Part Two

Sources: The Kitab-i-iqan

_Verily He Who is the Day-star of Truth and Revealer of the

Supreme Being holdeth, for all time, undisputed sovereignty over

all that is in heaven and on earth, though no man be found on

earth to obey Him. He verily is independent of all earthly

dominion, though He be utterly destitute. Thus We reveal unto thee

the mysteries of the Cause of God, and bestow upon thee the gems

of divine wisdom, th t haply thou mayest soar on the wings of

renunciation to those heights that are veiled from the eyes of

men._





The significance and essential purpose underlying these words is to reveal

and demonstrate unto the pure in heart and the sanctified in spirit that

they Who are the Luminaries of truth and the Mirrors reflecting the light

of divine Unity, in whatever age and cycle they are sent down from their

invisible habitations of ancient glory unto this world, to educate the

souls of men and endue with grace all created things, are invariably

endowed with an all-compelling power, and invested with invincible

sovereignty. For these hidden Gems, these concealed and invisible

Treasures, in themselves manifest and vindicate the reality of these holy

words: Verily God doeth whatsoever He willeth, and ordaineth whatsoever

He pleaseth.



To every discerning and illumined heart it is evident that God, the

unknowable Essence, the divine Being, is immensely exalted beyond every

human attribute, such as corporeal existence, ascent and descent, egress

and regress. Far be it from His glory that human tongue should adequately

recount His praise, or that human heart comprehend His fathomless mystery.

He is and hath ever been veiled in the ancient eternity of His Essence,

and will remain in His Reality everlastingly hidden from the sight of men.

No vision taketh in Him, but He taketh in all vision; He is the Subtile,

the All-Perceiving.(71) No tie of direct intercourse can possibly bind

Him to His creatures. He standeth exalted beyond and above all separation

and union, all proximity and remoteness. No sign can indicate His presence

or His absence; inasmuch as by a word of His command all that are in

heaven and on earth have come to exist, and by His wish, which is the

Primal Will itself, all have stepped out of utter nothingness into the

realm of being, the world of the visible.



Gracious God! How could there be conceived any existing relationship or

possible connection between His Word and they that are created of it? The

verse: God would have you beware of Himself(72) unmistakably beareth

witness to the reality of Our argument, and the words: God was alone;

there was none else besides Him are a sure testimony of its truth. All

the Prophets of God and their chosen Ones, all the divines, the sages, and

the wise of every generation, unanimously recognize their inability to

attain unto the comprehension of that Quintessence of all truth, and

confess their incapacity to grasp Him, Who is the inmost Reality of all

things.



The door of the knowledge of the Ancient of Days being thus closed in the

face of all beings, the Source of infinite grace, according to His saying:

His grace hath transcended all things; My grace hath encompassed them

all hath caused those luminous Gems of Holiness to appear out of the

realm of the spirit, in the noble form of the human temple, and be made

manifest unto all men, that they may impart unto the world the mysteries

of the unchangeable Being, and tell of the subtleties of His imperishable

Essence. These sanctified Mirrors, these Day-springs of ancient glory are

one and all the Exponents on earth of Him Who is the central Orb of the

universe, its Essence and ultimate Purpose. From Him proceed their

knowledge and power; from Him is derived their sovereignty. The beauty of

their countenance is but a reflection of His image, and their revelation a

sign of His deathless glory. They are the Treasuries of divine knowledge,

and the Repositories of celestial wisdom. Through them is transmitted a

grace that is infinite, and by them is revealed the light that can never

fade. Even as He hath said: There is no distinction whatsoever between

Thee and them; except that they are Thy servants, and are created of

Thee. This is the significance of the tradition: I am He, Himself, and

He is I, myself.



The traditions and sayings that bear direct reference to Our theme are

divers and manifold; We have refrained from quoting them for the sake of

brevity. Nay, whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth is a

direct evidence of the revelation within it of the attributes and names of

God, inasmuch as within every atom are enshrined the signs that bear

eloquent testimony to the revelation of that most great Light. Methinks,

but for the potency of that revelation, no being could ever exist. How

resplendent the luminaries of knowledge that shine in an atom, and how

vast the oceans of wisdom that surge within a drop! To a supreme degree is

this true of man, who, among all created things, hath been invested with

the robe of such gifts, and hath been singled out for the glory of such

distinction. For in him are potentially revealed all the attributes and

names of God to a degree that no other created being hath excelled or

surpassed. All these names and attributes are applicable to him. Even as

He hath said: Man is My mystery, and I am his mystery. Manifold are the

verses that have been repeatedly revealed in all the heavenly Books and

the holy Scriptures, expressive of this most subtle and lofty theme. Even

as He hath revealed: We will surely show them Our signs in the world and

within themselves.(73) Again He saith: And also in your own selves: will

ye not then behold the signs of God?(74) And yet again He revealeth: And

be ye not like those who forget God, and whom He hath therefore caused to

forget their own selves.(75) In this connection, He Who is the eternal

King--may the souls of all that dwell within the mystic Tabernacle be a

sacrifice unto Him--hath spoken: He hath known God who hath known

himself.



I swear by God, O esteemed and honoured friend! Shouldst thou ponder these

words in thine heart, thou wilt of a certainty find the doors of divine

wisdom and infinite knowledge flung open before thy face.



From that which hath been said it becometh evident that all things, in

their inmost reality, testify to the revelation of the names and

attributes of God within them. Each according to its capacity, indicateth,

and is expressive of, the knowledge of God. So potent and universal is

this revelation, that it hath encompassed all things, visible and

invisible. Thus hath He revealed: Hath aught else save Thee a power of

revelation which is not possessed by Thee, that it could have manifested

Thee? Blind is the eye which doth not perceive Thee. Likewise, hath the

eternal King spoken: No thing have I perceived, except that I perceived

God within it, God before it, or God after it. Also in the tradition of

Kumayl it is written: Behold, a light hath shone forth out of the Morn of

eternity, and lo! its waves have penetrated the inmost reality of all

men. Man, the noblest and most perfect of all created things, excelleth

them all in the intensity of this revelation, and is a fuller expression

of its glory. And of all men, the most accomplished, the most

distinguished and the most excellent are the Manifestations of the Sun of

Truth. Nay, all else besides these Manifestations, live by the operation

of their Will, and move and have their being through the outpourings of

their grace. But for Thee, I would have not created the heavens. Nay,

all in their holy presence fade into utter nothingness, and are a thing

forgotten. Human tongue can never befittingly sing their praise, and human

speech can never unfold their mystery. These Tabernacles of holiness,

these primal Mirrors which reflect the light of unfading glory, are but

expressions of Him Who is the Invisible of the Invisibles. By the

revelation of these gems of divine virtue all the names and attributes of

God, such as knowledge and power, sovereignty and dominion, mercy and

wisdom, glory, bounty and grace, are made manifest.



