Dost thou imagine him whom thou hast appointed Chancellor in thy kingdom to be the best leader and the best supporter? Nay, I swear by thy Lord. He will bring thee into grievous trouble by reason of that which Satan instilleth in his heart, and verily, he himself is Satan. He comprehendeth not a single letter from the Book of G.o.d and is seized with fear by reason of that which his hands have wrought. Fain would he extinguish the light which thy Lord hath kindled, so that the old impiety which is concealed in his inner being may not be revealed. Hadst thou not appointed him as thy Chancellor no one would have paid him the slightest attention. Indeed in the estimation of the people he is naught but manifest darkness...

Fear thou G.o.d and suffer not thy soul to be chastised beyond that with which it hath already been tormented; for ere long thou shalt pa.s.s away and shalt declare thyself clear of the devil whom thou hast appointed as thy Chancellor, saying: 'O would that I had not taken the devil as my Chancellor, nor appointed an impostor as my guide and adviser.'

Why dost thou burden thy soul with that which is far more abject than the deeds of Pharaoh, and still callest thyself one of the faithful? How dost thou peruse the verses of the Qur'an, while thou art of the unjust? Never would the Jews, nor the Christians nor any such people as have rejected the truth consent to inflict wrongs upon the son of their Prophet's daughter. Woe betide thee, for the day of chastis.e.m.e.nt is approaching.

Dost thou not dread the wrath of thy Lord, the Almighty, the Lord of the heavens, the Lord of all worlds? Indeed these manifest verses are conclusive testimony for those who seek true guidance.

I have no desire to seize thy property, even to the extent of a grain of mustard, nor do I wish to occupy thy position. If thou followest Me not, then unto thee be the things thou dost possess, and unto Me the land of unfailing security. If thou obeyest Me not, wherefore dost thou look disdainfully upon Me and seek to treat Me with sore injustice? Verily, behold My habitation-a lofty mountain wherein no one dwelleth. Woe betide them that wrongfully do injustice to people, and unjustly and deceitfully usurp the property of the believers in violation of His lucid Book; whereas I, Who, in very truth, am the rightful Sovereign of all men, designated by the true, the undeniable Leader, would never infringe on the integrity of the substance of the people, were it to the extent of a grain of mustard, nor would I treat them unjustly. Rather would I consort with them even as one of themselves, and I would be their witness.

That which devolveth upon Me is but to mention the Book of thy Lord and to deliver this clear Message. If thou wishest to enter the gates of Paradise, lo, they are open before thy face and no harm can reach Me from anyone. Every missive which up till now I have directed unto thee and unto the custodian of thy affairs hath been but a token of My bounty to you both, that perchance ye may grow anxious about the day which is nigh at hand. Nevertheless from the moment ye waxed disdainful, divine judgement was pa.s.sed upon you in the Book of G.o.d, for in truth ye both have denied your Lord and are numbered with them that will perish... This is indeed My last reminder unto you, and I shall make no mention of you hereafter, nor shall I make any remark other than affirming you as infidels.

Unto G.o.d do I commit Mine affair and yours, and He verily is the best Judge. Were ye to return, however, ye would be granted whatever ye desire of earthly possessions and of the ineffable delights of the life to come, and ye would inherit such glorious might and majesty as your minds can scarce conceive in this mortal life. But if ye fail to return then upon ye shall be your transgressions.

Ye cannot alter the things which the Almighty hath prescribed unto Me.

Naught shall touch Me besides that which G.o.d, My Lord, hath pre-ordained for Me. In Him have I placed My whole trust and upon Him do the faithful place their complete reliance.

Bear Thou witness unto Me, O Lord. By sending forth this resplendent Epistle I shall have proclaimed Thy Verses unto both of them and shall have fulfilled Thy Testimony for them. I am well pleased to lay down My life in Thy path and ere long to return to Thy presence. Unto Thee be praise in the heavens and on the earth. Deal with them according to Thy decree. In truth Thou art the best protector and helper.

Set right, O Lord, such disorders as people stir up, and cause Thy Word to shine resplendent throughout the earth, so that no trace of the unG.o.dly may remain.

I beg forgiveness of Thee, O My Lord, for that which I have uttered in Thy Epistle, and I repent unto Thee. I am but one of Thy servants who give praise to Thee. Glorified art Thou; no G.o.d is there but Thee. In Thee have I placed My whole trust and of Thee do I beg pardon for being a suppliant at Thy door.

Sanctified is G.o.d thy Lord, the Lord of the Mighty Throne, from that which the people wrongfully and without the guidance of His lucid Book, affirm of Him. Peace be upon them that beseech forgiveness from G.o.d thy Lord, saying: 'Verily, praise be unto G.o.d, the Lord of the worlds.'

