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"lighten and uplift
them, so that they may soar on the wings of the Divine verses"
-Baha'u'llah
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The
Kitáb-i-Aqdas |
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1 |
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. It 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. |
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2 |
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, O 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. |
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3 |
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 of even one of His commandments, shining above the
Dayspring of His bountiful care and loving-kindness. |
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4 |
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 of a
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. |
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5 |
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, O men of insight! |
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6 |
We have enjoined obligatory prayer upon you,
with nine rak'áhs, to be offered
at noon and in the morning
and the evening unto God, the Revealer of Verses.
We have
relieved you of a greater number, as a command in the Book of
God. He, verily, is the Ordainer, the Omnipotent, the
Unrestrained.
When ye desire to perform this prayer, turn ye
towards the Court of My Most Holy Presence, this Hallowed Spot
that God hath made the Centre round which circle the Concourse
on High, and which He hath decreed to be the Point of
Adoration for the denizens of the Cities of Eternity, and the
Source of Command unto all that are in heaven and on earth;
and when the Sun of Truth and Utterance shall set, turn your
faces towards the Spot that We have ordained for you. He,
verily, is Almighty and Omniscient. |
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7 |
Everything that is hath come to be through His
irresistible decree. 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 doeth what He pleaseth.
He chooseth, and none may question His choice.
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. |
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8 |
We have set forth the details of obligatory
prayer in another Tablet. Blessed is he who observeth that
whereunto he hath been bidden by Him Who ruleth over all
mankind. In the
Prayer for the Dead
six specific passages have
been sent down by God, the Revealer of Verses. Let one who is
able to read recite that which hath been revealed to precede
these passages; and as for him who is unable, God hath
relieved him of this requirement. He, of a truth, is the
Mighty, the Pardoner. |
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9 |
Hair doth not invalidate your prayer, nor aught
from which the spirit hath departed, such as bones and the
like. Ye are free to wear the fur of the sable as ye would
that of the beaver, the squirrel, and other animals; the
prohibition of its use hath stemmed, not from the Qur’án,
but from the misconceptions of the divines. He, verily, is the
All-Glorious, the All-Knowing. |
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10 |
We have commanded you to pray and fast from the
beginning of maturity; this is ordained by God, your Lord and
the Lord of your forefathers.
He hath exempted
from this those who are weak from illness or age, as a bounty
from His Presence, and He is the Forgiving, the Generous.
God
hath granted you leave to prostrate yourselves on any surface
that is clean, for We have removed in this regard the
limitation that had been laid down in the Book; God, indeed,
hath knowledge of that whereof ye know naught.
Let him that findeth no water for ablution repeat five times the words “In
the Name of God, the Most Pure, the Most Pure”, and then
proceed to his devotions. Such is the command of the Lord of
all worlds.
In regions where the days and nights grow long,
let times of prayer be gauged by clocks and other instruments
that mark the passage of the hours. He, verily, is the
Expounder, the Wise. |
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11 |
We have absolved you from the requirement of
performing the Prayer of the Signs. On the appearance of
fearful natural events call ye to mind the might and majesty
of your Lord, He Who heareth and seeth all, and say “Dominion
is God’s, the Lord of the seen and the unseen, the Lord of
creation”. |
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12 |
It hath been ordained that obligatory prayer is
to be performed by each of you individually.
Save in the
Prayer for the Dead, the practice of congregational prayer
hath been annulled. He, of a truth, is the Ordainer, the
All-Wise. |
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13 |
God hath exempted women who are in their courses
from obligatory prayer and fasting. Let them, instead, after
performance of their ablutions, give praise unto God,
repeating ninety-five times between the noon of one day and
the next “Glorified be God, the Lord of Splendour and Beauty”.
Thus hath it been decreed in the Book, if ye be of them that
comprehend. |
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14 |
When travelling, if ye should stop and rest in
some safe spot, perform ye—men and women alike—a single
prostration in place of each unsaid Obligatory Prayer, and
while prostrating say “Glorified be God, the Lord of Might
and Majesty, of Grace and Bounty”. Whoso is unable to do
this, let him say only “Glorified be God”; this shall
assuredly suffice him. He is, of a truth, the all-sufficing,
the ever-abiding, the forgiving, compassionate God.
Upon
completing your prostrations, seat yourselves cross-legged—men
and women alike—and eighteen times repeat “Glorified be
God, the Lord of the kingdoms of earth and heaven”. Thus
doth the Lord make plain the ways of truth and guidance, ways
that lead to one way, which is this Straight Path. Render
thanks unto God for this most gracious favour; offer praise
unto Him for this bounty that hath encompassed the heavens and
the earth; extol Him for this mercy that hath pervaded all
creation. |
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15 |
Say: God hath made My hidden love the key to the
Treasure; would that ye might perceive it! But for the key,
the Treasure would to all eternity have remained concealed;
would that ye might believe it! Say: This is the Source of
Revelation, the Dawning-place of Splendour, Whose brightness
hath illumined the horizons of the world. Would that ye might
understand! This is, verily, that fixed Decree through which
every irrevocable decree hath been established. |
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16 |
O Pen of the Most High! Say: O people of the
world!
We have enjoined upon you fasting during a brief
period,
and at its close have designated for you Naw-Ruz as a
feast. Thus hath the Day-Star of Utterance shone forth above
the horizon of the Book as decreed by Him Who is the Lord of
the beginning and the end.
Let the days in excess of the
months be placed before the month of fasting.
We have ordained
that these, amid all nights and days, shall be the
manifestations of the letter Ha, and thus they have not been
bounded by the limits of the year and its months. It behoveth
the people of Baha, throughout these days, to provide good
cheer for themselves, their kindred and, beyond them, the poor
and needy, and with joy and exultation to hail and glorify
their Lord, to sing His praise and magnify His Name; and when
they end —these days of giving that precede the season of
restraint—let them enter upon the Fast. Thus hath it been
ordained by Him Who is the Lord of all mankind.
The traveller,
the ailing, those who are with child or giving suck, are not
bound by the Fast; they have been exempted by God as a token
of His grace. He, verily, is the Almighty, the Most Generous. |
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17 |
These are the ordinances of God that have been
set down in the Books and Tablets by His Most Exalted Pen.
Hold ye fast unto His statutes and commandments, and be not of
those who, following their idle fancies and vain imaginings,
have clung to the standards fixed by their own selves, and
cast behind their backs the standards laid down by God.
Abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sundown, and
beware lest desire deprive you of this grace that is appointed
in the Book. |
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18 |
It hath been ordained that every believer in
God, the Lord of Judgement, shall, each day, having washed his
hands and then his face, seat himself and, turning unto God,
repeat “Allah-u-Abha” ninety-five times. Such was the
decree of the Maker of the Heavens when, with majesty and
power, He established Himself upon the thrones of His Names.
Perform ye, likewise, ablutions for the Obligatory Prayer;
this is the command of God, the Incomparable, the
Unrestrained. |
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19 |
Ye have been forbidden to commit murder
or
adultery, or to engage in
backbiting or calumny; shun ye,
then, what hath been prohibited in the holy Books and Tablets. |
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20 |
We have divided inheritance into seven
categories: to the children, We have allotted nine parts
comprising five hundred and forty shares; to the wife, eight
parts comprising four hundred and eighty shares; to the
father, seven parts comprising four hundred and twenty shares;
to the mother, six parts comprising three hundred and sixty
shares;
to the brothers, five parts or three hundred shares;
to the sisters, four parts or two hundred and forty shares;
and to the teachers, three parts or one hundred and eighty
shares. Such was the ordinance of My Forerunner, He Who extolleth My Name in the night season and at the break of day.
When We heard the clamour of the children as yet unborn, We
doubled their share and decreased those of the rest. He, of a
truth, hath power to ordain whatsoever He desireth, and He
doeth as He pleaseth by virtue of His sovereign might. |
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21 |
Should the deceased leave no offspring, their
share shall revert to
the House of Justice, to
be expended by the Trustees of the All-Merciful on the
orphaned and widowed, and on whatsoever will bring benefit to
the generality of the people, that all may give thanks unto
their Lord, the All-Gracious, the Pardoner. |
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22 |
Should the deceased leave offspring, but none of
the other categories of heirs that have been specified in the
Book, they shall receive two thirds of the inheritance and the
remaining third shall revert to the House of Justice. Such is
the command which hath been given, in majesty and glory, by
Him Who is the All-Possessing, the Most High. |
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23 |
If the deceased should leave none of the
specified heirs, but have among his relatives nephews and
nieces, whether on his brother’s or his sister’s side, two
thirds of the inheritance shall pass to them; or, lacking
these, to his uncles and aunts on both his father’s and his
mother’s side, and after them to their sons and daughters.
The remaining third of the inheritance shall, in any case,
revert to the Seat of Justice. Thus hath it been laid down in
the Book by Him Who ruleth over all men. |
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24 |
Should the deceased be survived by none of those
whose names have been recorded by the Pen of the Most High,
his estate shall, in its entirety, revert to the
aforementioned Seat that it may be expended on that which is
prescribed by God. He, verily, is the Ordainer, the
Omnipotent. |
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25 |
We have assigned the residence and personal
clothing of the deceased to the male, not female, offspring,
nor to the other heirs. He, verily, is the Munificent, the
All-Bountiful. |
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26 |
Should the son of the deceased have passed away
in the days of his father and have left children, they will
inherit their father's share, as prescribed in the Book of
God. Divide ye their share amongst them with perfect justice.