These attributes of God are not and have never been vouchsafed specially

unto certain Prophets, and withheld from others. Nay, all the Prophets of

God, His well-favoured, His holy, and chosen Messengers, are, without

exception, the bearers of His names, and the embodiments of His

attributes. They only differ in the intensity of their revelation, and the

comparative potency of their light. Even as He hath revealed: Some of the

Apostles We have caused to excel the others.(76) It hath therefore become

manifest and evident that within the tabernacles of these Prophets and

chosen Ones of God the light of His infinite names and exalted attributes

hath been reflected, even though the light of some of these attributes may

or may not be outwardly revealed from these luminous Temples to the eyes

of men. That a certain attribute of God hath not been outwardly manifested

by these Essences of Detachment doth in no wise imply that they Who are

the Daysprings of God's attributes and the Treasuries of His holy names

did not actually possess it. Therefore, these illuminated Souls, these

beauteous Countenances have, each and every one of them, been endowed with

all the attributes of God, such as sovereignty, dominion, and the like,

even though to outward seeming they be shorn of all earthly majesty. To

every discerning eye this is evident and manifest; it requireth neither

proof nor evidence.



Yea, inasmuch as the peoples of the world have failed to seek from the

luminous and crystal Springs of divine knowledge the inner meaning of

God's holy words, they therefore have languished, stricken and sore

athirst, in the vale of idle fancy and waywardness. They have strayed far

from the fresh and thirst-subduing waters, and gathered round the salt

that burneth bitterly. Concerning them, the Dove of Eternity hath spoken:

And if they see the path of righteousness, they will not take it for

their path; but if they see the path of error, for their path will they

take it. This, because they treated Our signs as lies, and were heedless

of them.(77)



To this testifieth that which hath been witnessed in this wondrous and

exalted Dispensation. Myriads of holy verses have descended from the

heaven of might and grace, yet no one hath turned thereunto, nor ceased to

cling to those words of men, not one letter of which they that have spoken

them comprehend. For this reason the people have doubted incontestable

truths, such as these, and caused themselves to be deprived of the Ridvan

of divine knowledge, and the eternal meads of celestial wisdom.



And now, to resume Our argument concerning the question: Why is it that

the sovereignty of the Qa'im, affirmed in the text of recorded traditions,

and handed down by the shining stars of the Muhammadan Dispensation, hath

not in the least been made manifest? Nay, the contrary hath come to pass.

Have not His disciples and companions been afflicted of men? Are they not

still the victims of the fierce opposition of their enemies? Are they not

today leading the life of abased and impotent mortals? Yea, the

sovereignty attributed to the Qa'im and spoken of in the scriptures, is a

reality, the truth of which none can doubt. This sovereignty, however, is

not the sovereignty which the minds of men have falsely imagined.

Moreover, the Prophets of old, each and every one, whenever announcing to

the people of their day the advent of the coming Revelation, have

invariably and specifically referred to that sovereignty with which the

promised Manifestation must needs be invested. This is attested by the

records of the scriptures of the past. This sovereignty hath not been

solely and exclusively attributed to the Qa'im. Nay rather, the attribute

of sovereignty and all other names and attributes of God have been and

will ever be vouchsafed unto all the Manifestations of God, before and

after Him, inasmuch as these Manifestations, as it hath already been

explained, are the Embodiments of the attributes of God, the Invisible,

and the Revealers of the divine mysteries.



Furthermore, by sovereignty is meant the all-encompassing, all-pervading

power which is inherently exercised by the Qa'im whether or not He appear

to the world clothed in the majesty of earthly dominion. This is solely

dependent upon the will and pleasure of the Qa'im Himself. You will

readily recognize that the terms sovereignty, wealth, life, death,

judgment and resurrection, spoken of by the scriptures of old, are not

what this generation hath conceived and vainly imagined. Nay, by

sovereignty is meant that sovereignty which in every dispensation resideth

within, and is exercised by, the person of the Manifestation, the Day-star

of Truth. That sovereignty is the spiritual ascendancy which He exerciseth

to the fullest degree over all that is in heaven and on earth, and which

in due time revealeth itself to the world in direct proportion to its

capacity and spiritual receptiveness, even as the sovereignty of Muhammad,

the Messenger of God, is today apparent and manifest amongst the people.

You are well aware of what befell His Faith in the early days of His

dispensation. What woeful sufferings did the hand of the infidel and

erring, the divines of that age and their associates, inflict upon that

spiritual Essence, that most pure and holy Being! How abundant the thorns

and briars which they have strewn over His path! It is evident that

wretched generation, in their wicked and satanic fancy, regarded every

injury to that immortal Being as a means to the attainment of an abiding

felicity; inasmuch as the recognized divines of that age, such as

'Abdu'llah-i-Ubayy, Abu-'Amir, the hermit, Ka'b-Ibn-i-Ashraf, and

Nadr-Ibn-i-Harith, all treated Him as an impostor, and pronounced Him a

lunatic and a calumniator. Such sore accusations they brought against Him

that in recounting them God forbiddeth the ink to flow, Our pen to move,

or the page to bear them. These malicious imputations provoked the people

to arise and torment Him. And how fierce that torment if the divines of

the age be its chief instigators, if they denounce Him to their followers,

cast Him out from their midst, and declare Him a miscreant! Hath not the

same befallen this Servant, and been witnessed by all?



For this reason did Muhammad cry out: No Prophet of God hath suffered

such harm as I have suffered. And in the Qur'an are recorded all the

calumnies and reproaches uttered against Him, as well as all the

afflictions which He suffered. Refer ye thereunto, that haply ye may be

informed of that which hath befallen His Revelation. So grievous was His

plight, that for a time all ceased to hold intercourse with Him and His

companions. Whoever associated with Him fell a victim to the relentless

cruelty of His enemies.



We shall cite in this connection only one verse of that Book. Shouldst

thou observe it with a discerning eye, thou wilt, all the remaining days

of thy life, lament and bewail the injury of Muhammad, that wronged and

oppressed Messenger of God. That verse was revealed at a time when

Muhammad languished weary and sorrowful beneath the weight of the

opposition of the people, and of their unceasing torture. In the midst of

His agony, the Voice of Gabriel, calling from the Sadratu'l-Muntaha, was

heard saying: But if their opposition be grievous to Thee--if Thou canst,

seek out an opening into the earth or a ladder into heaven.(78) The

implication of this utterance is that His case had no remedy, that they

would not withhold their hands from Him unless He should hide Himself

beneath the depths of the earth, or take His flight unto heaven.