Extracts From A Tablet Containing Words Addressed To The Sherif Of Mecca

O Sherif!... All thy life thou hast accorded worship unto Us, but when We manifested Ourself unto thee, thou didst desist from bearing witness unto Our Remembrance, and from affirming that He is indeed the Most Exalted, the Sovereign Truth, the All-Glorious. Thus hath Thy Lord put thee to proof in the Day of Resurrection. Verily He is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

For hadst thou uttered 'Here am I' at the time We sent thee the Book, We would have admitted thee to the company of such of Our servants as truly believe, and would have graciously praised thee in Our Book, until the Day when all men shall appear before Us for judgement. This is in truth far more advantageous unto thee than all the acts of worship thou hast performed for thy Lord during all thy life, nay, from the beginning that hath no beginning. a.s.suredly this is what would have served and will ever serve thy best interests. Verily We are cognizant of all things. Yet notwithstanding that We had called thee into being for the purpose of attaining Our presence in the Day of Resurrection, thou didst shut thyself out from Us without any reason or explicit Writ; whereas hadst thou been among such as are endowed with the knowledge of the Bayan, thou wouldst have, at the sight of the Book, testified forthwith that there is no G.o.d but Him, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting, and wouldst have affirmed that He Who hath revealed the Qur'an, hath likewise revealed this Book, that every word of it is from G.o.d, and unto it we all bear allegiance.

However, that which was preordained hath come to pa.s.s. Shouldst thou return unto Us while revelation still continueth through Us, We shall transform thy fire into light. Truly We are powerful over all things. But if thou failest in this task, thou shalt find no way open to thee other than to embrace the Cause of G.o.d and to implore that the matter of thine allegiance be brought to the attention of Him Whom G.o.d shall make manifest, that He may graciously enable thee to prosper and cause thy fire to be transformed into light. This is that which hath been sent down unto Us. Should this not come to pa.s.s, whatever We have set down shall remain binding and irrevocably decreed by G.o.d, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting, and We shall therefore banish thee from Our presence as a token of justice on Our part. Verily we are equitable in Our judgement.

Address To A Muslim Divine

O 'Abdu's-Sahib! Verily G.o.d and every created thing testify that there is none other G.o.d but Me, the Almighty, the Best Beloved...

Thy vision is obscured by the belief that divine revelation ended with the coming of Mu?ammad, and unto this We have borne witness in Our first epistle. Indeed, He Who hath revealed verses unto Mu?ammad, the Apostle of G.o.d, hath likewise revealed verses unto 'Ali-Mu?ammad. For who else but G.o.d can reveal to a man such clear and manifest verses as overpower all the learned? Since thou hast acknowledged the revelation of Mu?ammad, the Apostle of G.o.d, then there is no other way open before thee but to testify that whatever is revealed by the Primal Point hath also proceeded from G.o.d, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. Is it not true that the Qur'an hath been sent down from G.o.d and that all men are powerless before its revelation? Likewise these words have also been revealed by G.o.d, if thou dost but perceive. What is there in the Bayan which keepeth thee back from recognizing these verses as being sent forth by G.o.d, the Inaccessible, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious?

The essence of these words is this: Were We to bring thee to a reckoning, thou wouldst prove thyself empty-handed; We in truth know all things.

Hadst thou uttered 'yea' on hearing the Words of G.o.d, thou wouldst have been seen to have been worshipping G.o.d from the beginning that hath no beginning until the present day, never to have disobeyed Him, not even for the twinkling of an eye. Yet, neither the upright deeds thou hast wrought during all thy life, nor the exertions thou didst make to banish every thought from thy heart save that of the good-pleasure of G.o.d, none of these did in truth profit thee, not even to the extent of a grain of mustard seed, inasmuch as thou didst veil thyself from G.o.d and tarried behind at the time of His manifestation.

Verily all the divines in the land of Kaf [Kufih] shall, even as thyself, be asked by G.o.d: 'Is it not strange that a Messenger should have come to you with a Book, and ye, while confessing your powerlessness, refused to follow the Faith of G.o.d which He had brought, and ye persisted in your disbelief?' Therefore unto thee shall be a.s.signed the fire which was meant for those who turned away from G.o.d in that land, inasmuch as thou art their leader; would that thou might be of them who heed.

Hadst thou faithfully obeyed the Decree of G.o.d, all the inhabitants of thy land would have followed thee, and would have themselves entered into the celestial Paradise, content with the good-pleasure of G.o.d for evermore.

However, on that day thou shalt wish that G.o.d had not created thee.

Thou hast set thyself up as one of the learned in the Faith of Islam, that thou mightest save the believers, yet thou didst cause thy followers to descend into the fire, for when the verses of G.o.d were sent forth thou didst deprive thyself therefrom and yet reckoned thyself to be of the righteous... Nay, by the life of Him Whom G.o.d shall make manifest! Neither thou nor any one among His servants can produce the slightest proof, while G.o.d shineth resplendent above His creatures and through the power of His behest standeth supreme over all that dwell in the kingdoms of heaven and earth and in whatever lieth between them. Verily He is potent over all created things.

Thou hath named thyself 'Abdu's Sahib [servant of the Lord]. Yet, while G.o.d hath, in very truth, made thy Lord manifest, and thou didst set thine eyes upon Him, thou didst not recognize Him, even though thou hadst been called into being by G.o.d for the purpose of attaining His presence, didst thou but truly believe in the third verse of the chapter ent.i.tled 'Thunder'.(8)

Thou contendest, 'How can we recognize Him when we have heard naught but words which fall short of irrefutable proofs?' Yet since thou hast acknowledged and recognized Mu?ammad, the Apostle of G.o.d, through the Qur'an, how canst thou withhold recognition from Him Who sent thee the Book, despite thy calling thyself 'His servant'? Verily He doth exercise undisputed authority over His revelations unto all mankind.

