will continue to do so to everlasting.

If thou art sailing upon the sea of G.o.d's Names, which are reflected in all things, know thou that He is exalted and sanctified from being known through His creatures, or being described by His servants. Everything thou beholdest hath been called into being through the operation of His Will.

How can such a created thing, therefore, be indicative of His essential oneness? G.o.d's existence in itself testifieth to His Own oneness, while every created thing, by its very nature, beareth evidence that it hath been fashioned by G.o.d. Such is the proof of consummate wisdom in the estimation of those who sail the ocean of divine Truth.

If, however, thou art sailing upon the sea of creation, know thou that the First Remembrance, which is the Primal Will of G.o.d, may be likened unto the sun. G.o.d hath created Him through the potency of His might, and He hath, from the beginning that hath no beginning, caused Him to be manifested in every Dispensation through the compelling power of His behest, and G.o.d will, to the end that knoweth no end, continue to manifest Him according to the good-pleasure of His invincible Purpose.

And know thou that He indeed resembleth the sun. Were the risings of the sun to continue till the end that hath no end, yet there hath not been nor ever will be more than one sun; and were its settings to endure for evermore, still there hath not been nor ever will be more than one sun. It is this Primal Will which appeareth resplendent in every Prophet and speaketh forth in every revealed Book. It knoweth no beginning, inasmuch as the First deriveth its firstness from It; and knoweth no end, for the Last oweth its lastness unto It.

In the time of the First Manifestation the Primal Will appeared in Adam; in the day of Noah It became known in Noah; in the day of Abraham in Him; and so in the day of Moses; the day of Jesus; the day of Mu?ammad, the Apostle of G.o.d; the day of the 'Point of the Bayan'; the day of Him Whom G.o.d shall make manifest; and the day of the One Who will appear after Him Whom G.o.d shall make manifest. Hence the inner meaning of the words uttered by the Apostle of G.o.d, 'I am all the Prophets', inasmuch as what shineth resplendent in each one of Them hath been and will ever remain the one and the same sun.

5: EXCERPTS FROM THE KITaB-I-ASMa (THE BOOK OF NAMES)

O ye that are invested with the Bayan! Denounce ye not one another, ere the Day-Star of ancient eternity shineth forth above the horizon of His sublimity. We have created you from one tree and have caused you to be as the leaves and fruit of the same tree, that haply ye may become a source of comfort to one another. Regard ye not others save as ye regard your own selves, that no feeling of aversion may prevail amongst you so as to shut you out from Him Whom G.o.d shall make manifest on the Day of Resurrection.

It behooveth you all to be one indivisible people; thus should ye return unto Him Whom G.o.d shall make manifest.

Those who have deprived themselves of this Resurrection by reason of their mutual hatreds or by regarding themselves to be in the right and others in the wrong, were chastised on the Day of Resurrection by reason of such hatreds evinced during their night.(70) Thus they deprived themselves of beholding the countenance of G.o.d, and this for no other reason than mutual denunciations.

O ye that are invested with the Bayan! Ye should perform such deeds as would please G.o.d, your Lord, earning thereby the good-pleasure of Him Whom G.o.d shall make manifest. Turn not your religion into a means of material gain, spending your life on vanities, and inheriting thereby on the Day of Resurrection that which would displease Him Whom G.o.d shall make manifest, while ye deem that what ye do is right. If, however, ye observe piety in your Faith, G.o.d will surely nourish you from the treasuries of His heavenly grace.

Be ye sincere in your allegiance to Him Whom G.o.d shall make manifest, for the sake of G.o.d, your Lord, that perchance ye may, through devotion to His Faith, be redeemed on the Day of Resurrection. Beware lest ye suffer one another to be wrapt in veils by reason of the disputes which may, during your night, arise among you as a result of the problems ye encounter or in consideration of such matters as your loftiness or lowliness, your nearness or remoteness.

Thus have We firmly exhorted you-a befitting exhortation indeed-that haply ye may cleave tenaciously unto it and attain thereby salvation on the Day of Resurrection. The time is approaching when ye will be at peace with yourselves in your homes, and lo, Him Whom G.o.d shall make manifest will have appeared, and G.o.d wisheth you to return unto Him, even as G.o.d called you into being through the Primal Point. However, all of you will seek guidance while pursuing the promptings of your own desires. Some of you are filled with pride by reason of your religion, others because of your learning. Ye will, one and all, cling unto some part of the Bayan as a means of self-glorification. XVI, 19.(71)

"G.o.d is sanctified from His servants and no direct relationship ..."

G.o.d is sanctified from His servants and no direct relationship ever existeth between Him and any created thing, while ye have all arisen at His bidding. Verily He is your Lord and your G.o.d, your Master and your King. He ordaineth your movements at His behest throughout the day-time and in the night season.

Say, He Whom G.o.d shall make manifest is indeed the Primal Veil of G.o.d.

Above this Veil ye can find nothing other than G.o.d, while beneath it ye can discern all things emanating from G.o.d. He is the Unseen, the Inaccessible, the Most Exalted, the Best Beloved.

If ye seek G.o.d, it behooveth you to seek Him Whom G.o.d shall make manifest, and if ye cherish the desire to dwell in the Ark of Names, ye will be distinguished as the guides to Him Whom G.o.d shall make manifest, did ye but believe in Him. Verily then make your hearts the daysprings of His exalted Names as recorded in the Book, and ye shall, even as mirrors placed before the sun, be able to receive enlightenment. XVI, 17.

"Should a person lay claim to a cause and produce his ..."

Should a person lay claim to a cause and produce his proofs, then those who seek to repudiate him are required to produce proofs like unto his. If they succeed in doing so, his words will prove vain and they will prevail; otherwise neither his words will cease nor the proofs he hath set forth will become void. I admonish you, O ye who are invested with the Bayan, if ye would fain a.s.sert your ascendancy, confront not any soul unless ye give proofs similar to that which he hath adduced; for Truth shall be firmly established, while aught else besides it is sure to perish.

How numerous the people who engaged in contests with Mu?ammad, the Apostle of G.o.d, and were eventually reduced to naught, inasmuch as they were powerless to bring forth proofs similar to that which G.o.d had sent down unto Him. Had they been abashed and modest, and had they realized the nature of the proofs wherewith He was invested, they would never have challenged Him. But they regarded themselves as champions of their own religion. Therefore G.o.d laid hold on them according to their deserts and vindicated the Truth through the power of Truth. This is what ye clearly perceive today in the Mu?ammadan Revelation.

Who is the man amongst you who can challenge the exalted Thrones of Reality in every Dispensation, while all existence is wholly dependent upon Them? Indeed, G.o.d hath wiped out all those who have opposed Them from the beginning that hath no beginning until the present day and hath conclusively demonstrated the Truth through the power of Truth. Verily, He is the Almighty, the Omnipotent, the All-Powerful. XVII, 11.

"O Ye who are invested with the Bayan! Be ye watchful ..."