Consider, how great is the change today! Behold, how many are the

Sovereigns who bow the knee before His name! How numerous the nations and

kingdoms who have sought the shelter of His shadow, who bear allegiance to

His Faith, and pride themselves therein! From the pulpit-top there

ascendeth today the words of praise which, in utter lowliness, glorify His

blessed name; and from the heights of minarets there resoundeth the call

that summoneth the concourse of His people to adore Him. Even those Kings

of the earth who have refused to embrace His Faith and to put off the

garment of unbelief, none the less confess and acknowledge the greatness

and overpowering majesty of that Day-star of loving kindness. Such is His

earthly sovereignty, the evidences of which thou dost on every side

behold. This sovereignty must needs be revealed and established either in

the lifetime of every Manifestation of God or after His ascension unto His

true habitation in the realms above. What thou dost witness today is but a

confirmation of this truth. That spiritual ascendency, however, which is

primarily intended, resideth within, and revolveth around Them from

eternity even unto eternity. It can never for a moment be divorced from

Them. Its dominion hath encompassed all that is in heaven and on earth.



The following is an evidence of the sovereignty exercised by Muhammad, the

Day-star of Truth. Hast thou not heard how with one single verse He hath

sundered light from darkness, the righteous from the ungodly, and the

believing from the infidel? All the signs and allusions concerning the Day

of Judgment, which thou hast heard, such as the raising of the dead, the

Day of Reckoning, the Last Judgment, and others have been made manifest

through the revelation of that verse. These revealed words were a blessing

to the righteous who on hearing them exclaimed: O God our Lord, we have

heard, and obeyed. They were a curse to the people of iniquity who, on

hearing them affirmed: We have heard and rebelled. Those words, sharp as

the sword of God, have separated the faithful from the infidel, and

severed father from son. Thou hast surely witnessed how they that have

confessed their faith in Him and they that rejected Him have warred

against each other, and sought one another's property. How many fathers

have turned away from their sons; how many lovers have shunned their

beloved! So mercilessly trenchant was this wondrous sword of God that it

cleft asunder every relationship! On the other hand, consider the welding

power of His Word. Observe, how those in whose midst the Satan of self had

for years sown the seeds of malice and hate became so fused and blended

through their allegiance to this wondrous and transcendent Revelation that

it seemed as if they had sprung from the same loins. Such is the binding

force of the Word of God, which uniteth the hearts of them that have

renounced all else but Him, who have believed in His signs, and quaffed

from the Hand of glory the Kawthar of God's holy grace. Furthermore, how

numerous are those peoples of divers beliefs, of conflicting creeds, and

opposing temperaments, who, through the reviving fragrance of the Divine

springtime, breathing from the Ridvan of God, have been arrayed with the

new robe of divine Unity, and have drunk from the cup of His singleness!



This is the significance of the well-known words: The wolf and the lamb

shall feed together.(79) Behold the ignorance and folly of those who,

like the nations of old, are still expecting to witness the time when

these beasts will feed together in one pasture! Such is their low estate.

Methinks, never have their lips touched the cup of understanding, neither

have their feet trodden the path of justice. Besides, of what profit would

it be to the world were such a thing to take place? How well hath He

spoken concerning them: Hearts have they, with which they understand not,

and eyes have they with which they see not!(80)



Consider how with this one verse which hath descended from the heaven of

the Will of God, the world and all that is therein have been brought to a

reckoning with Him. Whosoever acknowledged His truth and turned unto Him,

his good works outweighed his misdeeds, and all his sins were remitted and

forgiven. Thereby is the truth of these words concerning Him made

manifest: Swift is He in reckoning. Thus God turneth iniquity into

righteousness, were ye to explore the realms of divine knowledge, and

fathom the mysteries of His wisdom. In like manner, whosoever partook of

the cup of love, obtained his portion of the ocean of eternal grace and of

the showers of everlasting mercy, and entered into the life of faith--the

heavenly and everlasting life. But he that turned away from that cup was

condemned to eternal death. By the terms life and death, spoken of in

the scriptures, is intended the life of faith and the death of unbelief.

The generality of the people, owing to their failure to grasp the meaning

of these words, rejected and despised the person of the Manifestation,

deprived themselves of the light of His divine guidance, and refused to

follow the example of that immortal Beauty.



When the light of Qur'anic Revelation was kindled within the chamber of

Muhammad's holy heart, He passed upon the people the verdict of the Last

Day, the verdict of resurrection, of judgment, of life, and of death.

Thereupon the standards of revolt were hoisted, and the doors of derision

opened. Thus hath He, the Spirit of God, recorded, as spoken by the

infidels: And if thou shouldst say, 'After death ye shall surely be

raised again,' the infidels will certainly exclaim, 'This is nothing but

manifest sorcery.'(81) Again He speaketh: If ever thou dost marvel,

marvellous surely is their saying, 'What! When we have become dust, shall

we be restored in a new creation?'(82) Thus, in another passage, He

wrathfully exclaimeth: Are We wearied out with the first creation? Yet

are they in doubt with regard to a new creation!(83)



As the commentators of the Qur'an and they that follow the letter thereof

misapprehended the inner meaning of the words of God and failed to grasp

their essential purpose, they sought to demonstrate that, according to the

rules of grammar, whenever the term idha (meaning if or when)

precedeth the past tense, it invariably hath reference to the future.

Later, they were sore perplexed in attempting to explain those verses of

the Book wherein that term did not actually occur. Even as He hath

revealed: And there was a blast on the trumpet,--lo! it is the threatened

Day! And every soul is summoned to a reckoning,--with him an impeller and a

witness.(84) In explaining this and similar verses, they have in some

cases argued that the term idha is implied. In other instances, they

have idly contended that whereas the Day of Judgment is inevitable, it

hath therefore been referred to as an event not of the future but of the

past. How vain their sophistry! How grievous their blindness! They refuse

to recognize the trumpet-blast which so explicitly in this text was

sounded through the revelation of Muhammad. They deprive themselves of the

regenerating Spirit of God that breathed into it, and foolishly expect to

hear the trumpet-sound of the Seraph of God who is but one of His

servants! Hath not the Seraph himself, the angel of the Judgment Day, and

his like been ordained by Muhammad's own utterance? Say: What! Will ye

give that which is for your good in exchange for that which is evil?

Wretched is that which ye have falsely exchanged! Surely ye are a people,

evil, in grievous loss.



Nay, by trumpet is meant the trumpet-call of Muhammad's Revelation,

which was sounded in the heart of the universe, and by resurrection is

meant His own rise to proclaim the Cause of God. He bade the erring and

wayward arise and speed out of the sepulchres of their bodies, arrayed

them with the beauteous robe of faith, and quickened them with the breath

of a new and wondrous life. Thus at the hour when Muhammad, that divine

Beauty, purposed to unveil one of the mysteries hidden in the symbolic

terms resurrection, judgment, paradise, and hell, Gabriel, the

Voice of Inspiration, was heard saying: Erelong will they wag their heads

at Thee, and say, 'When shall this be?' Say: 'Perchance it is nigh.'(85)

The implications of this verse alone suffice the peoples of the world,

were they to ponder it in their hearts.



Gracious God! How far have that people strayed from the way of God!

