> attentive to the Divine counsels which have shone forth from the Day

Spring of the Pen of the All-Merciful, and hearkened unto His Voice, most

of the peoples of the earth would have by now been adorned with the

ornament of His guidance. What had been pre-ordained, however, hath come

to pass.



Once again doth the Tongue of the Ancient of Days reveal, while in this

Most Great Prison, these words which are recorded in this snow-white

Scroll: O ye the beloved of the one true God! Pass beyond the narrow

retreats of your evil and corrupt desires, and advance into the vast

immensity of the realm of God, and abide ye in the meads of sanctity and

of detachment, that the fragrance of your deeds may lead the whole of

mankind to the ocean of God's unfading glory. Forbear ye from concerning

yourselves with the affairs of this world and all that pertaineth unto it,

or from meddling with the activities of those who are its outward leaders.



The one true God, exalted be His glory, hath bestowed the government of

the earth upon the kings. To none is given the right to act in any manner

that would run counter to the considered views of them who are in

authority. That which He hath reserved for Himself are the cities of men's

hearts; and of these the loved ones of Him Who is the Sovereign Truth are,

in this Day, as the keys. Please God they may, one and all, be enabled to

unlock, through the power of the Most Great Name, the gates of these

cities. This is what is meant by aiding the one true God--a theme to which

the Pen of Him Who causeth the dawn to break hath referred in all His

Books and Tablets.



It behoveth, likewise, the loved ones of God to be forbearing towards

their fellow-men, and to be so sanctified and detached from all things,

and to evince such sincerity and fairness, that all the peoples of the

earth may recognize them as the trustees of God amongst men. Consider to

what lofty heights the injunctions of the Almighty have soared, and how

abject is the habitation wherein these feeble souls are now abiding.

Blessed are they who, on the wings of certitude, have flown in the heavens

which the Pen of thy Lord, the All-Merciful, hath spread.



Behold, O _Dh_abih, the works which God, the Sovereign Truth, hath

wrought. Say thou: How great, how very great, is the power of His might

that encompasseth all worlds! Exalted, immeasurably exalted, is His

detachment above the reach and ken of the entire creation! Glorified,

glorified be His meekness--a meekness that hath melted the hearts of them

that have been brought nigh unto God!



Though afflicted with countless tribulations, which We have suffered at

the hands of Our enemies, We have proclaimed unto all the rulers of the

earth what God hath willed to proclaim, that all nations may know that no

manner of affliction can deter the Pen of the Ancient of Days from

achieving its purpose. His Pen moveth by the leave of God, Who fashioneth

the crumbling and rotten bones.



Considering this most mighty enterprise, it beseemeth them that love Him

to gird up the loins of their endeavor, and to fix their thoughts on

whatever will ensure the victory of the cause of God, rather than commit

vile and contemptible deeds. Wert thou to consider, for but a little

while, the outward works and doings of Him Who is the Eternal Truth, thou

wouldst fall down upon the ground, and exclaim: O Thou Who art the Lord of

Lords! I testify that Thou art the Lord of all creation, and the Educator

of all beings, visible and invisible. I bear witness that Thy power hath

encompassed the entire universe, and that the hosts of the earth can never

dismay Thee, nor can the dominion of all peoples and nations deter Thee

from executing Thy purpose. I confess that Thou hast no desire except the

regeneration of the whole world, and the establishment of the unity of its

peoples, and the salvation of all them that dwell therein.



Reflect a while, and consider how they who are the loved ones of God must

conduct themselves, and to what heights they must soar. Beseech thou, at

all times, thy Lord, the God of Mercy, to aid them to do what He willeth.

He, verily, is the Most Powerful, the All-Glorious, the All-Knowing.



The imprisonment inflicted on this wronged One, O _Dh_abih, did to Him no

harm nor can it ever do so; nor can the loss of all His earthly goods, His

exile, or even His martyrdom and outward humiliation, do Him any hurt.

That which can hurt Him are the evil deeds which the beloved of God

commit, and which they impute to Him Who is the Sovereign Truth. This is

the affliction from which I suffer, and to this He, Himself, Who is potent

over all things, beareth Me witness. That which hath sorely hurt Me are

the claims which the people of the Bayan are advancing every day. Some

have proclaimed their allegiance to one of My Branches (Sons), while

others have asserted independently their claims, and acted after their own

desires.



O _Dh_abih! The Tongue of Grandeur saith: By Myself that speaketh the

truth! In this most mighty Revelation all the Dispensations of the past

have attained their highest and final consummation. Whoso layeth claim to

a Revelation after Him, 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. He, verily, is the Almighty, the Most Powerful.



Behold how the people of the Bayan have utterly failed to recognize that

the sole object of whatsoever My Previous Manifestation and Harbinger of

My Beauty hath revealed hath been My Revelation and the proclamation of My

Cause. Never--and to this He Who is the Sovereign Truth beareth Me

witness--would He have, but for Me, pronounced what He did pronounce.

Witness how this foolish people have treated the Cause of Him Who is the

All-Possessing, the Inaccessible, as a play and pastime! Their hearts

devise each day a new device, and their fancy leadeth them to seek a fresh

retreat. If what they say be true, how then can the stability of the Cause

of thy Lord be ensured? Ponder this in thine heart, and be thou of them

who are sharp-sighted, who scan heedfully, who are steadfast in their

purpose and confident in their belief. Such should be thy certitude that

if all mankind were to advance such claims as no man hath ever advanced,

or any mind conceived, thou wouldst completely ignore them, wouldst cast

them from thee, and would set thy face towards Him Who is the Object of

the adoration of all worlds.



By the righteousness of Mine own Self! Great, immeasurably great is this

Cause! Mighty, inconceivably mighty is this Day! Blessed indeed is the man

that hath forsaken all things, and fastened his eyes upon Him Whose face

hath shed illumination upon all who are in the heavens and all who are on

the earth.



Sharp must be thy sight, O _Dh_abih, and adamant thy soul, and brass-like

thy feet, if thou wishest to be unshaken by the assaults of the selfish

desires that whisper in men's breasts. This is the firm injunction which

the Pen of the Most Great Name hath, by virtue of the Will of the Ancient

King, been moved to reveal. Keep it as the apple of thine eye, and be thou

of the thankful. Strive thou day and night to serve the Cause of Him Who

is the Eternal Truth, and be thou detached from all else but Him. By

Myself! Whatever thou seest in this Day shall perish. Supremely lofty will

be thy station, if thou remainest steadfast in the Cause of thy Lord.

Towards Him are thy busy movements directed, and in Him is thy final

resting-place.