Wert thou to come unto Us while divine revelation is descending upon Us, haply G.o.d will change thy fire into light. Verily He is the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Generous. Otherwise that which hath been revealed is decisive and final and will be faithfully upheld by all until the Day of Resurrection... If divine revelation ceaseth, thou shouldst write a pet.i.tion to Him Whom G.o.d shall make manifest, imploring that it be delivered into His presence. Therein thou must beg pardon of thy Lord, turn unto Him in repentance and be of them that are wholly devoted to Him.

Perchance G.o.d will transform thy fire into light at the next Resurrection.

He, of a truth, is the Protector, the Most Exalted, the Ever-Forgiving.

Unto Him bow down in worship all that are in the heavens and on the earth and whatever lieth between them; and unto Him shall all return.

We enjoin thee to save thyself and all the inhabitants of that land from the fire, then to enter the peerless and exalted Paradise of His good-pleasure. Otherwise the day is approaching when thou shalt perish and enter the fire, when thou shalt have neither patron nor helper from G.o.d.

We have taken compa.s.sion on thee, as a sign of Our grace, inasmuch as thou hast related thyself unto Us. Verily We are aware of all things. We are cognizant of thy righteous deeds, though they shall avail thee nothing; for the whole object of such righteousness is but recognition of G.o.d, thy Lord, and undoubted faith in the Words revealed by Him.

Address To Sulayman, One Of The Muslim Divines In The Land Of Masqat

This is an Epistle from G.o.d, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting, unto Sulayman in the land of Masqat, to the right of the Sea. In truth there is none other G.o.d but Him, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting... Indeed, were all the inhabitants of heaven and earth and whatever existeth between them to a.s.semble together, they would utterly fail and be powerless to produce such a book, even though We made them masters of eloquence and learning on earth. Since thou dost adduce proofs from the Qur'an, G.o.d shall, with proofs from that self-same Book, vindicate Himself in the Bayan. This is none other than a decree of G.o.d; He is truly the All-Knowing, the All-Powerful.

If thou art of them that truly believe, thou hast no other alternative than to bear allegiance unto it. This is the Way of G.o.d for all the inhabitants of earth and heaven and all that lieth betwixt them. No G.o.d is there but Me, the Almighty, the Inaccessible, the Most Exalted.

From this land We then proceeded to the sacred House, and on Our return journey We landed once again at this spot, when We perceived that thou hadst heeded not that which We sent thee, nor art thou of them that truly believe. Although We had created thee to behold Our countenance, and We did actually alight in thy locality, yet thou didst fail to attain the object of thy creation, and this despite thy worshipping G.o.d all thy life.

Wherefore vain shall be the deeds thou hast wrought, by reason of thy being shut out as by a veil from Our presence and from Our Writings. This is an irrevocable decree ordained by Us. Verily We are equitable in Our judgement.

Hadst thou observed the contents of the Epistle We sent unto thee, it would have been far more profitable to thee than worshipping thy Lord from the beginning that hath no beginning until this day, and indeed more meritorious than proving thyself wholly devoted in thine acts of worship.

And hadst thou attained the presence of thy Lord in this land, and been of them that truly believe that the Face of G.o.d is beheld in the person of the Primal Point, it would have been far more advantageous than prostrating thyself in adoration from the beginning that hath no beginning until the present time....

In truth We tested thee and found that thou wert not of them that are endowed with understanding, wherefore We pa.s.sed upon thee the sentence of negation, as a token of justice from Our presence; and verily We are equitable.

However, shouldst thou return unto Us, We would convert thy negation into affirmation. Verily We are the One Who is of immense bounteousness. But should the Primal Point cease to be with you, then the judgement given in the Words of G.o.d shall be final and unalterable and every one will a.s.suredly uphold it.

Wert thou to address a letter to Him Whom G.o.d shall make manifest, begging that it be delivered unto His presence, perchance He would graciously forgive thee and, at His behest, turn thy negation into affirmation. He is in truth the All-Bountiful, the Most Generous, He Whose grace is infinite.

Otherwise, no way shalt thou find open unto thee and no benefit shalt thou gain from the deeds thou hast wrought, by reason of thy failure to respond 'yea, here am I'. Verily We have reduced thee and thy works to naught, as though thou hadst never come into existence nor ever been of them that do good works, that this may serve as a lesson for those unto whom the Bayan is given, that they may take good heed when the sacred Writings of Him Whom G.o.d shall make manifest will reach them and perchance, by pondering upon them, may be enabled to save their own souls.

Our grace a.s.suredly pervadeth all that dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven and in whatever lieth between them, and beyond them all mankind.

However, souls that have shut themselves out as by a veil can never partake of the outpourings of the grace of G.o.d.

2: EXCERPTS FROM THE QAYYuMU'L-ASMa