Although the Day of Resurrection was ushered in through the Revelation of

Muhammad, although His light and tokens had encompassed the earth and all

that is therein, yet that people derided Him, gave themselves up to those

idols which the divines of that age, in their vain and idle fancy, had

conceived, and deprived themselves of the light of heavenly grace and of

the showers of divine mercy. Yea, the abject beetle can never scent the

fragrance of holiness, and the bat of darkness can never face the

splendour of the sun.



Such things have come to pass in the days of every Manifestation of God.

Even as Jesus said: Ye must be born again.(86) Again He saith: Except a

man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom

of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born

of the Spirit is spirit.(87) The purport of these words is that whosoever

in every dispensation is born of the Spirit and is quickened by the breath

of the Manifestation of Holiness, he verily is of those that have attained

unto life and resurrection and have entered into the paradise of the

love of God. And whosoever is not of them, is condemned to death and

deprivation, to the fire of unbelief, and to the wrath of God. In

all the scriptures, the books and chronicles, the sentence of death, of

fire, of blindness, of want of understanding and hearing, hath been

pronounced against those whose lips have tasted not the ethereal cup of

true knowledge, and whose hearts have been deprived of the grace of the

holy Spirit in their day. Even as it hath been previously recorded:

Hearts have they with which they understand not.(88)



In another passage of the Gospel it is written: And it came to pass that

on a certain day the father of one of the disciples of Jesus had died.

That disciple reporting the death of his father unto Jesus, asked for

leave to go and bury him. Whereupon, Jesus, that Essence of Detachment,

answered and said: Let the dead bury their dead.(89)



In like manner, two of the people of Kufih went to 'Ali, the Commander of

the Faithful. One owned a house and wished to sell it; the other was to be

the purchaser. They had agreed that this transaction should be effected

and the contract be written with the knowledge of 'Ali. He, the exponent

of the law of God, addressing the scribe, said: Write thou: 'A dead man

hath bought from another dead man a house. That house is bounded by four

limits. One extendeth toward the tomb, the other to the vault of the

grave, the third to the Sirat, the fourth to either Paradise or hell.'

Reflect, had these two souls been quickened by the trumpet-call of 'Ali,

had they risen from the grave of error by the power of his love, the

judgment of death would certainly not have been pronounced against them.



In every age and century, the purpose of the Prophets of God and their

chosen ones hath been no other but to affirm the spiritual significance of

the terms life, resurrection, and judgment. If one will ponder but

for a while this utterance of 'Ali in his heart, one will surely discover

all mysteries hidden in the terms grave, tomb, sirat, paradise and

hell. But oh! how strange and pitiful! Behold, all the people are

imprisoned within the tomb of self, and lie buried beneath the nethermost

depths of worldly desire! Wert thou to attain to but a dewdrop of the

crystal waters of divine knowledge, thou wouldst readily realize that true

life is not the life of the flesh but the life of the spirit. For the life

of the flesh is common to both men and animals, whereas the life of the

spirit is possessed only by the pure in heart who have quaffed from the

ocean of faith and partaken of the fruit of certitude. This life knoweth

no death, and this existence is crowned by immortality. Even as it hath

been said: He who is a true believer liveth both in this world and in the

world to come.



If by life be meant this earthly life, it is evident that death must

needs overtake it.



Similarly, the records of all the scriptures bear witness to this lofty

truth and this most exalted word. Moreover, this verse of the Qur'an,

revealed concerning Hamzih, the Prince of Martyrs,(90) and Abu-Jahl, is

a luminous evidence and sure testimony of the truth of Our saying: Shall

the dead, whom We have quickened, and for whom We have ordained a light

whereby he may walk among men, be like him, whose likeness is in the

darkness, whence he will not come forth?(91) This verse descended from

the heaven of the Primal Will at a time when Hamzih had already been

invested with the sacred mantle of faith, and Abu-Jahl had waxed

relentless in his opposition and unbelief. From the Wellspring of

omnipotence and the Source of eternal holiness, there came the judgment

that conferred everlasting life upon Hamzih, and condemned Abu-Jahl to

eternal damnation. This was the signal that caused the fires of unbelief

to glow with the hottest flame in the heart of the infidels, and provoked

them openly to repudiate His truth. They loudly clamoured: When did

Hamzih die? When was he risen? At what hour was such a life conferred upon

him? As they understood not the significance of these noble sayings, nor

sought enlightenment from the recognized expounders of the Faith, that

these might confer a sprinkling of the Kawthar of divine knowledge upon

them, therefore such fires of mischief were kindled amongst men.



Thou dost witness today how, notwithstanding the radiant splendour of the

Sun of divine knowledge, all the people, whether high or low, have clung

to the ways of those abject manifestations of the Prince of Darkness. They

continually appeal to them for aid in unraveling the intricacies of their

Faith, and, owing to lack of knowledge, they make such replies as can in

no wise damage their fame and fortune. It is evident that these souls,

vile and miserable as the beetle itself, have had no portion of the

musk-laden breeze of eternity, and have never entered the Ridvan of

heavenly delight. How, therefore, can they impart unto others the

imperishable fragrance of holiness? Such is their way, and such will it

remain for ever. Only those will attain to the knowledge of the Word of

God that have turned unto Him, and repudiated the manifestations of Satan.

Thus God hath reaffirmed the law of the day of His Revelation, and

inscribed it with the pen of power upon the mystic Tablet hidden beneath

the veil of celestial glory. Wert thou to heed these words, wert thou to

ponder their outward and inner meaning in thy heart, thou wouldst seize

the significance of all the abstruse problems which, in this day, have

become insuperable barriers between men and the knowledge of the Day of

Judgment. Then wilt thou have no more questions to perplex thee. We fain

would hope that, God willing, thou wilt not return, deprived and still

athirst, from the shores of the ocean of divine mercy, nor come back

destitute from the imperishable Sanctuary of thy heart's desire. Let it

now be seen what thy search and endeavours will achieve.



To resume: Our purpose in setting forth these truths hath been to

demonstrate the sovereignty of Him Who is the King of kings. Be fair: Is

this sovereignty which, through the utterance of one Word, hath manifested

such pervading influence, ascendancy, and awful majesty, is this

sovereignty superior, or is the worldly dominion of these kings of the

earth who, despite their solicitude for their subjects and their help of

the poor, are assured only of an outward and fleeting allegiance, while in

the hearts of men they inspire neither affection nor respect? Hath not

that sovereignty, through the potency of one word, subdued, quickened, and

revitalized the whole world? What! Can the lowly dust compare with Him Who

is the Lord of Lords? What tongue dare utter the immensity of difference

that lieth between them? Nay, all comparison falleth short in attaining

the hallowed sanctuary of His sovereignty. Were man to reflect, he would

surely perceive that even the servant of His threshold ruleth over all

created things! This hath already been witnessed, and will in future be

made manifest.



