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Sources: Gems Of Divine MysteriesWhosoever entereth this city will comprehend every science before
probing into its mysteries and will acquire from the leaves of its trees a
knowledge and wisdom encompassing such mysteries of divine lordship as are
enshrined within the treasuries of creation. Glorified be God, its Creator
and Fashioner, above all that He hath brought forth and ordained therein!
By God, the Sovereign Protector, the Self-Subsisting, the Almighty! We
to unveil to thine eyes the gates of this city, which have been fashioned
by the right hand of might and power, thou wouldst behold that which none
before thee hath ever beheld, and wouldst witness that which no other soul
hath ever witnessed. Thou wouldst apprehend the most obscure signs and the
most abstruse allusions, and wouldst clearly behold the mysteries of the
beginning in the point of the end. All matters would be made easy unto
thee, fire would be turned into light, knowledge and blessings, and thou
wouldst abide in safety within the court of holiness.
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164 The Sacred Lote-tree # 148
The sacred Lote-Tree is a reference to the Sadratu'l-Muntaha, the Tree beyond which there is no passing (see note 128). It is used here symbolically to designate Baha'u'llah. ... 165 Recite Ye The Verses Of God Every Morn And Eventide #149
Baha'u'llah states that the essential requisite for reciting the verses of God is the eagerness and love of the believers to read the Word of God (Q and A 68). With regard to the definition of verses of God, Baha'u'llah states that it refers to... 166 Ye Have Been Enjoined To Renew The Furnishings Of Your Homes After The Passing Of Each Nineteen Years #151
Baha'u'llah confirms the injunction in the Arabic Bayan regarding the renewal, every nineteen years, of the furnishings of one's home, provided one is able to do so. 'Abdu'l-Baha relates this ordinance to the promotion of refinement and cleanlines... 167 Wash Your Feet #152
The believers are exhorted in the Kitab-i-Aqdas to bathe regularly, to wear clean clothes and generally to be the essence of cleanliness and refinement. The Synopsis and Codification, section IV.D.3.y.i.-vii., summarizes the relevant prov... 168 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 154 These provisions have their antecedent in the Persian Bayan. The Bab forbade the use of pulpits for the delivery of sermons and the reading o... 169 Gambling #155
The activities that are included in this prohibition have not been outlined in the Writings of Baha'u'llah. As both 'Abdu'l-Baha and Shoghi Effendi have indicated, it is left to the Universal House of Justice to specify the details of thi... 16: O Essence Of Negligence! Myriads Of Mystic Tongues Find Utterance In One
O ESSENCE OF NEGLIGENCE! Myriads of mystic tongues find utterance in one speech, and myriads of hidden mysteries are revealed in a single melody; yet, alas, there is no ear to hear, nor heart to understand. ... 16: O Son Of Light! Forget All Save Me And Commune With My Spirit
O SON OF LIGHT! Forget all save Me and commune with My spirit. This is of the essence of My command, therefore turn unto it. ... 17
O thou who hast soared to the realm of guidance and ascended to the kingdom of virtue! Shouldst thou desire to apprehend these celestial allusions, to witness the mysteries of divine knowledge, and to become acquainted with His all-encompassing Word,... 17 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. 10 This refers to territories situated in the extreme north or south, where the duration of days and nights varies markedly (Q and A 64 and 103). ... 170 The Use Of Opium Any Substance That Induceth Sluggishness And Torpor #155
This prohibition of the use of opium is reiterated by Baha'u'llah in the final paragraph of the Kitab-i-Aqdas. In this connection, Shoghi Effendi stated that one of the requirements for a chaste and holy life is total abstinence ... from opium, an... 171 The Mystery Of The Great Reversal In The Sign Of The Sovereign #157