Thus have the billows of the Ocean of Utterance surged,
casting forth the pearls of the laws decreed by the Lord of
all mankind. |
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27 |
If the deceased should leave children who are
under age, their share of the inheritance must be entrusted to
a reliable individual, or to a company, that it may be
invested on their behalf in trade and business until they come
of age. The trustee should be assigned a due share of the
profit that hath accrued to it from being thus employed. |
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28 |
Division of the estate should take place only
after the
H
uqúqu'lláh hath been paid, any debts have been
settled, the expenses of the funeral and burial defrayed, and
such provision made that the deceased may be carried to his
resting-place with dignity and honour. Thus hath it been
ordained by Him Who is Lord of the beginning and the end. |
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29 |
Say:
This is that hidden knowledge which shall
never change, since its beginning is with nine, the symbol
that betokeneth the concealed and manifest, the inviolable and
unapproachably exalted Name. As for what We have appropriated
to the children, this is a bounty conferred on them by God,
that they may render thanks unto their Lord, the
Compassionate, the Merciful. These, verily, are the Laws of
God; transgress them not at the prompting of your base and
selfish desires. Observe ye the injunctions laid upon you by
Him Who is the Dawning-place of Utterance. The sincere among
His servants will regard the precepts set forth by God as the
Water of Life to the followers of every faith, and the Lamp of
wisdom and loving providence to all the denizens of earth and
heaven. |
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30 |
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 doth not matter. They should consider themselves as
entering the Court of the presence of God, the Exalted, the
Most High, and as beholding Him Who is the Unseen.
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. |
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31 |
O people of the world!
Build ye houses of
worship throughout the lands in the name of Him Who is the
Lord of all religions. Make them as perfect as is possible in
the world of being, and adorn them with that which befitteth
them, not with images and effigies. Then, with radiance and
joy, celebrate therein the praise of your Lord, the Most
Compassionate. Verily, by His remembrance the eye is cheered
and the heart is filled with light. |
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32 |
The Lord hath ordained that those of you who are
able shall make pilgrimage to the sacred House,
and from this
He hath exempted women as a mercy on His part. He, of a truth,
is the All-Bountiful, the Most Generous. |
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33 |
O people of Bahá! It is incumbent upon each one
of you
to engage in some occupation--such as a craft, a trade
or the like. We have exalted your engagement in such work to
the rank of worship of the one true God. Reflect, O people, on
the grace and blessings of your Lord, and yield Him thanks at
eventide and dawn. Waste not your hours in idleness and sloth,
but occupy yourselves with what will profit you and others.
Thus hath it been decreed in this Tablet from whose horizon
hath shone the day-star of wisdom and utterance. The most
despised of men in the sight of God are they who sit and beg.
Hold ye fast unto the cord of means and place your trust in
God, the Provider of all means. |
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34 |
The kissing of hands hath been forbidden in the
Book. This practice is prohibited by God, the Lord of glory
and command.
To none is it permitted to seek absolution from
another soul; let repentance be between yourselves and God.
He, verily, is the Pardoner, the Bounteous, the Gracious, the
One Who absolveth the repentant. |
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35 |
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 kindreds of the earth
and each people hath followed its own fancy and idle
imaginings. |
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36 |
Amongst the people is he who seateth himself
amid the sandals by the door whilst coveting in his heart the
seat of honour. Say: What manner of man art thou, O vain and
heedless one, who wouldst appear as other than thou art?
And
among the people is he who layeth claim to inner knowledge,
and still deeper knowledge concealed within this knowledge.
Say: Thou speakest false! By God! What thou dost possess is
naught but husks which We have left to thee as bones are left
to dogs. By the righteousness of the one true God! Were anyone
to wash the feet of all mankind, and were he to worship God in
the forests, valleys, and mountains, upon high hills and lofty
peaks, to leave no rock or tree, no clod of earth, but was a
witness to his worship--yet, should the fragrance of My good
pleasure not be inhaled from him, his works would never be
acceptable unto God. Thus hath it been decreed by Him Who is
the Lord of all.
How many a man hath secluded himself in the
climes of India, denied himself the things that God hath
decreed as lawful, imposed upon himself austerities and
mortifications, and hath not been remembered by God, the Revealer of Verses. Make not your deeds as snares wherewith to
entrap the object of your aspiration, and deprive not
yourselves of this Ultimate Objective for which have ever
yearned all such as have drawn nigh unto God. Say: The very
life of all deeds is My good pleasure, and all things depend
upon Mine acceptance. Read ye the Tablets that ye may know
what hath been purposed in the Books of God, the All-Glorious,
the Ever-Bounteous. He who attaineth to My love hath title to
a throne of gold, to sit thereon in honour over all the world;
he who is deprived thereof, though he sit upon the dust, that
dust would seek refuge with God, the Lord of all Religions. |
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37 |
Whoso layeth claim to a Revelation direct from
God, ere the expiration of a full thousand years, such a man
is assuredly a lying impostor. 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.
Erelong shall clamorous voices be raised in most lands. Shun
them, O My people, and follow not the iniquitous and
evil-hearted.
This is that of which We gave you forewarning
when We were dwelling in `Iráq, then later while in the Land
of Mystery, and now from this Resplendent Spot. |
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38 |
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. |
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39 |
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 of
addressing 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." |
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40 |
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 what ye own is lasting or secure? Nay!
By Myself, the All-Merciful, ye cannot, if ye be of them who
judge fairly. The days of your 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 of the rich,
nor even the ascendancy of the 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. Erelong, they will awake
from their slumber, and find themselves unable to obtain that
which hath escaped them in the days of their Lord, 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. |
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41 |
Amongst the people is he whose learning hath
made him proud, and who hath been debarred thereby from
recognizing My Name, the Self-Subsisting; who, when he heareth
the tread of sandals following behind him, waxeth greater in
his own esteem than
Nimrod. Say: O rejected one! Where now is
his abode? By God, it is the nethermost fire. Say: O concourse
of divines! Hear ye not the shrill voice of My Most Exalted
Pen? See ye not this Sun that shineth in refulgent splendour
above the All-Glorious Horizon? For how long will ye worship
the idols of your evil passions? Forsake your vain imaginings,
and turn yourselves unto God, your Everlasting Lord. |
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42 |
Endowments dedicated to charity revert to God,
the Revealer of Signs. None hath the right to dispose of them
without leave from Him Who is the Dawning-place of Revelation.
After Him, this authority shall pass to the
Aghsán,
and after them to the House of Justice--should it be
established in the world by then--that they may use these
endowments for the benefit of the Places which have been
exalted in this Cause, and for whatsoever hath been enjoined
upon them by Him Who is the God of might and power. Otherwise,
the endowments shall
revert to the people of Baha
who speak
not except by His leave and judge not save in accordance with
what God hath decreed in this Tablet--lo, they are the
champions of victory betwixt heaven and earth--that they may
use them in the manner that hath been laid down in the Book by
God, the Mighty, the Bountiful. |
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43 |
Lament not in your hours of trial, 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. |
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44 |
Shave not your heads; God hath adorned them with
hair, and in this there are signs from the Lord of creation to
those who reflect upon the requirements of nature. He, verily,
is the God of strength and wisdom. Notwithstanding,
it is not
seemly to let the hair pass beyond the limit of the ears. Thus
hath it been decreed by Him Who is the Lord of all worlds. |
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45 |
Exile and imprisonment are decreed for the
thief, and,
on the third offence, place ye a mark upon his
brow so that, thus identified, he may not be accepted in the
cities of God and His countries. Beware lest, through
compassion, ye neglect to carry out the statutes of the
religion of God; do that which hath been bidden you by Him Who
is compassionate and merciful. We school you with the rod of
wisdom and laws, like unto the father who educateth his son,
and this for naught but the protection of your own selves and
the elevation of your stations. By My life, were ye to
discover what We have desired for you in revealing Our holy
laws, ye would offer up your very souls for this sacred, this
mighty, and most exalted Faith. |
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46 |
Whoso wisheth to make use of vessels of silver
and gold is at liberty to do so.
Take heed lest, when
partaking of food, ye plunge your hands into the contents of
bowls and platters.