This is but one of the meanings of the spiritual sovereignty which We have

set forth in accordance with the capacity and receptiveness of the people.

For He, the Mover of all beings, that glorified Countenance, is the source

of such potencies as neither this wronged One can reveal, nor this

unworthy people comprehend. Immensely exalted is He above men's praise of

His sovereignty; glorified is He beyond that which they attribute unto

Him!



And now, ponder this in thine heart: Were sovereignty to mean earthly

sovereignty and worldly dominion, were it to imply the subjection and

external allegiance of all the peoples and kindreds of the earth--whereby

His loved ones should be exalted and be made to live in peace, and His

enemies be abased and tormented--such form of sovereignty would not be true

of God Himself, the Source of all dominion, Whose majesty and power all

things testify. For, dost thou not witness how the generality of mankind

is under the sway of His enemies? Have they not all turned away from the

path of His good-pleasure? Have they not done that which He hath

forbidden, and left undone, nay repudiated and opposed, those things which

He hath commanded? Have not His friends ever been the victims of the

tyranny of His foes? All these things are more obvious than even the

splendour of the noon-tide sun.



Know, therefore, O questioning seeker, that earthly sovereignty is of no

worth, nor will it ever be, in the eyes of God and His chosen Ones.

Moreover, if ascendency and dominion be interpreted to mean earthly

supremacy and temporal power, how impossible will it be for thee to

explain these verses: And verily Our host shall conquer.(92) Fain would

they put out God's light with their mouths: But God hath willed to perfect

His light, albeit the infidels abhor it.(93) He is the Dominant, above

all things. Similarly, most of the Qur'an testifieth to this truth.



Were the idle contention of these foolish and despicable souls to be true,

they would have none other alternative than to reject all these holy

utterances and heavenly allusions. For no warrior could be found on earth

more excellent and nearer to God than Husayn, son of 'Ali, so peerless and

incomparable was he. There was none to equal or to match him in the

world. Yet, thou must have heard what befell him. God's malison on the

head of the people of tyranny!(94)



Were the verse And verily Our host shall conquer to be literally

interpreted, it is evident that it would in no wise be applicable to the

chosen Ones of God and His hosts, inasmuch as Husayn, whose heroism was

manifest as the sun, crushed and subjugated, quaffed at last the cup of

martyrdom in Karbila, the land of Taff. Similarly, the sacred verse Fain

would they put out God's light with their mouths: But God hath willed to

perfect His light, albeit the infidels abhor it. Were it to be literally

interpreted it would never correspond with the truth. For in every age the

light of God hath, to outward seeming, been quenched by the peoples of the

earth, and the Lamps of God extinguished by them. How then could the

ascendancy of the sovereignty of these Lamps be explained? What could the

potency of God's will to perfect His light signify? As hath already been

witnessed, so great was the enmity of the infidels, that none of these

divine Luminaries ever found a place for shelter, or tasted of the cup of

tranquillity. So heavily were they oppressed, that the least of men

inflicted upon these Essences of being whatsoever he listed. These

sufferings have been observed and measured by the people. How, therefore,

can such people be capable of understanding and expounding these words of

God, these verses of everlasting glory?



But the purpose of these verses is not what they have imagined. Nay, the

terms ascendancy, power, and authority imply a totally different

station and meaning. For instance, consider the pervading power of those

drops of the blood of Husayn which besprinkled the earth. What ascendancy

and influence hath the dust itself, through the sacredness and potency of

that blood, exercised over the bodies and souls of men! So much so, that

he who sought deliverance from his ills, was healed by touching the dust

of that holy ground, and whosoever, wishing to protect his property,

treasured with absolute faith and understanding, a little of that holy

earth within his house, safeguarded all his possessions. These are the

outward manifestations of its potency. And were We to recount its hidden

virtues they would assuredly say: He verily hath considered the dust to

be the Lord of Lords, and hath utterly forsaken the Faith of God.



Furthermore, call to mind the shameful circumstances that have attended

the martyrdom of Husayn. Reflect upon his loneliness, how, to outer

seeming, none could be found to aid him, none to take up his body and bury

it. And yet, behold how numerous, in this day, are those who from the

uttermost corners of the earth don the garb of pilgrimage, seeking the

site of his martyrdom, that there they may lay their heads upon the

threshold of his shrine! Such is the ascendancy and power of God! Such is

the glory of His dominion and majesty!



Think not that because these things have come to pass after Husayn's

martyrdom, therefore all this glory hath been of no profit unto him. For

that holy soul is immortal, liveth the life of God, and abideth within the

retreats of celestial glory upon the Sadrih of heavenly reunion. These

Essences of being are the shining Exemplars of sacrifice. They have

offered, and will continue to offer up their lives, their substance, their

souls, their spirit, their all, in the path of the Well-Beloved. By them,

no station, however exalted, could be more dearly cherished. For lovers

have no desire but the good-pleasure of their Beloved, and have no aim

except reunion with Him.



Should We wish to impart unto thee a glimmer of the mysteries of Husayn's

martyrdom, and reveal unto thee the fruits thereof, these pages could

never suffice, nor exhaust their meaning. Our hope is that, God willing,

the breeze of mercy may blow, and the divine Springtime clothe the tree of

being with the robe of a new life; so that we may discover the mysteries

of divine Wisdom, and, through His providence, be made independent of the

knowledge of all things. We have, as yet, descried none but a handful of

souls, destitute of all renown, who have attained unto this station. Let

the future disclose what the Judgment of God will ordain, and the

Tabernacle of His decree reveal. In such wise We recount unto thee the

wonders of the Cause of God, and pour out into thine ears the strains of

heavenly melody, that haply thou mayest attain unto the station of true

knowledge, and partake of the fruit thereof. Therefore, know thou of a

certainty that these Luminaries of heavenly majesty, though their dwelling

be in the dust, yet their true habitation is the seat of glory in the

realms above. Though bereft of all earthly possessions, yet they soar in

the realms of immeasurable riches. And whilst sore tried in the grip of

the enemy, they are seated on the right hand of power and celestial

dominion. Amidst the darkness of their abasement there shineth upon them

the light of unfading glory, and upon their helplessness are showered the

tokens of an invincible sovereignty.



Thus Jesus, Son of Mary, whilst seated one day and speaking in the strain

of the Holy Spirit, uttered words such as these: O people! My food is the

grass of the field, wherewith I satisfy my hunger. My bed is the dust, my

lamp in the night the light of the moon, and my steed my own feet. Behold,

who on earth is richer than I? By the righteousness of God! Thousands of

treasures circle round this poverty, and a myriad kingdoms of glory yearn

for such abasement! Shouldst thou attain to a drop of the ocean of the

inner meaning of these words, thou wouldst surely forsake the world and

all that is therein, and, as the Phoenix wouldst consume thyself in the

flames of the undying Fire.