Shaykh Ahmad-i-Ahsa'i (1753-1831), who was the founder of the Shaykhi School and the first of the twin luminaries that heralded the advent of the Faith of the Bab, prophesied that at the appearance of the Promised One all things would be reversed,... 172 The Six Raised Up By Virtue Of This Upright Alif #157
In his writings, Shaykh Ahmad-i-Ahsa'i placed great emphasis on the Arabic letter Vav. In The Dawn-Breakers, Nabil states that this letter symbolized for the Bab the advent of a new cycle of Divine Revelation, and has since been alluded to by Baha... 173 It Hath Been Forbidden You To Carry Arms Unless Essential #159
Baha'u'llah confirms an injunction contained in the Bayan which makes it unlawful to carry arms, unless it is necessary to do so. With regard to circumstances under which the bearing of arms might be essential for an individual, 'Abdu'l-Baha gives... 174 And Permitted You To Attire Yourselves In Silk #159
According to Islamic practice, the wearing of silk by men was generally forbidden, except in times of holy war. This prohibition, which was not based on the verses of the Qur'an, was abrogated by the Bab. 175. The Lord hath relieved you ..... 176 O Land Of Kaf And Ra! #164
Kaf and Ra are the first two consonants of Kirman, the name of a city and province of Iran. ... 177 We Perceive That Which Secretly And Stealthily Diffuseth From Thee #164
This passage is a reference to the intrigues of a group of Azalis, followers of Mirza Yahya (see note 190), associated with the city of Kirman. They include Mulla Ja'far, his son Shaykh Ahmad-i-Ruhi and Mirza Aqa Khan-i-Kirmani (both sons-in-law o... 178 Call Ye To Mind The Shaykh Whose Name Was Muhammad-hasan #166
Shaykh Muhammad-Hasan, one of the leading exponents of Shi'ih Islam, rejected the Bab. The author of voluminous writings on Shi'ih jurisprudence, he is reported to have died around 1850. Nabil, in The Dawn-Breakers, describes the encounter that ... 179 A Sifter Of Wheat And Barley # 166
This is an allusion to Mulla Muhammad Ja'far Gandum-Pak-Kun, the first person in Isfahan to accept the Faith of the Bab. He is mentioned in the Persian Bayan and praised as one who donned the robe of discipleship. In The Dawn-Breakers, Nabil descr... 17: O Comrades! The Gates That Open On The Placeless Stand Wide
O COMRADES! The gates that open on the Placeless stand wide and the habitation of the loved one is adorned with the lovers' blood, yet all but a few remain bereft of this celestial city, and even of these few, none but the smallest handful hath be... 17: O Son Of Man! Be Thou Content With Me And Seek No Other
O SON OF MAN! Be thou content with Me and seek no other helper. For none but Me can ever suffice thee. ... 18
Whosoever entereth this city will comprehend every science before probing into its mysteries and will acquire from the leaves of its trees a knowledge and wisdom encompassing such mysteries of divine lordship as are enshrined within the treasuries of... 18 We Have Absolved You From The Requirement Of Performing The Prayer Of The Signs #11
The Prayer of the Signs is a special form of Muslim obligatory prayer that was ordained to be said in times of natural events, like earthquakes, eclipses, and other such phenomena, which may cause fear and are taken to be signs or acts of God. The... 180 Take Heed Lest The Word Prophet Withhold You From This Most Great
Announcement 167 Baha'u'llah cautions people of insight not to allow their interpretations of the Holy Scriptures to prevent them from recognizing the Manifestation of God. Followers of each religion have tended to allow their devotion to its Fou... 181 Any Reference To Vicegerency Debar You From The Sovereignty Of Him Who Is The Vicegerent Of God #167
The word here translated Vicegerency is, in the original Arabic, vilayat, which has a range of meanings including vicegerency, guardianship, protectorship and successorship. It is used in relation to God Himself, to His Manifestation, or to those ... 182 Call Ye To Mind Karim #170
Haji Mirza Muhammad Karim Khan-i-Kirmani (1810- circa 1873) was the self-appointed leader of the Shaykhi community after the death of Siyyid Kazim, who was the appointed successor to Shaykh Ahmad-i-Ahsa'i (see notes 171 and 172). He dedic... 183 O Ye The Learned Ones In Baha #173