Adopt ye such usages as are most in
keeping with refinement. He, verily, desireth to see in you
the manners of the inmates of Paradise in His mighty and most
sublime Kingdom. Hold ye fast unto refinement under all
conditions, that your eyes may be preserved from beholding
what is repugnant both to your own selves and to the dwellers
of Paradise. Should anyone depart therefrom, his deed shall at
that moment be rendered vain; yet should he have good reason,
God will excuse him. He, in truth, is the Gracious, the Most
Bountiful. |
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47 |
He Who is the Dawning-place of God's Cause hath
no partner in the Most Great Infallibility. He it is Who, in
the kingdom of creation, is the Manifestation of "He
doeth whatsoever He willeth". God hath reserved this
distinction unto His own Self, and ordained for none a share
in so sublime and transcendent a station. This is the Decree
of God, concealed ere now within the veil of impenetrable
mystery. We have disclosed it in this Revelation, and have
thereby rent asunder the veils of such as have failed to
recognize that which the Book of God set forth and who were
numbered with the heedless. |
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48 |
Unto every father hath been enjoined the
instruction of his 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
for their instruction if he be wealthy and, if not, 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 of another, 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. |
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49 |
God hath imposed a fine on every adulterer and
adulteress, to be paid to the House of Justice:
nine mithqáls
of gold, to be doubled if they should repeat the offence. Such
is the penalty which He Who is the Lord of Names hath assigned
them in this world; and in the world to come He hath ordained
for them a humiliating torment. Should anyone be afflicted by
a sin, it behoveth him to repent thereof and return unto his
Lord. He, verily, granteth forgiveness unto whomsoever He
willeth, and none may question that which it pleaseth Him to
ordain. He is, in truth, the Ever-Forgiving, the Almighty, the
All-Praised. |
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50 |
Beware lest ye be hindered by the veils of glory
from partaking of the crystal waters of this living Fountain.
Seize ye the chalice of salvation at this dawntide in the name
of Him Who causeth the day to break, and drink your fill in
praise of Him Who is the All-Glorious, the Incomparable. |
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51 |
We have made it lawful for you to listen to
music and singing. Take heed, however, lest listening thereto
should cause you to overstep the bounds of propriety and
dignity. Let your joy be the joy born of My Most Great Name, a
Name that bringeth rapture to the heart, and filleth with
ecstasy the minds of all who have drawn nigh unto God. We,
verily, have made music as a ladder for your souls, a means
whereby they may be lifted up unto the realm on high; make it
not, therefore, as wings to self and passion. Truly, We are
loath to see you numbered with the foolish. |
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52 |
We have decreed that a third part of all fines
shall go to the Seat of Justice, and We admonish its men to
observe pure justice, that they may expend what is thus
accumulated for such purposes as have been enjoined upon them
by Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
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. |
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53 |
Should differences arise amongst you over any
matter, refer it to God while the Sun still shineth above the
horizon of this Heaven and, when it hath set, refer ye to
whatsoever hath been sent down by Him. This, verily, is
sufficient unto the peoples of the world. Say: 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 All-Knowing. 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. |
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54 |
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. |
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55 |
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 Well-Beloved. 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 of the
thankful. |
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56 |
The penalties for wounding or striking a person
depend upon the severity of the injury; for each degree the
Lord of Judgement hath prescribed a certain indemnity. He is,
in truth, the Ordainer, the Mighty, the Most Exalted. We
shall, if it be Our Will, set forth these payments in their
just degrees--this is a promise on Our part, and He, verily,
is the Keeper of His pledge, the Knower of all things. |
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57 |
Verily, it is enjoined upon you to offer a
feast, once in every month, though only water be served; for
God hath purposed to bind hearts together, albeit through both
earthly and heavenly means. |
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58 |
Beware lest the desires of the flesh and of a
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, if ye be of them that believe. |
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59 |
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. |
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60 |
If ye should hunt with beasts or birds of prey,
invoke ye the Name of God when ye send them to pursue their
quarry; for then whatever they catch shall be lawful unto you,
even should ye find it to have died. He, verily, is the
Omniscient, the All-Informed. Take heed, however, that ye
hunt
not to excess. Tread ye the path of justice and equity in all
things. Thus biddeth you He Who is the Dawning-place of
Revelation, would that ye might comprehend. |
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61 |
God hath bidden you to show forth kindliness
towards My kindred, but
He hath granted them no right to the
property of others. He, verily, is self-sufficient, above any
need of His creatures. |
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62 |
Should anyone intentionally destroy a house by
fire, him also shall ye burn; should anyone deliberately take
another's life, him also shall ye put to death. Take ye hold
of the precepts of God with all your strength and power, and
abandon the ways of the ignorant.
Should ye condemn the
arsonist and the murderer to life imprisonment, it would be
permissible according to the provisions of the Book. He,
verily, hath power to ordain whatsoever He pleaseth. |
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63 |
God hath prescribed matrimony unto you.
Beware
that ye take not unto yourselves more wives than two. Whoso contenteth himself with a single partner from among the
maidservants of God, both he and she shall live in
tranquillity. And
he who would take into his service a maid
may do so with propriety. Such is the ordinance which, in
truth and justice, hath been recorded by the Pen of
Revelation. Enter into wedlock, O people, that ye may bring
forth one who will make mention of Me amid My servants.
This
is My bidding unto you; hold fast to it as an assistance to
yourselves. |
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64 |
O people of the world! Follow not the promptings
of the self, for it summoneth insistently to wickedness and
lust; follow, rather, Him Who is the Possessor of all created
things, Who biddeth you to show forth piety, and manifest the
fear of God. He, verily, is independent of all His creatures.
Take heed not to stir up mischief in the land after it hath
been set in order. Whoso acteth in this way is not of Us, and
We are quit of him. Such is the command which hath, through
the power of truth, been made manifest from the heaven of
Revelation. |
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65 |
It hath been laid down in the Bayán that
marriage is dependent upon the consent of both parties.
Desiring to establish love, unity and harmony amidst Our
servants,
We have conditioned it, once the couple's wish is
known, upon the permission of their parents, lest enmity and
rancour should arise amongst them. And in this We have yet
other purposes. Thus hath Our commandment been ordained. |
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66 |
No marriage may be contracted without payment of
a dowry, which hath been fixed
for city-dwellers at nineteen mithqáls of pure gold, and for village-dwellers at the
same amount in silver.
Whoso wisheth to increase this sum, it
is forbidden him to exceed the limit of ninety-five mithqáls.
Thus hath the command been writ in majesty and power. If he
content himself, however, with a payment of the lowest level,
it shall be better for him according to the Book. God, verily, enricheth whomsoever He willeth through both heavenly and
earthly means, and He, in truth, hath power over all things. |
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67 |
It hath been decreed by God that,
should any one
of His servants intend to travel, he must fix for his wife a
time when he will return home. If he return by the promised
time, he will have obeyed the bidding of his Lord and shall be
numbered by the Pen of His behest among the righteous;
otherwise, if there be good reason for delay, he must inform
his wife and make the utmost endeavour to return to her.
Should neither of these eventualities occur,
it behoveth her
to wait for a period of nine months, after which there is no
impediment to her taking another husband; but should she wait
longer, God, verily, loveth those women and men who show forth
patience. Obey ye My commandments, and follow not the ungodly,
they who have been reckoned as sinners in God's Holy Tablet.
If, during the period of her waiting, word should reach her
from her husband,
she should choose the course that is
praiseworthy. He, of a truth, desireth that His servants and
His handmaids should be at peace with one another; take heed
lest ye do aught that may provoke intransigence amongst you.
Thus hath the decree been fixed and the promise come to pass.
If, however, news should reach her of her husband's death or
murder, and be confirmed by general report, or by the
testimony of
two just witnesses, it behoveth her to remain
single; then, upon completion of the fixed number of months,
she is free to adopt the course of her choosing. Such is the
bidding of Him Who is mighty and powerful in His command. |
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68 |
Should resentment or antipathy arise between
husband and wife, he is not to divorce her but to bide in
patience throughout the course of one whole year, that
perchance the fragrance of affection may be renewed between
them. If, upon the completion of this period, their love hath
not returned, it is permissible for divorce to take place.
God's wisdom, verily, hath encompassed all things.
The Lord
hath prohibited, in a Tablet inscribed by the Pen of His
command,
the practice to which ye formerly had recourse when
thrice ye had divorced a woman. This He hath done as a favour
on His part, that ye may be accounted among the thankful.
He
who hath divorced his wife may choose, upon the passing of
each month, to remarry her when there is mutual affection and
consent, so long as she hath not taken another husband. Should
she have wed again, then, by this other union, the separation
is confirmed and the matter is concluded
unless, clearly, her
circumstances change. Thus hath the decree been inscribed with
majesty in this glorious Tablet by Him Who is the
Dawning-place of Beauty. |
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69 |
If the wife accompany her husband on a journey,
and differences arise between them on the way, he is required
to provide her with her expenses for one whole year, and
either to return her whence she came or to entrust her,
together with the necessaries for her journey, to a dependable
person who is to escort her home. Thy Lord, verily, ordaineth
as He pleaseth, by virtue of a sovereignty that overshadoweth
the peoples of the earth. |
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70 |
Should a woman be divorced in consequence of a
proven act of infidelity, she shall receive no maintenance
during her period of waiting. Thus hath the day-star of Our
commandment shone forth resplendent from the firmament of
justice. Truly, the Lord loveth union and harmony and
abhorreth separation and divorce. Live ye one with another, O
people, in radiance and joy. By My life! All that are on earth
shall pass away, while good deeds alone shall endure; to the
truth of My words God doth Himself bear witness. Compose your
differences, O My servants; then heed ye the admonition of Our
Pen of Glory and follow not the arrogant and wayward. |
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71 |
Take heed lest the world beguile you as it
beguiled the people who went before you! Observe ye the
statutes and precepts of your Lord, and walk ye in this Way
which hath been laid out before you in righteousness and
truth. They who eschew iniquity and error, who adhere to
virtue, are, in the sight of the one true God, among the
choicest of His creatures; their names are extolled by the
Concourse of the realms above, and by those who dwell in this
Tabernacle which hath been raised in the name of God. |
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72 |
It is forbidden you to trade in slaves, be they
men or women. It is not for him who is himself a servant to
buy another of God's servants, and this hath been prohibited
in His Holy Tablet. Thus, by His mercy, hath the commandment
been recorded by the Pen of justice. Let no man exalt himself
above another; all are but bondslaves before the Lord, and all
exemplify the truth that there is none other God but Him. He,
verily, is the All-Wise, Whose wisdom encompasseth all things. |
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73 |
Adorn yourselves with the raiment of goodly
deeds. He whose deeds attain unto God's good pleasure is
assuredly of the people of Bahá and is remembered before His
throne. Assist ye the Lord of all creation with works of
righteousness, and also through wisdom and utterance. Thus,
indeed, have ye been commanded in most of the Tablets by Him
Who is the All-Merciful. He, truly, is cognizant of what I
say. Let none contend with another, and let no soul slay
another; this, verily, is that which was forbidden you in a
Book that hath lain concealed within the Tabernacle of glory.