In like manner, it is related that on a certain day, one of the companions

of Sadiq complained of his poverty before him. Whereupon, Sadiq, that

immortal beauty, made reply: Verily thou art rich, and hast drunk the

draught of wealth. That poverty-stricken soul was perplexed at the words

uttered by that luminous countenance, and said: Where are my riches, I

who stand in need of a single coin? Sadiq thereupon observed: Dost thou

not possess our love? He replied: Yea, I possess it, O thou scion of the

Prophet of God! And Sadiq asked him saying: Exchangest thou this love

for one thousand dinars? He answered: Nay, never will I exchange it,

though the world and all that is therein be given me! Then Sadiq

remarked: How can he who possesses such a treasure be called poor?



This poverty and these riches, this abasement and glory, this dominion,

power, and the like, upon which the eyes and hearts of these vain and

foolish souls are set,--all these things fade into utter nothingness in

that Court! Even as He hath said: O men! Ye are but paupers in need of

God; but God is the Rich, the Self-Sufficing.(95) By 'riches' therefore

is meant independence of all else but God, and by 'poverty' the lack of

things that are of God.



Similarly, call thou to mind the day when the Jews, who had surrounded

Jesus, Son of Mary, were pressing Him to confess His claim of being the

Messiah and Prophet of God, so that they might declare Him an infidel and

sentence Him to death. Then, they led Him away, He Who was the Day-star of

the heaven of divine Revelation, unto Pilate and Caiaphas, who was the

leading divine of that age. The chief priests were all assembled in the

palace, also a multitude of people who had gathered to witness His

sufferings, to deride and injure Him. Though they repeatedly questioned

Him, hoping that He would confess His claim, yet Jesus held His peace and

spake not. Finally, an accursed of God arose and, approaching Jesus,

adjured Him saying: Didst thou not claim to be the Divine Messiah? Didst

thou not say, 'I am the King of Kings, My word is the Word of God, and I

am the breaker of the Sabbath day?' Thereupon Jesus lifted up His head

and said: Beholdest thou not the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of

power and might? These were His words, and yet consider how to outward

seeming He was devoid of all power except that inner power which was of

God and which had encompassed all that is in heaven and on earth. How can

I relate all that befell Him after He spoke these words? How shall I

describe their heinous behaviour towards Him? They at last heaped on His

blessed Person such woes that He took His flight unto the fourth Heaven.



It is also recorded in the Gospel according to St. Luke, that on a certain

day Jesus passed by a Jew who was sick of the palsy, and lay upon a couch.

When the Jew saw Him, he recognized Him, and cried out for His help. Jesus

said unto him: Arise from thy bed; thy sins are forgiven thee. Certain

of the Jews, standing by, protested saying: Who can forgive sins, but God

alone? And immediately He perceived their thoughts, Jesus answering said

unto them: Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, arise,

and take up thy bed, and walk; or to say, thy sins are forgiven thee? that

ye may know that the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins.(96)

This is the real sovereignty, and such is the power of God's chosen Ones!

All these things which We have repeatedly mentioned, and the details which

We have cited from divers sources, have no other purpose but to enable

thee to grasp the meaning of the allusions in the utterances of the chosen

Ones of God, lest certain of these utterances cause thy feet to falter and

thy heart to be dismayed.



Thus with steadfast steps we may tread the Path of certitude, that

perchance the breeze that bloweth from the meads of the good-pleasure of

God may waft upon us the sweet savours of divine acceptance, and cause us,

vanishing mortals that we are, to attain unto the Kingdom of everlasting

glory. Then wilt thou comprehend the inner meaning of sovereignty and the

like, spoken of in the traditions and scriptures. Furthermore, it is

already evident and known unto thee that those things to which the Jews

and the Christians have clung, and the cavilings which they heaped upon

the Beauty of Muhammad, the same have in this day been upheld by the

people of the Qur'an, and been witnessed in their denunciations of the

Point of the Bayan--may the souls of all that dwell within the kingdom of

divine Revelations be a sacrifice unto Him! Behold their folly: they utter

the self-same words, uttered by the Jews of old, and know it not! How well

and true are His words concerning them: Leave them to entertain

themselves with their cavilings!(97) As Thou livest, O Muhammad! they

are seized by the frenzy of their vain fancies.(98)



When the Unseen, the Eternal, the divine Essence, caused the Day-star of

Muhammad to rise above the horizon of knowledge, among the cavils which

the Jewish divines raised against Him was that after Moses no Prophet

should be sent of God. Yea, mention hath been made in the scriptures of a

Soul Who must needs be made manifest and Who will advance the Faith, and

promote the interests of the people, of Moses, so that the Law of the

Mosaic Dispensation may encompass the whole earth. Thus hath the King of

eternal glory referred in His Book to the words uttered by those wanderers

in the vale of remoteness and error: 'The hand of God,' say the Jews, 'is

chained up.' Chained up be their own hands! And for that which they have

said, they were accursed. Nay, outstretched are both His hands!(99) The

hand of God is above their hands.(100)



Although the commentators of the Qur'an have related in divers manners the

circumstances attending the revelation of this verse, yet thou shouldst

endeavour to apprehend the purpose thereof. He saith: How false is that

which the Jews have imagined! How can the hand of Him Who is the King in

truth, Who caused the countenance of Moses to be made manifest, and

conferred upon Him the robe of Prophethood--how can the hand of such a One

be chained and fettered? How can He be conceived as powerless to raise up

yet another Messenger after Moses? Behold the absurdity of their saying;

how far it hath strayed from the path of knowledge and understanding!

Observe how in this day also, all these people have occupied themselves

with such foolish absurdities. For over a thousand years they have been

reciting this verse, and unwittingly pronouncing their censure against the

Jews, utterly unaware that they themselves, openly and privily, are

voicing the sentiments and belief of the Jewish people! Thou art surely

aware of their idle contention, that all Revelation is ended, that the

portals of Divine mercy are closed, that from the day-springs of eternal

holiness no sun shall rise again, that the Ocean of everlasting bounty is

forever stilled, and that out of the Tabernacle of ancient glory the

Messengers of God have ceased to be made manifest. Such is the measure of

the understanding of these small-minded, contemptible people. These people

have imagined that the flow of God's all-encompassing grace and plenteous

mercies, the cessation of which no mind can contemplate, has been halted.

