BB00019: Sahifa Baynu’l-Haramayn (Epistle between the Two Shrines)

Introduction

In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate

This is a Book which hath been sent down upon the Holy Land between the Two Sanctuaries [baynu’l-Haramayn] from One Who is All-Wise, All-Knowing, and hath been expounded by the hand of the Remembrance. This is the Path of God in the heavens and on earth, in response to the supplication of the seeker Haji Siyyid Ali-i-Kirmani, in seven decisive verses by God’s leave according to a clear measure, that the believers might know the Most Exalted Word in the Seven Oft-repeated Verses and the Mighty Qur’an, by thy Lord’s leave, upon the pages of that Scroll in this noble Scene, until the observers have witnessed those verses sent down from the Tree of Sinai—God’s conclusive proof unto the peoples of both worlds—that all might enter through the Gate of the Letters upon clear evidence from God, verily the Manifest Truth.

The perishing ones shall perish by thy Lord’s decree through this pure water between these two seas, and the saved ones shall be saved through the Word of the Book by drinking this camphor-like water from these two rivers—one sweet and pleasant to drink, the other salt and bitter, God’s retribution upon the idolaters—that all creation might attain certitude regarding the decree of this Scroll inscribed between the Two Sanctuaries, the Word of Certitude from God upon clear tablets.

O ye who stand! Bear witness before God concerning the decree of that mighty Word—which of the two parties is more deserving of security, if ye be truthful in God’s religion? O peoples of the heavens and earth! Hearken unto the decree of the Remnant of God and ask what ye wish concerning the decree of the Two Sanctuaries and the Twin Veils and the Upright Line between the worlds from the paths of truth from Him Who maketh mention of your Lord’s name, this Arabian Youth, for the Spirit doth aid him at all times by God’s leave, and God is the Strong, the Mighty.

Know, O people, God’s decree from Me, for verily the Son of God’s Messenger hath knowledge of Divine Unity and all attributes from the paths of limitation and glory. Fear ye God in whatsoever ye desire, for God knoweth the unseen of the heavens and earth, and mankind shall be questioned concerning the remembrance of God. Fear God, O people of understanding, if it be Him ye worship. No hidden thing is there in the heavens or earth but We have recorded it in a preserving Book. Say: God sufficeth as a witness, and he who possesseth knowledge of the Book, concerning the mention of God’s name. None knoweth the interpretation of what hath been sent down unto thee in that Book save God and whomsoever God willeth. There is no God but Him, and He hath power over all things.

O people! Fear ye God and dispute not about the verses of the Book without knowledge from Our presence or a preserving Book. Say: Hath God permitted you to cast falsehood upon Me without authority from the Qur’an? Then ask the people of remembrance about the interpretation of the verses if ye know not. Those who fabricate lies about Him Who maketh mention of God’s name—these are the wrongdoers. Say: I have not answered thy supplication save through the word of grace upon thy Lord’s path in wisdom. Fear God—He will teach thee what thou comprehendest not. Then do good upon this straight path, that thou mayest be recorded in the decree of the Book. Those who dispute about Our signs without knowledge of the Qur’an—these are the liars.

They who falsely fabricate lies about the Word of God, upon them has been decreed the word of torment, and verily their abode shall be the fire, and they shall have no protector nor helper on the Day of Resurrection. And We send down unto them from thy presence no sign except that it is, in the judgment of the Book, greater than its predecessor. Thus does God expound His verses that perchance men may believe in the meeting with their Lord. Yet We found most men believing in God only to scoff at His signs. God shall soon guide those who have believed in Our signs and establish them upon a straight path. These are among the tidings of the unseen which We reveal unto thee that perchance men may believe in the signs of God.

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate

All praise be to God Who is one in might, unique in grandeur, sanctified in glory, and exalted in praise. There is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Most High. O God, I bear witness before Thee in this station upon this sacred earth between Thy sacred House and the sanctuary of Thy beloved Muhammad, the Messenger of God—Thy blessings be upon him and his family as Thou lovest for Thyself—that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone without partner, and Thou art the Most High, the Great. And I bear witness for the people of Thy love as Thou lovest at the dawning-place of their remembrance before Thy presence, and Thou art witness over all things. And I bear witness on this night, the first night of the sacred month, the month of God wherein were slain the glorification and praise and the letters of unity and magnification through the slaying of Thy proof, son of Thy proof, Abu Abdullah Husayn, and the first hour of the new year, the year 1261 after the sacred Hajj, by that which Thy knowledge hath encompassed for the people of creation and what Thou lovest from them. Verily Thou art the Mighty, the Wise.

O God, Thou knowest what verses of the Book I have sent down by Thy leave unto the people of Thy love, and none believe in them save those who have fulfilled Thy covenant and feared Thy justice, while the idolaters deny without understanding. These ones claim that after rejection there remains for them a judgment from the Book—exalted be God above what they describe! Glory be unto Thee, O my God! Verily Thou knowest their station among those who deserve Thy judgment, so judge between me and them with justice, for Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, just in judgment and self-subsisting in essence. There is nothing like unto Thee, and Thou art the Great, the Most High.

O my God! Thou knowest my station on this night wherein all created things have donned the garment of sorrow for the rising of the moon in this sacred month, upon that slaying of the son of Thy friend.