What! Would ye kill him whom God hath quickened, whom He hath
endowed with spirit through a breath from Him? Grievous then
would be your trespass before His throne! Fear God, and lift
not the hand of injustice and oppression to destroy what He
hath Himself raised up; nay, walk ye in the way of God, the
True One. No sooner did the hosts of true knowledge appear,
bearing the standards of Divine utterance, than the tribes of
the religions were put to flight, save only those who willed
to drink from the stream of everlasting life in a Paradise
created by the breath of the All-Glorious. |
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74 |
God hath decreed, in token of His mercy unto His
creatures, that
semen is not unclean. Yield thanks unto Him
with joy and radiance, and follow not such as are remote from
the Dawning-place of His nearness. Arise ye, under all
conditions, to render service to the Cause, for God will
assuredly assist you through the power of His sovereignty
which overshadoweth the worlds.
Cleave ye unto the cord of
refinement with such tenacity as to allow no trace of dirt to
be seen upon your garments. Such is the injunction of One Who
is sanctified above all refinement. Whoso falleth short of
this standard with good reason shall incur no blame. God,
verily, is the Forgiving, the Merciful.
Wash ye every soiled
thing with water that hath undergone no alteration in any one
of the three respects; take heed not to use water that hath
been altered through exposure to the air or to some other
agent. Be ye the very essence of cleanliness amongst mankind.
This, truly, is what your Lord, the Incomparable, the
All-Wise, desireth for you. |
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75 |
God hath, likewise, as a bounty from His
presence, abolished the concept of "uncleanness",
whereby divers things and peoples have been held to be impure.
He, of a certainty, is the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Generous.
Verily, all created things were immersed in the sea of
purification when, on that
first day of Ridván, We shed upon
the whole of creation the splendours of Our most excellent
Names and Our most exalted Attributes. This, verily, is a
token of My loving providence, which hath encompassed all the
worlds. Consort ye then with the followers of all religions,
and proclaim ye the Cause of your Lord, the Most
Compassionate; this is the very crown of deeds, if ye be of
them who understand. |
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76 |
God hath enjoined upon you to observe the utmost
cleanliness, to the extent of washing what is soiled with
dust, let alone with hardened dirt and similar defilement.
Fear Him, and be of those who are pure. Should the garb of
anyone be visibly sullied, his prayers shall not ascend to
God, and the celestial Concourse will turn away from him. Make
use of rose-water, and of pure perfume; this, indeed, is that
which God hath loved from the beginning that hath no
beginning, in order that there may be diffused from you what
your Lord, the Incomparable, the All-Wise, desireth. |
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77 |
God hath relieved you of the ordinance laid down
in the Bayán concerning
the destruction of books.
We have
permitted you to read such sciences as are profitable unto
you, not such as end in idle disputation; better is this for
you, if ye be of them that comprehend. |
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78 |
O kings of the earth! He Who is the sovereign
Lord of all is come. The Kingdom is God's, the omnipotent
Protector, the Self-Subsisting. Worship none but God, and,
with radiant hearts, lift up your faces 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. |
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79 |
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. |
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80 |
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 Best-Beloved, is made
manifest." |
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81 |
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. |
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82 |
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 of
this 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
sovereignty. |
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83 |
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 Bahá 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. |
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84 |
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 Bahá. 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 fountainhead of blessings unto the whole world.
Offer up, O people of Bahá, your substance, nay your very
lives, for his assistance. |
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85 |
O 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 Aqsá Mosque. Thou passed Him by,
and inquired not about Him by Whom every house is exalted and
every lofty gate unlocked. We, verily, made it a place
whereunto the world should turn, that they might remember Me,
and yet thou hast rejected Him Who is the Object of this
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
thou invokest in the daytime and in the night season, and gaze
on the Light that shineth above this luminous Horizon. |
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86 |
Say:
O 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 one ą
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 of them 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, O King,
concerning him, and concerning them who, like unto thee, have
conquered cities and ruled over men. The All-Merciful brought
them down from their palaces to their graves. Be warned, be of
them who reflect. |
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87 |
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! |
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88 |
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 of dominion with the
ornament of justice 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 All-Knowing, 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 that which hath
been raised from the Dayspring of Grandeur: "Verily,
there is none other God but Me, the Lord of Utterance, the
All-Knowing." 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. |
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89 |
O people of Constantinople! Lo, from your midst
We hear the baleful hooting of the owl. Hath the drunkenness
of passion laid hold upon you, or is it that ye are sunk in
heedlessness?
O Spot 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. |
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90 |
O 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. |
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91 |
Let nothing grieve thee,
O Land of Tá,˛
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. |
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92 |
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. |
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93 |
Erelong will the state of affairs within thee be
changed, and the reins of power fall into the hands of the
people. Verily, thy Lord is the All-Knowing. 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. |
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94 |
O Land of Khá!ł
We hear from thee the voice of heroes, raised in glorification
of thy Lord, the All-Possessing, the Most Exalted. Blessed the
day on which the banners of the divine Names shall be upraised
in the kingdom of creation in My Name, the All-Glorious. On
that day the faithful shall rejoice in the victory of God, and
the disbelievers shall lament. |
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95 |
None must contend with those who wield authority
over the people; leave unto them that which is theirs, and
direct your attention to men's hearts. |
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96 |
O Most Mighty Ocean! Sprinkle upon the nations
that with which Thou hast been charged by Him Who is the
Sovereign of Eternity, and adorn the temples of all the
dwellers of the earth with the vesture of His laws through
which all hearts will rejoice and all eyes be brightened. |
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97 |
Should anyone acquire one hundred mithqáls
of gold, nineteen mithqáls thereof are God's and to be
rendered unto Him, the Fashioner of earth and heaven. Take
heed, O people, lest ye deprive yourselves of so great a
bounty. This We have commanded you, though We are well able to
dispense with you and with all who are in the heavens and on
earth; in it there are benefits and wisdoms beyond the ken of
anyone but God, the Omniscient, the All-Informed. Say: By this
means He hath desired to purify what ye possess and to enable
you to draw nigh unto such stations as none can comprehend
save those whom God hath willed. He, in truth, is the
Beneficent, the Gracious, the Bountiful. O people! Deal not
faithlessly with the Right of God, nor, without His leave,
make free with its disposal. Thus hath His commandment been
established in the holy Tablets, and in this exalted Book. He
who dealeth faithlessly with God shall in justice meet with
faithlessness himself; he, however, who acteth in accordance
with God's bidding shall receive a blessing from the heaven of
the bounty of his Lord, the Gracious, the Bestower, the
Generous, the Ancient of Days. He, verily, hath willed for you
that which is yet beyond your knowledge, but which shall be
known to you when, after this fleeting life, your souls soar
heavenwards and the trappings of your earthly joys are folded
up. Thus admonisheth you He in Whose possession is the Guarded
Tablet. |
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98 |
Various petitions have come before Our throne
from the believers, concerning laws from God, the Lord of the
seen and the unseen, the Lord of all worlds.
We have, in
consequence, revealed this Holy Tablet and arrayed it with the
mantle of His Law that haply the people may keep the
commandments of their Lord. Similar requests had been made of
Us over several previous years but We had, in Our wisdom,
withheld Our Pen until, in recent days, letters arrived from a
number of the friends, and We have therefore responded,
through the power of truth, with that which shall quicken the
hearts of men. |
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99 |
Say: O 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. |
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100 |
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 snow-white faces
and radiant hearts, unto the blest and
crimson Spot, wherein
the Sadratu'l-Muntahá is calling: "Verily, there is none
other God beside Me, the Omnipotent Protector, the
Self-Subsisting!" |
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101 |
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 Well-Beloved. |
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102 |
We have decreed, O people, that the highest and
last end of all learning be the recognition of Him Who is the
Object of all 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. |
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103 |
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!" |
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104 |
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. |
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105 |
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. |
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106 |
It hath been enjoined upon you to pare your
nails, to bathe yourselves each week in water that covereth
your bodies, and to clean yourselves with whatsoever ye have
formerly employed. Take heed lest through negligence ye fail
to observe that which hath been prescribed unto you by Him Who
is the Incomparable, the Gracious. Immerse yourselves in clean
water; it is not permissible to bathe yourselves in water that
hath already been used. See that ye
approach not the public
pools of Persian baths; whoso maketh his way toward such baths
will smell their fetid odour ere he entereth therein. Shun
them, O people, and be not of those who ignominiously accept
such vileness. In truth, they are as sinks of foulness and
contamination, if ye be of them that apprehend.
Avoid ye
likewise the malodorous pools in the courtyards of Persian
homes, and be ye of the pure and sanctified. Truly, We desire
to behold you as manifestations of paradise on earth, that
there may be diffused from you such fragrance as shall rejoice
the hearts of the favoured of God. If the bather, instead of
entering the water, wash himself by pouring it upon his body,
it shall be better for him and shall absolve him of the need
for bodily immersion. The Lord, verily, hath willed, as a
bounty from His presence, to make life easier for you that ye
may be of those who are truly thankful. |
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107 |
It is forbidden you to wed your fathers' wives.
We shrink, for very shame, from treating of
the subject of
boys. Fear ye the Merciful, O peoples of the world! Commit not
that which is forbidden you in Our Holy Tablet, and be not of
those who rove distractedly in the wilderness of their
desires. |
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108 |
To none is it permitted to mutter sacred verses
before the public gaze as he walketh in the street or
marketplace; nay rather, if he wish to magnify the Lord, it behoveth him to do so in such places as have been erected for
this purpose, or in his own home. This is more in keeping with
sincerity and godliness. Thus hath the sun of Our commandment
shone forth above the horizon of Our utterance. Blessed, then,
be those who do Our bidding. |
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109 |
Unto everyone hath been enjoined the writing of
a will. The testator should head this document with the
adornment of
the Most Great Name, bear witness therein unto
the oneness of God in the Dayspring of His Revelation, and
make mention, as he may wish, of that which is praiseworthy,
so that it may be a testimony for him in the kingdoms of
Revelation and Creation and a treasure with his Lord, the
Supreme Protector, the Faithful. |
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110 |
All Feasts have attained their consummation in
the two Most Great Festivals, and in the two other Festivals
that fall on the twin days--the first of the Most Great
Festivals being those days whereon the All-Merciful shed upon
the whole of creation the effulgent glory of His most
excellent Names and His most exalted Attributes, and the
second being that day on which We raised up the One Who
announced unto mankind the glad tidings of this Name, through
which the dead have been resurrected and all who are in the
heavens and on earth have been gathered together. Thus hath it
been decreed by Him Who is the Ordainer, the Omniscient. |
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111 |
Happy the one who entereth upon
the first day of
the month of Bahá, the day which God hath consecrated to this
Great Name. And blessed be he who evidenceth on this day the
bounties that God hath bestowed upon him; he, verily, is of
those who show forth thanks to God through actions betokening
the Lord's munificence which hath encompassed all the worlds.
Say: This day, verily, is the crown of all the months and the
source thereof, the day on which the breath of life is wafted
over all created things. Great is the blessedness of him who
greeteth it with radiance and joy. We testify that he is, in
truth, among those who are blissful. |
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112 |
Say:
The Most Great Festival is, indeed, the
King of Festivals. Call ye to mind, O people, the bounty which
God hath conferred upon you. Ye were sunk in slumber, and lo!
He aroused you by the reviving breezes of His Revelation, and
made known unto you His manifest and undeviating Path. |
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113 |
Resort ye, in times of sickness, to competent
physicians; We have not set aside the use of material means,
rather have We confirmed it through this Pen, which God hath
made to be the Dawning-place of His shining and glorious
Cause. |
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114 |
God had formerly laid upon each one of the
believers the duty of offering before Our throne priceless
gifts from among his possessions. Now, in token of Our
gracious favour,
We have absolved them of this obligation. He,
of a truth, is the Most Generous, the All-Bountiful. |
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115 |
Blessed is he who, at
the hour of dawn, centring
his thoughts on God, occupied with His remembrance, and
supplicating His forgiveness, directeth his steps to the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár
and, entering therein, seateth himself in silence to listen to
the verses of God, the Sovereign, the Mighty, the All-Praised.
Say: The Mashriqu'l-Adhkár is each and every
building which hath been erected in cities and villages for
the celebration of My praise. Such is the name by which it
hath been designated before the throne of glory, were ye of
those who understand. |
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116 |
They who recite the verses of the All-Merciful
in the most melodious of tones will perceive in them that with
which the sovereignty of earth and heaven can never be
compared. From them they will inhale the divine fragrance of
My worlds--worlds which today none can discern save those who
have been endowed with vision through this sublime, this
beauteous Revelation. Say: These verses draw hearts that are
pure unto those spiritual worlds that can neither be expressed
in words nor intimated by allusion. Blessed be those who
hearken. |
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117 |
Assist ye, O My people, My chosen servants who
have arisen to make mention of Me among My creatures and to
exalt My Word throughout My realm. These, truly, are the stars
of the heaven of My loving providence and the lamps of My
guidance unto all mankind. But he whose words conflict with
that which hath been sent down in My Holy Tablets is not of
Me. Beware lest ye follow any impious pretender.
These Tablets
are embellished with the seal of Him Who causeth the dawn to
appear, Who lifteth up His voice between the heavens and the
earth. Lay hold on this Sure Handle and on the Cord of My
mighty and unassailable Cause. |
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118 |
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. |
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119 |
It is inadmissible that man, who hath been
endowed with reason, should consume that which stealeth it
away. Nay, rather it behoveth him to comport himself in a
manner worthy of the human station, and not in accordance with
the misdeeds of every heedless and wavering soul. |
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120 |
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 of servitude
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. |
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121 |
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. |
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122 |
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, of those 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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123 |
Liberty must, in the end, lead to sedition,
whose flames none can quench. Thus warneth you He Who is the
Reckoner, the All-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. |
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124 |
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. |
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125 |
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 dominion of
earth and heaven. |
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126 |
In the Bayán it had been forbidden you to ask
Us questions. The Lord hath now relieved you of this
prohibition, that ye may be free to ask what you need to ask,
but not such idle questions as those on which the men of
former times were wont to dwell. Fear God, and be ye of the
righteous! Ask ye that which shall be of profit to you in the
Cause of God and His dominion, for the portals of His tender
compassion have been opened before all who dwell in heaven and
on earth. |
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127 |
The number of months in a year, appointed in the
Book of God, is nineteen. Of these
the first hath been adorned
with this Name which overshadoweth the whole of creation. |
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128 |
The Lord hath decreed that the dead should be
interred in coffins made of crystal, of hard, resistant stone,
or of wood that is both fine and durable, and that graven
rings should be placed upon their fingers. He, verily, is the
Supreme Ordainer, the One apprised of all. |
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129 |
The inscription on these rings should read, for
men: "Unto God belongeth all that is in the heavens and
on the earth and whatsoever is between them, and He, in truth,
hath knowledge of all things"; and for women: "Unto
God belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth and
whatsoever is between them, and He, in truth, is potent over
all things". These are the verses that were revealed
aforetime, but lo,
the Point of the Bayán now calleth out,
exclaiming, "O Best-Beloved of the worlds! Reveal Thou in
their stead such words as will waft the fragrance of Thy
gracious favours over all mankind. We have announced unto
everyone that one single word from Thee excelleth all that
hath been sent down in the Bayán. Thou, indeed, hast power to
do what pleaseth Thee. Deprive not Thy servants of the
overflowing bounties of the ocean of Thy mercy! Thou, in
truth, art He Whose grace is infinite." Behold, We have
hearkened to His call, and now fulfil His wish. He, verily, is
the Best-Beloved, the Answerer of prayers. If the following
verse, which hath at this moment been sent down by God, be
engraved upon the burial-rings of both men and women, it shall
be better for them; We, of a certainty, are the Supreme
Ordainer: "I came forth from God, and return unto Him,
detached from all save Him, holding fast to His Name, the
Merciful, the Compassionate." Thus doth the Lord single
out whomsoever He desireth for a bounty from His presence. He
is, in very truth, the God of might and power. |
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130 |
The Lord hath decreed, moreover, that
the
deceased should be enfolded in five sheets of silk or cotton.
For those whose means are limited a single sheet of either
fabric will suffice. Thus hath it been ordained by Him Who is
the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.