From every side they have risen and girded up the loins of tyranny, and

exerted the utmost endeavour to quench with the bitter waters of their

vain fancy the flame of God's burning Bush, oblivious that the globe of

power shall within its own mighty stronghold protect the Lamp of God. The

utter destitution into which this people have fallen doth surely suffice

them, inasmuch as they have been deprived of the recognition of the

essential Purpose and the knowledge of the Mystery and Substance of the

Cause of God. For the highest and most excelling grace bestowed upon men

is the grace of attaining unto the Presence of God and of His

recognition, which has been promised unto all people. This is the utmost

degree of grace vouchsafed unto man by the All-Bountiful, the Ancient of

Days, and the fulness of His absolute bounty upon His creatures. Of this

grace and bounty none of this people hath partaken, neither have they been

honoured with this most exalted distinction. How numerous are those

revealed verses which explicitly bear witness unto this most weighty truth

and exalted Theme! And yet they have rejected it, and, after their own

desire, misconstrued its meaning. Even as He hath revealed: As for those

who believe not in the signs of God, or that they shall ever meet Him,

these of My mercy shall despair, and for them doth a grievous chastisement

await.(101) Also He saith: They who bear in mind that they shall attain

unto the Presence of their Lord, and that unto Him shall they

return.(102) Also in another instance He saith: They who held it as

certain that they must meet God, said, 'How oft, by God's will, hath a

small host vanquished a numerous host!'(103) In yet another instance He

revealeth: Let him then who hopeth to attain the presence of his Lord

work a righteous work.(104) And also He saith: He ordereth all things.

He maketh His signs clear, that ye may have firm faith in attaining the

presence of your Lord.(105)



This people have repudiated all these verses, that unmistakably testify to

the reality of attainment unto the Divine Presence. No theme hath been

more emphatically asserted in the holy scriptures. Notwithstanding, they

have deprived themselves of this lofty and most exalted rank, this supreme

and glorious station. Some have contended that by attainment unto the

Divine Presence is meant the Revelation of God in the Day of

Resurrection. Should they assert that the Revelation of God signifieth a

Universal Revelation, it is clear and evident that such revelation

already existeth in all things. The truth of this We have already

established, inasmuch as We have demonstrated that all things are the

recipients and revealers of the splendours of that ideal King, and that

the signs of the revelation of that Sun, the Source of all splendour,

exist and are manifest in the mirrors of beings. Nay, were man to gaze

with the eye of divine and spiritual discernment, he will readily

recognize that nothing whatsoever can exist without the revelation of the

splendour of God, the ideal King. Consider how all created things

eloquently testify to the revelation of that inner Light within them.

Behold how within all things the portals of the Ridvan of God are opened,

that seekers may attain the cities of understanding and wisdom, and enter

the gardens of knowledge and power. Within every garden they will behold

the mystic bride of inner meaning enshrined within the chambers of

utterance in the utmost grace and fullest adornment. Most of the verses of

the Qur'an indicate, and bear witness to, this spiritual theme. The verse:

Neither is there aught which doth not celebrate His praise(106) is

eloquent testimony thereto; and We noted all things and wrote them

down,(107) a faithful witness thereof. Now, if by attainment unto the

Presence of God is meant attainment unto the knowledge of such

revelation, it is evident that all men have already attained unto the

presence of the unchangeable Countenance of that peerless King. Why, then,

restrict such revelation to the Day of Resurrection?



And were they to maintain that by divine Presence is meant the Specific

Revelation of God, expressed by certain Sufis as the Most Holy

Outpouring, if this be in the Essence Itself, it is evident that it hath

been eternally in the divine Knowledge. Assuming the truth of this

hypothesis, attainment unto the divine Presence is in this sense

obviously possible to no one, inasmuch as this revelation is confined to

the innermost Essence, unto which no man can attain. The way is barred,

and all seeking rejected. The minds of the favourites of heaven, however

high they soar, can never attain this station, how much less the

understanding of obscured and limited minds.



And were they to say that by divine Presence is meant the Secondary

Revelation of God, interpreted as the Holy Outpouring, this is

admittedly applicable to the world of creation, that is, in the realm of

the primal and original manifestation of God. Such revelation is confined

to His Prophets and chosen Ones, inasmuch as none mightier than they hath

come to exist in the world of being. This truth all recognize, and bear

witness thereto. These Prophets and chosen Ones of God are the recipients

and revealers of all the unchangeable attributes and names of God. They

are the mirrors that truly and faithfully reflect the light of God.

Whatsoever is applicable to them is in reality applicable to God, Himself,

Who is both the Visible and the Invisible. The knowledge of Him, Who is

the Origin of all things, and attainment unto Him, are impossible save

through knowledge of, and attainment unto, these luminous Beings who

proceed from the Sun of Truth. By attaining, therefore, to the presence of

these holy Luminaries, the Presence of God Himself is attained. From

their knowledge, the knowledge of God is revealed, and from the light of

their countenance, the splendour of the Face of God is made manifest.

Through the manifold attributes of these Essences of Detachment, Who are

both the first and the last, the seen and the hidden, it is made evident

that He Who is the Sun of Truth is the First and the Last, the Seen, and

the Hidden.(108) Likewise the other lofty names and exalted attributes of

God. Therefore, whosoever, and in whatever Dispensation, hath recognized

and attained unto the presence of these glorious, these resplendent and

most excellent Luminaries, hath verily attained unto the Presence of God

Himself, and entered the city of eternal and immortal life. Attainment

unto such presence is possible only in the Day of Resurrection, which is

the Day of the rise of God Himself through His all-embracing Revelation.



This is the meaning of the Day of Resurrection, spoken of in all the

scriptures, and announced unto all people. Reflect, can a more precious, a

mightier, and more glorious day than this be conceived, so that man should

willingly forego its grace, and deprive himself of its bounties, which

like unto vernal showers are raining from the heaven of mercy upon all

mankind? Having thus conclusively demonstrated that no day is greater than

this Day, and no revelation more glorious than this Revelation, and having

set forth all these weighty and infallible proofs which no understanding

mind can question, and no man of learning overlook, how can man possibly,

through the idle contention of the people of doubt and fancy, deprive

himself of such a bountiful grace? Have they not heard the well-known

tradition: When the Qa'im riseth, that day is the Day of Resurrection?

In like manner, the Imams, those unquenchable lights of divine guidance,

have interpreted the verse: What can such expect but that God should come

down to them overshadowed with clouds,(109)--a sign which they have

unquestionably regarded as one of the features of the Day of

Resurrection--as referring to Qa'im and His manifestation.



Strive, therefore, O my brother, to grasp the meaning of Resurrection,

and cleanse thine ears from the idle sayings of these rejected people.

Shouldst thou step into the realm of complete detachment, thou wilt

readily testify that no day is mightier than this Day, and that no

resurrection more awful than this Resurrection can ever be conceived. One

righteous work performed in this Day, equalleth all the virtuous acts

which for myriads of centuries men have practised--nay, We ask forgiveness

of God for such a comparison! For verily the reward which such a deed

deserveth is immensely beyond and above the estimate of men. Inasmuch as

these undiscerning and wretched souls have failed to apprehend the true

meaning of Resurrection and of the attainment unto the divine

Presence, they therefore have remained utterly deprived of the grace

thereof. Although the sole and fundamental purpose of all learning, and

the toil and labour thereof, is attainment unto, and the recognition of,

this station, yet they are all immersed in the pursuit of their material

studies. They deny themselves every moment of leisure, and utterly ignore

Him, Who is the Essence of all learning, and the one Object of their

quest! Methinks, their lips have never touched the cup of divine

Knowledge, nor do they seem to have attained even a dewdrop of the showers

of heavenly grace.