Baha'u'llah eulogizes the learned among His followers. In the Book of His Covenant, He wrote: Blessed are the rulers and learned among the people of Baha. Referring to this statement, Shoghi Effendi has written: In this holy cycle the lear... 184 Refer Ye Whatsoever Ye Understand Not In The Book To Him Who Hath Branched From This Mighty Stock #174
Baha'u'llah invests 'Abdu'l-Baha with the right of interpreting His holy Writ (see also note 145). ... 185 The School Of Transcendent Oneness #175
In this verse and the ones which immediately follow it, Baha'u'llah confronts one of the reasons some of the Babis rejected His claim to be the Promised One of the Bayan. Their rejection was based on a Tablet addressed by the Bab to Him Who will b... 186 We Accepted The Verses Of God Which He Presented Unto Us #175
In His Tablet addressed to Him Who will be made manifest, the Bab characterizes the Bayan as an offering from Him to Baha'u'llah. See Selections from the Writings of the Bab. ... 187 O People Of The Bayan! #176
Reference to the followers of the Bab. ... 188 The Letters B And E Were Joined And Knit Together #177
Shoghi Effendi, in letters written on his behalf, has explained the significance of the letters B and E. They constitute the word Be, which, he states, means the creative Power of God Who through His command causes all things to come into being an... 189 This New World Order #181
In the Persian Bayan, the Bab stated: Well is it with him who fixeth his gaze upon the Order of Baha'u'llah, and rendereth thanks unto his Lord. For He will assuredly be made manifest. God hath indeed irrevocably ordained it in the Bayan.... 18: O Son Of Spirit! Ask Not Of Me That Which We Desire Not For Thee
O SON OF SPIRIT! Ask not of Me that which We desire not for thee, then be content with what We have ordained for thy sake, for this is that which profiteth thee, if therewith thou dost content thyself. ... 18: O Ye Dwellers In The Highest Paradise!
O YE DWELLERS IN THE HIGHEST PARADISE! Proclaim unto the children of assurance that within the realms of holiness, nigh unto the celestial paradise, a new garden hath appeared, round which circle the denizens of the realm on high and the immortal ... 19
Bereft, however, of the essence of the mysteries of His wisdom, which We have imparted unto thee beneath the veils of these blessed and soul-stirring words, thou wouldst fail to attain unto even a sprinkling of the oceans of divine knowledge or the c... 19 Save In The Prayer For The Dead The Practice Of Congregational Prayer Hath Been Annulled #12
Congregational prayer, in the sense of formal obligatory prayer which is to be recited in accordance with a prescribed ritual as, for example, is the custom in Islam where Friday prayer in the mosque is led by an imam, has been annulled in the Bah... 190 O Source Of Perversion! #184
This is a reference to Mirza Yahya, known as Subh-i-Azal (Morning of Eternity), a younger half-brother of Baha'u'llah, who arose against Him and opposed His Cause. Mirza Yahya was nominated by the Bab to serve as a figure-head for the Bab... 191 Remember How We Nurtured Thee By Day And By Night For Service To The Cause #184
In _God Passes By_, Shoghi Effendi refers to the fact that Baha'u'llah, Who was thirteen years older than Mirza Yahya, had counselled him and watched over his early youth and manhood. ... 192 God Hath Laid Hold On Him Who Led Thee Astray #184
A reference to Siyyid Muhammad-i-Isfahani, who is described by Shoghi Effendi as the Antichrist of the Baha'i Revelation. He was a man of corrupt character and great personal ambition who induced Mirza Yahya to oppose Baha'u'llah and to claim prop... 193 Select Ye A Single Language Adopt Ye A Common Script #189
Baha'u'llah enjoins the adoption of a universal language and script. His Writings envisage two stages in this process. The first stage is to consist of the selection of an existing language or an invented one which would then be taught in all the ... 194 We Have Appointed Two Signs For The Coming Of Age Of The Human Race #189
The first sign of the coming of age of humanity referred to in the Writings of Baha'u'llah is the emergence of a science which is described as that divine philosophy which will include the discovery of a radical approach to the transmutation of el...