And verily a servant among Thy servants was asked about verses from a soul and verses from himself, after he had seen the verses of Thy Book, and he denied, following vain desires beyond his knowledge’s compass. Verily Thou art powerful over all things and knoweth them. Answer me, O my God, and inspire me with Thy remembrance, for Thou art the Forgiving, the Loving. I have answered Thy command, O my God, by what Thou hast taught me in the creative Word, that the believers might know in the judgment of the verses of Thy answer the Word of the Criterion, and God encompasses all from behind; nay, it is a glorious Qur’an in a preserved tablet.

And let the unitarians witness in the verses of Thy servant the Word of the Book: “and We have numbered all things in the Manifest Imam,” when the believers entered through the gate of Thy Sacred House according to what was revealed in the Qur’an aforetime: “Enter the gate with prostrations, and say ʿRemission!’ We shall forgive you your sins, and shall increase (the portion of) those who do good.”

Glorified be God Who hath expounded the verses of His Remembrance in the realities of all things, lest any soul should be remote from the Dawning-Place of His Remembrance in aught, for God is powerful and mighty. The people of the Furqan, upon the revelation of His Book, have said what the idolaters said before, and thou shalt find no alteration in God’s way in aught, nor shall men find any change in the Word.

Chapter One: Concerning the first verse

O God! I testify unto Thee by what I said in the Sacred Mosque, nigh unto the Sacred House of the Ka’bah, to the questioner concerning those verses that were revealed aforetime unto Thy Beloved Muhammad in the Qur’an: “If anyone disputes in this matter with thee, now after knowledge hath come to thee, say: ʿCome! Let us gather together our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves: Then let us earnestly pray, and invoke the curse of God on those who lie!”’ By Thy truth, besides which there is no God, Thy servant was not accepted, and God sufficeth as a witness.

O thou all-encompassing questioner! Did I not say unto thee in the Sacred Mosque, facing the Ka’bah from the western corner, at thy place before the pulpit, on the night of the middle of the sacred month of pilgrimage, after three hours had passed from the beginning of the night:

“Accept my supplication and arise to mutual imprecation with me at the Corner near the Black Stone, concerning that which all the people of the earth had beforetime denied of My Covenant, until God judge between us with truth”

- and God is well aware of what I say.

Then did I not say unto thee again those same words in the Sacred Mosque between the pulpit and the Station, facing the Ka’bah—and God is guardian over what I say. Then did I not say unto thee in the house at Mecca, the seat of truth, those words a third time, yet thou didst not perceive the Command of God—and God is witness over what I say. And thine own self sufficeth this day as a witness to what We have revealed unto thee in this Book.

What availeth pilgrimage without the decree of the House? And what are Mina and Arafat and the forenoon and the circumambulation and the seven circuits between Safa and Marwah, and what is lawful in the sacred precincts, and what is the decree concerning the two white stones, except by God’s leave? And God is mighty, wise. These verses are symbols in thy Lord’s Book that thou mayest learn God’s decree in truth and be of them that attain. During the days I was with thee in the House, I desired naught save thy Lord’s decree, and thou shalt not find in thy days any beloved for thyself apart from the mention of the name of God, thy Lord. Draw nigh unto Me as came they who preceded thee in truth, and fear not, for God doth never cause to perish the reward of the doers of good. Recite unto thyself the first question from thy Lord’s Book—“There is none to change” His decree, and “Thou shalt find no refuge besides Him.” “We send down of the Qur’an that which is a healing and a mercy to the believers, but it increaseth the wrongdoers only in loss.”

Hearken unto what I cast unto thee from thy Lord, the Mighty, the Wise. There is no God but Him. He hath detailed the ordinances of His Word in a Book aforetime in a clear Arabic tongue, that people may know that God hath sent down the verses of His proof through the tongue of His servant at all times, as an innovation, in such wise that in His judgment, were all people to band together, they would be powerless to produce the like of a single verse thereof.

O noble questioner! Behold with the eye of certitude: verily the Word of thy Lord doth not call people to obey His own command, but rather summoneth all unto that whereunto the Prophets and Messengers before Him have summoned them—to worship none but God alone with pure devotion to the true Faith, if Him ye do worship. Dost thou imagine that if thou turnest away from the command of thy Lord, any deed of truth would remain with thee? Glory be to God, thy Lord! The word of unity is not complete except through this Cause, for thy Lord God created it for naught else, didst thou but know with certain knowledge. Thou wouldst see polytheism in the verses of thy truth as clear as truth itself, then thou wouldst surely see it in the limited earth as clear as the eye can see. Therefore witness the judgment of God in what hath been conveyed to thee in that Book, for the servant of God summoneth the people unto the path of thy Lord only through wisdom, and verily the proof of God in a single letter of those verses sufficeth the peoples of the heavens and earth.

God hath taught me naught save what He willeth, and naught appeareth from Him wherein Satan’s word could find place. When God willeth, He maketh manifest through His Remembrance what hath been ordained for Him in the Book. Knowest thou of any proof in the contingent world greater than what the Spirit hath revealed to my heart by leave of the Remnant of God, after there had been sent down in the Book the word of inability for all the peoples of heaven and earth to bring forth the like thereof? Why do these people perceive naught save a little of God’s signs? Have any besides the Gates explained the signs of their path to God except through knowledge from the judgment of the Qur’an? