As a token of pure justice, We have indeed sent tidings unto every Prophet concerning the Cause of Our Remembrance, and verily G.o.d is supreme over all the peoples of the world. _Chapter Lx.x.xIII._

3: EXCERPTS FROM THE PERSIAN BAYaN

"It is better to guide one soul than to possess all ..."

It is better to guide one soul than to possess all that is on earth, for as long as that guided soul is under the shadow of the Tree of Divine Unity, he and the one who hath guided him will both be recipients of G.o.d's tender mercy, whereas possession of earthly things will cease at the time of death. The path to guidance is one of love and compa.s.sion, not of force and coercion. This hath been G.o.d's method in the past, and shall continue to be in the future! He causeth him whom He pleaseth to enter the shadow of His Mercy. Verily, He is the Supreme Protector, the All-Generous.

There is no paradise more wondrous for any soul than to be exposed to G.o.d's Manifestation in His Day, to hear His verses and believe in them, to attain His presence, which is naught but the presence of G.o.d, to sail upon the sea of the heavenly kingdom of His good-pleasure, and to partake of the choice fruits of the paradise of His divine Oneness. II, 16.(58)

"Worship thou G.o.d in such wise that if thy worship lead ..."

Worship thou G.o.d in such wise that if thy worship lead thee to the fire, no alteration in thine adoration would be produced, and so likewise if thy recompense should be paradise. Thus and thus alone should be the worship which befitteth the one True G.o.d. Shouldst thou worship Him because of fear, this would be unseemly in the sanctified Court of His presence, and could not be regarded as an act by thee dedicated to the Oneness of His Being. Or if thy gaze should be on paradise, and thou shouldst worship Him while cherishing such a hope, thou wouldst make G.o.d's creation a partner with Him, notwithstanding the fact that paradise is desired by men.

Fire and paradise both bow down and prostrate themselves before G.o.d. That which is worthy of His Essence is to worship Him for His sake, without fear of fire, or hope of paradise.

Although when true worship is offered, the worshipper is delivered from the fire, and entereth the paradise of G.o.d's good-pleasure, yet such should not be the motive of his act. However, G.o.d's favour and grace ever flow in accordance with the exigencies of His inscrutable wisdom.

The most acceptable prayer is the one offered with the utmost spirituality and radiance; its prolongation hath not been and is not beloved by G.o.d.

The more detached and the purer the prayer, the more acceptable is it in the presence of G.o.d. VII, 19.

"The Day of Resurrection is a day on which the sun riseth ..."

The Day of Resurrection is a day on which the sun riseth and setteth like unto any other day. How oft hath the Day of Resurrection dawned, and the people of the land where it occurred did not learn of the event. Had they heard, they would not have believed, and thus they were not told!

When the Apostle of G.o.d [Mu?ammad] appeared, He did not announce unto the unbelievers that the Resurrection had come, for they could not bear the news. That Day is indeed an infinitely mighty Day, for in it the Divine Tree proclaimeth from eternity unto eternity, 'Verily, I am G.o.d. No G.o.d is there but Me'. Yet those who are veiled believe that He is one like unto them, and they refuse even to call Him a believer, although such a t.i.tle in the realm of His heavenly Kingdom is conferred everlastingly upon the most insignificant follower of His previous Dispensation. Thus, had the people in the days of the Apostle of G.o.d regarded Him at least as a believer of their time how would they have debarred Him, for seven years while He was in the mountain, from access to His Holy House [Ka'bah]?

Likewise in this Dispensation of the Point of the Bayan, if the people had not refused to concede the name believer unto Him, how could they have incarcerated Him on this mountain, without realizing that the quintessence of belief oweth its existence to a word from Him? Their hearts are deprived of the power of true insight, and thus they cannot see, while those endowed with the eyes of the spirit circle like moths round the Light of Truth until they are consumed. It is for this reason that the Day of Resurrection is said to be the greatest of all days, yet it is like unto any other day. VIII, 9.

"There is no paradise, in the estimation of the believers in ..."

There is no paradise, in the estimation of the believers in the Divine Unity, more exalted than to obey G.o.d's commandments, and there is no fire in the eyes of those who have known G.o.d and His signs, fiercer than to transgress His laws and to oppress another soul, even to the extent of a mustard seed. On the Day of Resurrection G.o.d will, in truth, judge all men, and we all verily plead for His grace. V, 19.

"G.o.d loveth those who are pure. Naught in the Bayan and ..."

G.o.d loveth those who are pure. Naught in the Bayan and in the sight of G.o.d is more loved than purity and immaculate cleanliness....

G.o.d desireth not to see, in the Dispensation of the Bayan, any soul deprived of joy and radiance. He indeed desireth that under all conditions, all may be adorned with such purity, both inwardly and outwardly, that no repugnance may be caused even to themselves, how much less unto others. V, 14.

"Likewise consider the manifestation of the Point of the ..."

Likewise consider the manifestation of the Point of the Bayan. There are people who every night until morning busy themselves with the worship of G.o.d, and even at present when the Day-Star of Truth is nearing its zenith in the heaven of its Revelation, they have not yet left their prayer-rugs.