It is forbidden you to
transport the body of the deceased a greater distance than one
hour's journey from the city; rather should it be interred,
with radiance and serenity, in a nearby place. |
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131 |
God hath removed the restrictions on travel that
had been imposed in the Bayán. He, verily, is the
Unconstrained; He doeth as He pleaseth and ordaineth
whatsoever He willeth. |
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132 |
O peoples of the world! Give ear unto the call
of Him Who is the Lord of Names, Who proclaimeth unto you from
His habitation in the Most Great Prison: "Verily, no God
is there but Me, the Powerful, the Mighty, the All-Subduing,
the Most Exalted, the Omniscient, the All-Wise." In
truth, there is no God but Him, the Omnipotent Ruler of the
worlds. Were it His Will, He would, through but a single word
proceeding from His presence, lay hold on all mankind. Beware
lest ye hesitate in your acceptance of this Cause--a Cause
before which the Concourse on high and the dwellers of the
Cities of Names have bowed down. Fear God, and be not of those
who are shut out as by a veil. Burn ye away the veils with the
fire of My love, and dispel ye the mists of vain imaginings by
the power of this Name through which We have subdued the
entire creation. |
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133 |
Raise up and exalt the two Houses in the Twin
Hallowed Spots, and the other sites wherein the throne of your
Lord, the All-Merciful, hath been established. Thus commandeth
you the Lord of every understanding heart. |
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134 |
Be watchful lest the concerns and preoccupations
of this world prevent you from observing that which hath been
enjoined upon you by Him Who is the Mighty, the Faithful. Be
ye the embodiments of such steadfastness amidst mankind that
ye will not be kept back from God by the doubts of those who
disbelieved in Him when He manifested Himself, invested with a
mighty sovereignty.
Take heed lest ye be prevented by aught
that hath been recorded in the Book from hearkening unto this,
the Living Book, Who proclaimeth the truth: "Verily,
there is no God but Me, the Most Excellent, the
All-Praised." Look ye with the eye of equity upon Him Who
hath descended from the heaven of Divine will and power, and
be not of those who act unjustly. |
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135 |
Call then to mind these words which have
streamed forth, in
tribute to this Revelation, from the Pen of
Him Who was My Herald, and consider what the hands of the
oppressors have wrought throughout My days. Truly they are
numbered with the lost. He said: "Should ye attain the
presence of Him Whom We shall make manifest, beseech ye God,
in His bounty, to grant that He might deign to seat Himself
upon your couches, for that act in itself would confer upon
you matchless and surpassing honour. Should He drink a cup of
water in your homes, this would be of greater consequence for
you than your proffering unto every soul, nay unto every
created thing, the water of its very life. Know this, O ye My
servants!" |
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136 |
Such are the words with which My Forerunner hath
extolled My Being, could ye but understand. Whoso reflecteth
upon these verses, and realizeth what hidden pearls have been
enshrined within them, will, by the righteousness of God,
perceive the fragrance of the All-Merciful wafting from the
direction of this Prison and will, with his whole heart,
hasten unto Him with such ardent longing that the hosts of
earth and heaven would be powerless to deter him. Say: This is
a Revelation around which every proof and testimony doth
circle. Thus hath it been sent down by your Lord, the God of
Mercy, if ye be of them that judge aright. Say: This is the
very soul of all Scriptures which hath been breathed into the
Pen of the Most High, causing all created beings to be
dumbfounded, save only those who have been enraptured by the
gentle breezes of My loving-kindness and the sweet savours of
My bounties which have pervaded the whole of creation. |
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137 |
O people of the Bayán! Fear ye the Most
Merciful and consider what He hath revealed in another
passage. He said:
"The Qiblih is indeed He Whom God will
make manifest; whenever He moveth, it moveth, until He shall
come to rest." Thus was it set down by the Supreme Ordainer when He desired to make mention of this Most Great
Beauty. Meditate on this, O people, and be not of them that
wander distraught in the wilderness of error. If ye reject Him
at the bidding of your idle fancies, where then is the Qiblih
to which ye will turn, O assemblage of the heedless? Ponder ye
this verse, and judge equitably before God, that haply ye may
glean the pearls of mysteries from the ocean that surgeth in
My Name, the All-Glorious, the Most High. |
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138 |
Let none, in this Day, hold fast to aught save
that which hath been manifested in this Revelation. Such is
the decree of God, aforetime and hereafter--a decree wherewith
the Scriptures of the Messengers of old have been adorned.
Such is the admonition of the Lord, aforetime and
hereafter--an admonition wherewith the preamble to the Book of
Life hath been embellished, did ye but perceive it. Such is
the commandment of the Lord, aforetime and hereafter; beware
lest ye choose instead the part of ignominy and abasement.
Naught shall avail you in this Day but God, nor is there any
refuge to flee to save Him, the Omniscient, the All-Wise.
Whoso hath known Me hath known the Goal of all desire, and
whoso hath turned unto Me hath turned unto the Object of all
adoration. Thus hath it been set forth in the Book, and thus
hath it been decreed by God, the Lord of all worlds. To read
but one of the verses of My Revelation is better than to
peruse the Scriptures of both the former and latter
generations. This is the Utterance of the All-Merciful, would
that ye had ears to hear! Say: This is the essence of
knowledge, did ye but understand. |
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139 |
And now consider what hath been revealed in yet
another passage, that perchance ye may forsake your own
concepts and set your faces towards God, the Lord of being. He[4]
hath said: "It is unlawful to enter into marriage save
with a believer in the Bayán. Should only one party to a
marriage embrace this Cause, his or her possessions will
become unlawful to the other, until such time as the latter
hath converted. This law, however, will only take effect after
the exaltation of the Cause of Him Whom We shall manifest in
truth, or of that which hath already been made manifest in
justice. Ere this, ye are at liberty to enter into wedlock as
ye wish, that haply by this means ye may exalt the Cause of
God." Thus hath the Nightingale sung with sweet melody
upon the celestial bough, in praise of its Lord, the
All-Merciful. Well is it with them that hearken. |
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140 |
O people of the Bayán, I adjure you by your
Lord, the God of mercy, to look with the eye of fairness upon
this utterance which hath been sent down through the power of
truth, and not to be of those who see the testimony of God yet
reject and deny it. They, in truth, are of those who will
assuredly perish.
The Point of the Bayán hath explicitly made
mention in this verse of the exaltation of My Cause before His
own Cause; unto this will testify every just and understanding
mind. As ye can readily witness in this day, its exaltation is
such as none can deny save those whose eyes are drunken in
this mortal life and whom a humiliating chastisement awaiteth
in the life to come. |
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141 |
Say: By the righteousness of God! I, verily, am
His [5] Best-Beloved; and at
this moment He listeneth to these verses descending from the
Heaven of Revelation and bewaileth the wrongs ye have
committed in these days. Fear God, and join not with the
aggressor. Say: O people, should ye choose to disbelieve in
Him, [6] refrain at least
from rising up against Him. By God! Sufficient are the hosts
of tyranny that are leagued against Him! |
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142 |
Verily, He [7]
revealed certain laws so that, in this Dispensation, the Pen
of the Most High might have no need to move in aught but the
glorification of His own transcendent Station and His most
effulgent Beauty. Since, however, We have wished to evidence
Our bounty unto you, We have, through the power of truth, set
forth these laws with clarity and mitigated what We desire you
to observe. He, verily, is the Munificent, the Generous. |
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143 |
He [8] hath
previously made known unto you that which would be uttered by
this Dayspring of Divine wisdom. He said, and He speaketh the
truth: "He [9] is the
One Who will under all conditions proclaim: `Verily, there is
none other God besides Me, the One, the Incomparable, the
Omniscient, the All-Informed.'" This is a station which
God hath assigned exclusively to this sublime, this unique and
wondrous Revelation. This is a token of His bounteous favour,
if ye be of them who comprehend, and a sign of His
irresistible decree. This is His Most Great Name, His Most
Exalted Word, and the Dayspring of His Most Excellent Titles,
if ye could understand. Nay more, through Him every
Fountainhead, every Dawning-place of Divine guidance is made
manifest. Reflect, O people, on that which hath been sent down
in truth; ponder thereon, and be not of the
transgressors. |
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144 |
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. |
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145 |
Take heed that ye enter no house in the absence
of its owner, except with his permission. Comport yourselves
with propriety under all conditions, and be not numbered with
the wayward. |
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146 |
It hath been enjoined upon you to purify your
means of sustenance and other such things through
payment of Zakát. Thus hath it been prescribed in this exalted Tablet by
Him Who is the Revealer of verses. We shall, if it be God's
will and purpose, set forth erelong the measure of its
assessment. He, verily, expoundeth whatsoever He desireth by
virtue of His own knowledge, and He, of a truth, is Omniscient
and All-Wise. |
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147 |
It is unlawful to beg, and it is forbidden to
give to him who beggeth. All have been enjoined to earn a
living, and as for those who are incapable of doing so, it is
incumbent on the Deputies of God and on the wealthy to make
adequate provision for them. Keep ye the statutes and
commandments of God; nay, guard them as ye would your very
eyes, and be not of those who suffer grievous loss. |
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148 |
Ye have been forbidden in the Book of God to
engage in contention and conflict, to strike another, or to
commit similar acts whereby hearts and souls may be saddened.
A fine of nineteen mithqáls of gold had formerly been
prescribed by Him Who is the Lord of all mankind for anyone
who was the cause of sadness to another; in this Dispensation,
however, He hath absolved you thereof and exhorteth you to
show forth righteousness and piety. Such is the commandment
which He hath enjoined upon you in this resplendent Tablet.
