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attributes in the realm of creation. Through Him hath appeared that which

had been hidden from time immemorial and been veiled from the eyes of men.

He is the One Whose Manifestation was announced by the heavenly

Scriptures, in former times and more recently. Whoso acknowledgeth belief

in Him and in His signs and testimonies hath in truth acknowledged that

which the Tongue of Grandeur uttered ere the creation of earth and heaven

and the revelation of the Kingdom of Names. Through Him the ocean of

knowledge hath surged amidst mankind and the river of divine wisdom hath

gushed out at the behest of God, the Lord of Days.



Well is it with the man of discernment who hath recognized and perceived

the Truth, and the one possessed of a hearing ear who hath hearkened unto

His sweet Voice, and the hand that hath received His Book with such

resolve as is born of God, the Lord of this world and of the next, and the

earnest wayfarer who hath hastened unto His glorious Horizon, and the one

endued with strength whom neither the overpowering might of the rulers,

nor the tumult raised by the leaders of religion hath been able to shake.

And woe betide him who hath rejected the grace of God and His bounty, and

hath denied His tender mercy and authority; such a man is indeed reckoned

with those who have throughout eternity repudiated the testimony of God

and His proof.



Great is the blessedness of him who hath in this Day cast away the things

current amongst men and hath clung unto that which is ordained by God, the

Lord of Names and the Fashioner of all created things, He Who is come from

the heaven of eternity through the power of the Most Great Name, invested

with so invincible an authority that all the powers of the earth are

unable to withstand Him. Unto this beareth witness the Mother Book,

calling from the Most Sublime Station.



O 'Ali-Akbar!(9) We have repeatedly heard thy voice and have responded to

thee with that which the praise of all mankind can never rival; from which

the sincere ones inhale the sweet savours of the sayings of the

All-Merciful, and His true lovers perceive the fragrance of heavenly

reunion, and the sore athirst discover the murmuring of the water that is

life indeed. Blessed the man who hath attained thereto and hath recognized

that which is at this moment being diffused from the Pen of God, the Help

in Peril, the Almighty, the All-Bountiful.



We testify that thou hast set thy face towards God and travelled far until

thou didst attain His presence and gavest ear unto the Voice of this

Wronged One, Who hath been cast into prison through the misdeeds of those

who have disbelieved in the signs and testimonies of God and have denied

this heavenly grace through which the whole world hath been made to shine.

Blessed thy face, for it hath turned unto Him, and thine ear, for it hath

heard His Voice, and thy tongue, for it hath celebrated the praise of God,

the Lord of lords. We pray God to graciously aid thee to become a standard

for the promotion of His Cause and to enable thee to draw nigh unto Him at

all times and under all conditions.



The chosen ones of God and His loved ones in that land are remembered by

Us, and We give them the joyful tidings of that which hath been sent down

in their honour from the Kingdom of the utterance of their Lord, the

sovereign Ruler of the Day of Reckoning. Make mention of Me to them and

illumine them with the resplendent glory of Mine utterance. Verily thy

Lord is the Gracious, the Bountiful.



O thou who dost magnify My praise! Give ear unto that which the people of

tyranny ascribe unto Me in My days. Some of them say: 'He hath laid claim

to divinity'; others say: 'He hath devised a lie against God'; still

others say: 'He is come to foment sedition'. Base and wretched are they.

Lo! They are, in truth, enslaved to idle imaginings.



We shall now cease using the eloquent language.(10) Truly thy Lord is the

Potent, the Unconstrained. We would fain speak in the Persian tongue that

perchance the people of Persia, one and all, may become aware of the

utterances of the merciful Lord, and come forth to discover the Truth.



The first Tajalli which hath dawned from the Day-Star of Truth is the

knowledge of God--exalted be His glory. And the knowledge of the King of

everlasting days can in no wise be attained save by recognizing Him Who is

the Bearer of the Most Great Name. He is, in truth, the Speaker on Sinai

Who is now seated upon the throne of Revelation. He is the Hidden Mystery

and the Treasured Symbol. All the former and latter Books of God are

adorned with His praise and extol His glory. Through Him the standard of

knowledge hath been planted in the world and the ensign of the oneness of

God hath been unfurled amidst all peoples. Attainment unto the Divine

Presence can be realized solely by attaining His presence. Through His

potency everything that hath, from time immemorial, been veiled and

hidden, is now revealed. He is made manifest through the power of Truth

and hath uttered a Word whereby all that are in the heavens and on the

earth have been dumbfounded, except those whom the Almighty was pleased to

exempt. True belief in God and recognition of Him cannot be complete save

by acceptance of that which He hath revealed and by observance of

whatsoever hath been decreed by Him and set down in the Book by the Pen of

Glory.



They that immerse themselves in the ocean of His utterances should at all

times have the utmost regard for the divinely-revealed ordinances and

prohibitions. Indeed His ordinances constitute the mightiest stronghold

for the protection of the world and the safeguarding of its peoples--a

light upon those who acknowledge and recognize the truth, and a fire unto

such as turn away and deny.