If any one of them ever heard the wondrous verses of G.o.d recited unto him, he would exclaim: 'Why dost thou keep me back from offering my prayers?' O thou who are wrapt in veils! If thou makest mention of G.o.d, wherefore sufferest thou thyself to be shut out from Him Who hath kindled the light of worship in thy heart? If He had not previously revealed the injunction: 'Verily, make ye mention of G.o.d'(59), what would have prompted thee to offer devotion unto G.o.d, and whereunto wouldst thou turn in prayer?

Know thou of a certainty that whenever thou makest mention of Him Whom G.o.d shall make manifest, only then art thou making mention of G.o.d. In like manner shouldst thou hearken unto the verses of the Bayan and acknowledge its truth, only then would the revealed verses of G.o.d profit thee.

Otherwise what benefit canst thou derive therefrom? For wert thou to prostrate thyself in adoration from the beginning of life till the end and to spend thy days for the sake of G.o.d's remembrance, but disbelieve in the Exponent of His Revelation for the age, dost thou imagine that thy deeds would confer any benefit upon thee? On the other hand, if thou believest in Him and dost recognize Him with true understanding, and He saith: 'I have accepted thine entire life spent in My adoration', then a.s.suredly hast thou been worshipping Him most ardently. Thy purpose in performing thy deeds is that G.o.d may graciously accept them; and divine acceptance can in no wise be achieved except through the acceptance of Him Who is the Exponent of His Revelation. For instance, if the Apostle of G.o.d-may divine blessings rest upon Him-accepted a certain deed, in truth G.o.d accepted it; otherwise it hath remained within the selfish desires of the person who wrought it, and did not reach the presence of G.o.d. Likewise, any act which is accepted by the Point of the Bayan is accepted by G.o.d, inasmuch as the contingent world hath no other access unto the presence of the Ancient of Days. Whatever is sent down cometh through the Exponent of His Revelation, and whatever ascendeth, ascendeth unto the Exponent of His Revelation.

VIII, 19.

"There is no doubt that the Almighty hath sent down ..."

There is no doubt that the Almighty hath sent down these verses unto Him [the Bab], even as He sent down unto the Apostle of G.o.d. Indeed no less than a hundred thousand verses similar to these have already been disseminated among the people, not to mention His Epistles, His Prayers or His learned and philosophical treatises. He revealeth no less than a thousand verses within the s.p.a.ce of five hours. He reciteth verses at a speed consonant with the capacity of His amanuensis to set them down.

Thus, it may well be considered that if from the inception of this Revelation until now He had been left unhindered, how vast then would have been the volume of writings disseminated from His pen.

If ye contend that these verses cannot, of themselves, be regarded as a proof, scan the pages of the Qur'an. If G.o.d hath established therein any evidence other than the revealed verses to demonstrate the validity of the prophethood of His Apostle-may the blessings of G.o.d rest upon Him-ye may then have your scruples about Him...

Concerning the sufficiency of the Book as a proof, G.o.d hath revealed: 'Is it not enough for them that We have sent down unto Thee the Book to be recited to them? In this verily is a mercy and a warning to those who believe.'(60) When G.o.d hath testified that the Book is a sufficient testimony, as is affirmed in the text, how can one dispute this truth by saying that the Book in itself is not a conclusive proof?... II, 1.

"Since that Day is a great Day it would be sorely trying ..."

Since that Day is a great Day it would be sorely trying for thee to identify thyself with the believers. For the believers of that Day are the inmates of Paradise, while the unbelievers are the inmates of the fire.

And know thou of a certainty that by Paradise is meant recognition of and submission unto Him Whom G.o.d shall make manifest, and by the fire the company of such souls as would fail to submit unto Him or to be resigned to His good-pleasure. On that Day thou wouldst regard thyself as the inmate of Paradise and as a true believer in Him, whereas in reality thou wouldst suffer thyself to be wrapt in veils and thy habitation would be the nethermost fire, though thou thyself wouldst not be cognizant thereof.

Compare His manifestation with that of the Point of the Qur'an. How vast the number of the Letters of the Gospel who eagerly expected Him, yet from the time of His declaration up to five years no one became an inmate of Paradise, except the Commander of the Faithful [Imam 'Ali], and those who secretly believed in Him. All the rest were accounted as inmates of the fire, though they considered themselves as dwellers in Paradise.

Likewise behold this Revelation. The essences of the people have, through divinely-conceived designs, been set in motion and until the present day three hundred and thirteen disciples have been chosen. In the land of Sad [I?fahan], which to outward seeming is a great city, in every corner of whose seminaries are vast numbers of people regarded as divines and doctors, yet when the time came for inmost essences to be drawn forth, only its sifter of wheat donned the robe of discipleship. This is the mystery of what was uttered by the kindred of the Prophet Mu?ammad-upon them be the peace of G.o.d-concerning this Revelation, saying that the abased shall be exalted and the exalted shall be abased.