Wish not for others what ye wish not for yourselves; fear God,
and be not of the prideful. Ye are all created out of water,
and unto dust shall ye return. Reflect upon the end that
awaiteth you, and walk not in the ways of the oppressor. Give
ear unto the verses of God which He Who is
the sacred Lote-Tree
reciteth unto you. They are assuredly the infallible balance,
established by God, the Lord of this world and the next.
Through them the soul of man is caused to wing its flight
towards the Dayspring of Revelation, and the heart of every
true believer is suffused with light. Such are the laws which
God hath enjoined upon you, such His commandments prescribed
unto you in His Holy Tablet; obey them with joy and gladness,
for this is best for you, did ye but know. |
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149 |
Recite ye the verses of God every morn and
eventide. Whoso faileth to recite them hath not been faithful
to the Covenant of God and His Testament, and whoso turneth
away from these holy verses in this Day is of those who
throughout eternity have turned away from God. Fear ye God, O
My servants, one and all. Pride not yourselves on much reading
of the verses or on a multitude of pious acts by night and
day; for were a man to read a single verse with joy and
radiance it would be better for him than to read with
lassitude all the Holy Books of God, the Help in Peril, the
Self-Subsisting. Read ye the sacred verses in such measure
that ye be not overcome by languor and despondency. Lay not
upon your souls that which will weary them and weigh them
down, but rather what will lighten and uplift them, so that
they may soar on the wings of the Divine verses towards the
Dawning-place of His manifest signs; this will draw you nearer
to God, did ye but comprehend. |
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150 |
Teach your children the verses revealed from the
heaven of majesty and power, so that, in most melodious tones,
they may recite the Tablets of the All-Merciful in the alcoves
within the Mashriqu'l-Adhkárs. Whoever hath
been transported by the rapture born of adoration for My Name,
the Most Compassionate, will recite the verses of God in such
wise as to captivate the hearts of those yet wrapped in
slumber. Well is it with him who hath quaffed the Mystic Wine
of everlasting life from the utterance of his merciful Lord in
My Name--a Name through which every lofty and majestic
mountain hath been reduced to dust. |
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151 |
Ye have been enjoined to renew the furnishings
of your homes after the passing of each nineteen years; thus
hath it been ordained by One Who is Omniscient and
All-Perceiving. He, verily, is desirous of refinement, both
for you yourselves and for all that ye possess; lay not aside
the fear of God and be not of the negligent. Whoso findeth
that his means are insufficient to this purpose hath been
excused by God, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Bounteous. |
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152 |
Wash your feet once every day in summer, and
once every three days during winter. |
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153 |
Should anyone wax angry with you, respond to him
with gentleness; and should anyone upbraid you, forbear to
upbraid him in return, but leave him to himself and put your
trust in God, the omnipotent Avenger, the Lord of might and
justice. |
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154 |
Ye have been prohibited from making use of
pulpits. Whoso wisheth to recite unto you the verses of his
Lord, let him sit on a chair placed upon a dais, that he may
make mention of God, his Lord, and the Lord of all mankind. It
is pleasing to God that ye should seat yourselves on chairs
and benches as a mark of honour for the love ye bear for Him
and for the Manifestation of His glorious and resplendent
Cause. |
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155 |
Gambling and the
use of opium have been
forbidden unto you. Eschew them both, O people, and be not of
those who transgress. Beware of using
any substance that induceth sluggishness and torpor in the human temple and inflicteth harm upon the body. We, verily, desire for you
naught save what shall profit you, and to this bear witness
all created things, had ye but ears to hear. |
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156 |
Whensoever ye be invited to a banquet or festive
occasion, respond with joy and gladness, and whoever
fulfilleth his promise will be safe from reproof. This is a
Day on which each of God's wise decrees hath been expounded. |
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157 |
Behold,
the "mystery of the Great Reversal
in the Sign of the Sovereign" hath now been made
manifest. Well is it with him whom God hath aided to recognize
the "Six" raised up by virtue of this "Upright Alif"; he, verily, is of those whose faith is true. How
many the outwardly pious who have turned away, and how many
the wayward who have drawn nigh, exclaiming: "All praise
be to Thee, O Thou the Desire of the worlds!" In truth,
it is in the hand of God to give what He willeth to whomsoever
He willeth, and to withhold what He pleaseth from whomsoever
He may wish. He knoweth the inner secrets of the hearts and
the meaning hidden in a mocker's wink. How many an embodiment
of heedlessness who came unto Us with purity of heart have We
established upon the seat of Our acceptance; and how many an
exponent of wisdom have We in all justice consigned to the
fire. We are, in truth, the One to judge. He it is Who is the
manifestation of "God doeth whatsoever He pleaseth",
and abideth upon the throne of "He ordaineth whatsoever
He chooseth". |
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158 |
Blessed is the one who discovereth the fragrance
of inner meanings from the traces of this Pen through whose
movement the breezes of God are wafted over the entire
creation, and through whose stillness the very essence of
tranquillity appeareth in the realm of being. Glorified be the
All-Merciful, the Revealer of so inestimable a bounty. Say:
Because He bore injustice, justice hath appeared on earth, and
because He accepted abasement, the majesty of God hath shone
forth amidst mankind. |
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159 |
It hath been forbidden you to carry arms unless
essential,
and permitted you to attire yourselves in silk.
The
Lord hath relieved you, as a bounty on His part, of the
restrictions that formerly applied to clothing and to the trim
of the beard. He, verily, is the Ordainer, the Omniscient. Let
there be naught in your demeanour of which sound and upright
minds would disapprove, and make not yourselves the playthings
of the ignorant. Well is it with him who hath adorned himself
with the vesture of seemly conduct and a praiseworthy
character. He is assuredly reckoned with those who aid their
Lord through distinctive and outstanding deeds. |
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160 |
Promote ye the development of the cities of God
and His countries, and glorify Him therein in the joyous
accents of His well-favoured ones. In truth, the hearts of men
are edified through the power of the tongue, even as houses
and cities are built up by the hand and other means. We have
assigned to every end a means for its accomplishment; avail
yourselves thereof, and place your trust and confidence in
God, the Omniscient, the All-Wise. |
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161 |
Blessed is the man that hath acknowledged his
belief in God and in His signs, and recognized that "He
shall not be asked of His 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. |
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162 |
Were He to decree as lawful the thing which from
time immemorial had been forbidden, and 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. |
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163 |
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 all-glorious 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. He it is Who hath sent forth the Messengers, and
sent down the Books to proclaim "There is none other God
but Me, the Almighty, the All-Wise". |
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164 |
O Land of Káf and Rá! [10]
We, verily, behold thee in a state displeasing unto God, and
see proceeding from thee that which is inscrutable to anyone
save Him, the Omniscient, the All-Informed; and
We perceive
that which secretly and stealthily diffuseth from thee. With
Us is the knowledge of all things, inscribed in a lucid
Tablet. Sorrow not for that which hath befallen thee. Erelong
will God raise up within thee men endued with mighty valour,
who will magnify My Name with such constancy that neither will
they be deterred by the evil suggestions of the divines, nor
will they be kept back by the insinuations of the sowers of
doubt. With their own eyes will they behold God, and with
their own lives will they render Him victorious. These, truly,
are of those who are steadfast. |
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165 |
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. Ye glory in My
Name, yet ye recognized Me not at the time your Lord, the
All-Merciful, appeared amongst you with proof and testimony.
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, and to this God's witnesses and
chosen ones, yea, each and every one of Us, do solemnly
attest. |
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166 |
Call ye to mind the shaykh whose
name was Muhammad-Hasan, who ranked among the most learned divines
of his day. When the True One was made manifest, this shaykh,
along with others of his calling, rejected Him, while
a sifter
of wheat and barley accepted Him and turned unto the Lord.
Though he was occupied both night and day in setting down what
he conceived to be the laws and ordinances of God, yet when He
Who is the Unconstrained appeared, not one letter thereof
availed him, or he would not have turned away from a
Countenance that hath illumined the faces of the well-favoured
of the Lord. 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. |
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167 |
Beware lest any name debar you from Him Who is
the Possessor of all names, or any word shut you out from this
Remembrance of God, this Source of Wisdom amongst you. Turn
unto God and seek His protection, O concourse of divines, and
make not of yourselves a veil between Me and My creatures.
Thus doth your Lord admonish you, and command you to be just,
lest your works should come to naught and ye yourselves be
oblivious of your plight. Shall he who denieth this Cause be
able to vindicate the truth of any cause throughout creation?
Nay, by Him Who is the Fashioner of the universe! Yet the
people are wrapped in a palpable veil. Say: Through this Cause
the day-star of testimony hath dawned, and the luminary of
proof hath shed its radiance upon all that dwell on earth.
Fear God, O men of insight, and be not of those who disbelieve
in Me.