Consider, how can he that faileth in the day of God's Revelation to attain

unto the grace of the Divine Presence and to recognize His

Manifestation, be justly called learned, though he may have spent aeons in

the pursuit of knowledge, and acquired all the limited and material

learning of men? It is surely evident that he can in no wise be regarded

as possessed of true knowledge. Whereas, the most unlettered of all men,

if he be honoured with this supreme distinction, he verily is accounted as

one of those divinely-learned men whose knowledge is of God; for such a

man hath attained the acme of knowledge, and hath reached the furthermost

summit of learning.



This station is also one of the signs of the Day of Revelation; even as it

is said: The abased amongst you, He shall exalt; and they that are

exalted, He shall abase. And likewise, He hath revealed in the Qur'an:

And We desire to show favour to those who were brought low in the land,

and to make them spiritual leaders among men, and to make of them Our

heirs.(110) It hath been witnessed in this day how many of the divines,

owing to their rejection of the Truth, have fallen into, and abide within,

the uttermost depths of ignorance, and whose names have been effaced from

the scroll of the glorious and learned. And how many of the ignorant who,

by reason of their acceptance of the Faith, have soared aloft and attained

the high summit of knowledge, and whose names have been inscribed by the

Pen of Power upon the Tablet of divine Knowledge. Thus, What He pleaseth

will God abrogate or confirm: for with Him is the Source of

Revelation.(111) Therefore, it hath been said: To seek evidence, when

the Proof hath been established is but an unseemly act, and to be busied

with the pursuit of knowledge when the Object of all learning hath been

attained is truly blameworthy. Say O people of the earth! Behold this

flamelike Youth that speedeth across the limitless profound of the Spirit,

heralding unto you the tidings: Lo: the Lamp of God is shining, and

summoning you to heed His Cause which, though hidden beneath the veils of

ancient splendour, shineth in the land of 'Iraq above the day-spring of

eternal holiness.



O my friend, were the bird of thy mind to explore the heavens of the

Revelation of the Qur'an, were it to contemplate the realm of divine

knowledge unfolded therein, thou wouldst assuredly find unnumbered doors

of knowledge set open before thee. Thou wouldst certainly recognize that

all these things which have in this day hindered this people from

attaining the shores of the ocean of eternal grace, the same things in the

Muhammadan Dispensation prevented the people of that age from recognizing

that divine Luminary, and from testifying to His truth. Thou wilt also

apprehend the mysteries of return and revelation, and wilt securely

abide within the loftiest chambers of certitude and assurance.



And it came to pass that on a certain day a number of the opponents of

that peerless Beauty, those that had strayed far from God's imperishable

Sanctuary, scornfully spoke these words unto Muhammad: Verily, God hath

entered into a covenant with us that we are not to credit an apostle until

he present us a sacrifice which fire out of heaven shall devour.(112) The

purport of this verse is that God hath covenanted with them that they

should not believe in any messenger unless he work the miracle of Abel and

Cain, that is, offer a sacrifice, and the fire from heaven consume it;

even as they had heard it recounted in the story of Abel, which story is

recorded in the scriptures. To this, Muhammad, answering, said: Already

have Apostles before me come to you with sure testimonies, and with that

of which ye speak. Wherefore slew ye them? Tell me, if ye are men of

truth.(113) And now, be fair; How could those people living in the days

of Muhammad have existed, thousands of years before, in the age of Adam or

other Prophets? Why should Muhammad, that Essence of truthfulness, have

charged the people of His day with the murder of Abel or other Prophets?

Thou hast none other alternative except to regard Muhammad as an impostor

or a fool--which God forbid!--or to maintain that those people of wickedness

were the self-same people who in every age opposed and caviled at the

Prophets and Messengers of God, till they finally caused them all to

suffer martyrdom.



Ponder this in thine heart, that the sweet gales of divine knowledge,

blowing from the meads of mercy, may waft upon thee the fragrance of the

Beloved's utterance, and cause thy soul to attain the Ridvan of

understanding. As the wayward of every age have failed to fathom the

deeper import of these weighty and pregnant utterances, and imagined the

answer of the Prophets of God to be irrelevant to the questions they asked

them, they therefore have attributed ignorance and folly to those Essences

of knowledge and understanding.



Likewise, Muhammad, in another verse, uttereth His protest against the

people of that age. He saith: Although they had before prayed for victory

over those who believed not, yet when there came unto them, He of Whom

they had knowledge, they disbelieved in Him. The curse of God on the

infidels!(114) Reflect how this verse also implieth that the people

living in the days of Muhammad were the same people who in the days of the

Prophets of old contended and fought in order to promote the Faith, and

teach the Cause, of God. And yet, how could the generations living at the

time of Jesus and Moses, and those who lived in the days of Muhammad, be

regarded as being actually one and the same people? Moreover, those whom

they had formerly known were Moses, the Revealer of the Pentateuch, and

Jesus, the Author of the Gospel. Notwithstanding, why did Muhammad say:

When He of Whom they had knowledge came unto them--that is Jesus or

Moses--they disbelieved in Him? Was not Muhammad to outward seeming

called by a different name? Did He not come forth out of a different city?

Did He not speak a different language, and reveal a different Law? How

then can the truth of this verse be established, and its meaning be made

clear?



Strive therefore to comprehend the meaning of return which hath been so

explicitly revealed in the Qur'an itself, and which none hath as yet

understood. What sayest thou? If thou sayest that Muhammad was the

return of the Prophets of old, as is witnessed by this verse, His

Companions must likewise be the return of the bygone Companions, even as

the return of the former people is clearly attested by the text of the

above-mentioned verses. And if thou deniest this, thou hast surely

repudiated the truth of the Qur'an, the surest testimony of God unto men.

In like manner, endeavour to grasp the significance of return,

revelation, and resurrection, as witnessed in the days of the

Manifestations of the divine Essence, that thou mayest behold with thine

own eyes the return of the holy souls into sanctified and illumined

bodies, and mayest wash away the dust of ignorance, and cleanse the

darkened self with the waters of mercy flowing from the Source of divine

Knowledge; that perchance thou mayest, through the power of God and the

light of divine guidance, distinguish the Morn of everlasting splendour

from the darksome night of error.



Furthermore, it is evident to thee that the Bearers of the trust of God

are made manifest unto the peoples of the earth as the Exponents of a new

Cause and the Bearers of a new Message. Inasmuch as these Birds of the

Celestial Throne are all sent down from the heaven of the Will of God, and

as they all arise to proclaim His irresistible Faith, they therefore are

regarded as one soul and the same person. For they all drink fro