The second Tajalli is to remain steadfast in the Cause of God--exalted be

His glory--and to be unswerving in His love. And this can in no wise be

attained except through full recognition of Him; and full recognition

cannot be obtained save by faith in the blessed words: 'He doeth

whatsoever He willeth.' Whoso tenaciously cleaveth unto this sublime word

and drinketh deep from the living waters of utterance which are inherent

therein, will be imbued with such a constancy that all the books of the

world will be powerless to deter him from the Mother Book. O how glorious

is this sublime station, this exalted rank, this ultimate purpose!



O 'Ali-Akbar! Consider how abject is the state of the disbelievers. They

all give utterance to the words: 'Verily He is to be praised in His deeds

and is to be obeyed in His behest.' Nevertheless if We reveal aught which,

even to the extent of a needle's eye, runneth counter to their selfish

ways and desires, they will disdainfully reject it. Say, none can ever

fathom the manifold exigencies of God's consummate wisdom. In truth, were

He to pronounce the earth to be heaven, no one hath the right to question

His authority. This is that whereunto the Point of the Bayan hath

testified in all that was sent down unto Him with truth at the behest of

God, He Who hath caused the Dawn to break.



The third Tajalli is concerning arts, crafts and sciences. Knowledge is as

wings to man's life, and a ladder for his ascent. Its acquisition is

incumbent upon everyone. The knowledge of such sciences, however, should

be acquired as can profit the peoples of the earth, and not those which

begin with words and end with words. Great indeed is the claim of

scientists and craftsmen on the peoples of the world. Unto this beareth

witness the Mother Book on the day of His return. Happy are those

possessed of a hearing ear. In truth, knowledge is a veritable treasure

for man, and a source of glory, of bounty, of joy, of exaltation, of cheer

and gladness unto him. Thus hath the Tongue of Grandeur spoken in this

Most Great Prison.



The fourth Tajalli is concerning Divinity, Godhead and the like. Were a

man of insight to direct his gaze towards the blessed, the manifest

Lote-Tree and its fruits, he would be so enriched thereby as to be

independent of aught else and to acknowledge his belief in that which the

Speaker on Sinai hath uttered from the throne of Revelation.



O 'Ali-Akbar! Acquaint the people with the holy verses of thy Lord and

make known unto them His straight Path, His mighty Announcement.



Say: O people, if ye judge fairly and equitably, ye will testify to the

truth of whatsoever hath streamed forth from the Most Exalted Pen. If ye

be of the people of the Bayan, the Persian Bayan will guide you aright and

will prove a sufficient testimony unto you; and if ye be of the people of

the Qur'an, ponder ye upon the Revelation on Sinai and the Voice from the

Bush which came unto the Son of 'Imran [Moses].



Gracious God! It was intended that at the time of the manifestation of the

One true God the faculty of recognizing Him would have been developed and

matured and would have reached its culmination. However, it is now clearly

demonstrated that in the disbelievers this faculty hath remained

undeveloped and hath, indeed, degenerated.



O 'Ali! That which they accepted from the Bush they now refuse to accept

from Him Who is the Tree of the world of existence. Say, O people of the

Bayan, speak not according to the dictates of passion and selfish desire.

Most of the peoples of the earth attest the truth of the blessed Word

which hath come forth from the Bush.



By the righteousness of God! But for the anthem of praise voiced by Him

Who heralded the divine Revelation, this Wronged One would never have

breathed a word which might have struck terror into the hearts of the

ignorant and caused them to perish. Dwelling on the glorification of Him

Whom God shall make manifest--exalted be His Manifestation--the Bab in the

beginning of the Bayan saith: 'He is the One Who shall proclaim under all

conditions, Verily, verily, I am God, no God is there but Me, the Lord of

all created things. In truth all others except Me are My creatures. O, My

creatures! Me alone do ye worship.' Likewise in another instance He,

magnifying the Name of Him Who shall be made manifest, saith: 'I would be

the first to adore Him.' Now it behoveth one to reflect upon the

significance of the 'Adorer' and the 'Adored One', that perchance the

people of the earth may partake of a dewdrop from the ocean of divine

knowledge and may be enabled to perceive the greatness of this Revelation.

Verily, He hath appeared and hath unloosed His tongue to proclaim the

Truth. Well is it with him who doth acknowledge and recognize the truth,

and woe betide the froward and the wayward.



O kindreds of the earth! Incline your ears unto the Voice from the divine

Lote-Tree which overshadoweth the world and be not of the people of

tyranny on earth--men who have repudiated the Manifestation of God and His

invincible authority and have renounced His favours--they in truth are

reckoned with the contemptible in the Book of God, the Lord of all

mankind.



The Glory which hath dawned above the horizon of My tender mercy rest upon

thee and upon whosoever is with thee and giveth ear to thy words

concerning the Cause of God, the Almighty, the All-Praised.