Take heed lest the word "Prophet" withhold
you from this Most Great Announcement, or
any reference to
"Vicegerency" debar you from the sovereignty of Him
Who is the Vicegerent of God, which overshadoweth all the
worlds. Every name hath been created by His Word, and every
cause is dependent on His irresistible, His mighty and
wondrous Cause. Say: This is the Day of God, the Day on which
naught shall be mentioned save His own Self, the omnipotent
Protector of all worlds. This is the Cause that hath made all
your superstitions and idols to tremble. |
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168 |
We, verily, see amongst you him who taketh hold
of the Book of God and citeth from it proofs and arguments
wherewith to repudiate his Lord, even as the followers of
every other Faith sought reasons in their Holy Books for
refuting Him Who is the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
Say: God, the True One, is My witness that neither the
Scriptures of the world, nor all the books and writings in
existence, shall, in this Day, avail you aught without this,
the Living Book, Who proclaimeth in the midmost heart of
creation: "Verily, there is none other God but Me, the
All-Knowing, the All-Wise." |
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169 |
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!" Thus doth your Lord admonish you, as a bounty on
His part; He, of a truth, is the Ever-Forgiving, the Most
Generous. |
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170 |
Call ye to mind Karím, and how, when We
summoned him unto God, he waxed disdainful, prompted by his
own desires; yet We had sent him that which was a solace to
the eye of proof in the world of being and the fulfilment of
God's testimony to all the denizens of earth and heaven. As a
token of the grace of Him Who is the All-Possessing, the Most
High, We bade him embrace the Truth. But he turned away until,
as an act of justice from God, angels of wrath laid hold upon
him. Unto this We truly were a witness. |
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171 |
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. |
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172 |
We, of a certainty, have had no purpose in this
earthly realm save to make God manifest and to reveal His
sovereignty; sufficient unto Me is God for a witness. We, of a
certainty, have had no intent in the celestial Kingdom but to
exalt His Cause and glorify His praise; sufficient unto Me is
God for a protector. We, of a certainty, have had no desire in
the Dominion on high except to extol God and what hath been
sent down by Him; sufficient unto Me is God for a helper. |
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173 |
Happy are ye,
O ye the learned ones in Bahá. 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 quaffed 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. |
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174 |
O people of the world! When the Mystic Dove will
have winged its flight from its Sanctuary of Praise and sought
its far-off goal, its hidden habitation,
refer ye whatsoever
ye understand not in the Book to Him Who hath branched from
this mighty Stock. |
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175 |
O Pen of the Most High! Move Thou upon the
Tablet at the bidding of Thy Lord, the Creator of the Heavens,
and tell of the time when He Who is the Dayspring of Divine
Unity purposed to direct His steps towards
the School of
Transcendent Oneness; haply the pure in heart may gain thereby
a glimpse, be it as small as a needle's eye, of the mysteries
of Thy Lord, the Almighty, the Omniscient, that lie concealed
behind the veils. Say: We, indeed, set foot within the School
of inner meaning and explanation when all created things were
unaware. We saw the words sent down by Him Who is the
All-Merciful, and
We accepted the verses of God, the Help in
Peril, the Self-Subsisting,
which He [11]
presented unto Us, and hearkened unto that which He had
solemnly affirmed in the Tablet. This we assuredly did behold.
And We assented to His wish through Our behest, for truly We
are potent to command. |
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176 |
O people of the Bayán! We, verily, set foot
within the School of God when ye lay slumbering; and We
perused the Tablet while ye were fast asleep. By the one true
God! We read the Tablet ere it was revealed, while ye were
unaware, and We had perfect knowledge of the Book when ye were
yet unborn. These words are to your measure, not to God's. To
this testifieth that which is enshrined within His knowledge,
if ye be of them that comprehend; and to this the tongue of
the Almighty doth bear witness, if ye be of those who
understand. I swear by God, were We to lift the veil, ye would
be dumbfounded. |
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177 |
Take heed that ye dispute not idly concerning
the Almighty and His Cause, for lo! He hath appeared amongst
you invested with a Revelation so great as to encompass all
things, whether of the past or of the future. Were We to
address Our theme by speaking in the language of the inmates
of the Kingdom, We would say: "In truth, God created that
School ere He created heaven and earth, and We entered it
before
the letters B and E were joined and knit
together." Such is the language of Our servants in Our
Kingdom; consider what the tongue of the dwellers of Our
exalted Dominion would utter, for We have taught them Our
knowledge and have revealed to them whatever had lain hidden
in God's wisdom. Imagine then what the Tongue of Might and
Grandeur would utter in His All-Glorious Abode! |
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178 |
This is not a Cause which may be made a
plaything for your idle fancies, nor is it a field for the
foolish and faint of heart. By God, this is the arena of
insight and detachment, of vision and upliftment, where none
may spur on their chargers save the valiant horsemen of the
Merciful, who have severed all attachment to the world of
being. These, truly, are they that render God victorious on
earth, and are the dawning-places of His sovereign might
amidst mankind. |
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179 |
Beware lest aught that hath been revealed in the
Bayán should keep you from your Lord, the Most Compassionate.
God is My witness that the Bayán was sent down for no other
purpose than to celebrate My praise, did ye but know! In it
the pure in heart will find only the fragrance of My love,
only My Name that overshadoweth all that seeth and is seen.
Say: Turn ye, O people, unto that which hath proceeded from My
Most Exalted Pen. Should ye inhale therefrom the fragrance of
God, set not yourselves against Him, nor deny yourselves a
portion of His gracious favour and His manifold bestowals.
Thus doth your Lord admonish you; He, verily, is the
Counsellor, the Omniscient. |
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180 |
Whatsoever ye understand not in the Bayán, ask
it of God, your Lord and the Lord of your forefathers. Should
He so desire, He will expound for you that which is revealed
therein, and disclose to you the pearls of Divine knowledge
and wisdom that lie concealed within the ocean of its words.
He, verily, is supreme over all names; no God is there but
Him, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. |
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181 |
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 of this unique, this wondrous System--the like of
which mortal eyes have never witnessed. |
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182 |
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 of this
Cause--a Cause through which the potentialities of the might
of God have been revealed, and His sovereignty established.
With faces beaming with joy, 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-Sufficient, above
any need of His creatures. |
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183 |
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: This is the Most Great Testimony, by which the
validity of every proof throughout the ages hath been
established, would that ye might be assured thereof. 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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184 |
Say:
O source of perversion! Abandon thy wilful
blindness, and speak forth the truth amidst the people. I
swear by God that I have wept for thee to see thee following
thy selfish passions and renouncing Him Who fashioned thee and
brought thee into being. Call to mind the tender mercy of thy
Lord, and
remember how We nurtured thee by day and by night
for service to the Cause. Fear God, and be thou of the truly
repentant. Granted that the people were confused about thy
station, is it conceivable that thou thyself art similarly
confused? Tremble before thy Lord and recall the days when
thou didst stand before Our throne, and didst write down the
verses that We dictated unto thee--verses sent down by God,
the Omnipotent Protector, the Lord of might and power. Beware
lest the fire of thy presumptuousness debar thee from
attaining to God's Holy Court. Turn unto Him, and fear not
because of thy deeds. He, in truth, forgiveth whomsoever He
desireth as a bounty on His part; no God is there but Him, the
Ever-Forgiving, the All-Bounteous. We admonish thee solely for
the sake of God. Shouldst thou accept this counsel, thou wilt
have acted to thine own behoof; and shouldst thou reject it,
thy Lord, verily, can well dispense with thee, and with all
those who, in manifest delusion, have followed thee. Behold!
God hath laid hold on him who led thee astray. Return unto
God, humble, submissive and lowly; verily, He will put away
from thee thy sins, for thy Lord, of a certainty, is the
Forgiving, the Mighty, the All-Merciful. |
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185 |
This is the Counsel of God; would that thou
mightest heed it! This is the Bounty of God; would that thou
mightest receive it! This is the Utterance of God; if only
thou wouldst apprehend it! This is the Treasure of God; if
only thou couldst understand! |
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186 |
This is a Book which hath become the Lamp of the
Eternal unto the world, and His straight, undeviating Path
amidst the peoples of the earth. Say: This is the Dayspring of
Divine knowledge, if ye be of them that understand, and the
Dawning-place of God's commandments, if ye be of those who
comprehend. |
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187 |
Burden not an animal with more than it can bear.
We, truly, have prohibited such treatment through a most
binding interdiction in the Book. Be ye the embodiments of
justice and fairness amidst all creation. |
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188 |
Should anyone unintentionally take another's
life, it is incumbent upon him to render to the family of the
deceased an indemnity of one hundred mithqáls of gold.
Observe ye that which hath been enjoined upon you in this
Tablet, and be not of those who overstep its limits. |
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189 |
O members of parliaments throughout the world!
Select ye a single language for the use of all on earth, and
adopt ye likewise a common script. God, verily, maketh plain
for you that which shall profit you and enable you to be
independent of others. He, of a truth, is the Most Bountiful,
the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. This will be the cause of
unity, could ye but comprehend it, and the greatest instrument
for promoting harmony and civilization, would that ye might
understand!
We have appointed two signs for the coming of age
of the human race: the first, which is the most firm
foundation, We have set down in other of Our Tablets, while
the second hath been revealed in this wondrous Book. |
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190 |
It hath been forbidden you to smoke opium. We,
truly, have prohibited this practice through a most binding
interdiction in the Book. Should anyone partake thereof,
assuredly he is not of Me. Fear God, O ye endued with
understanding!
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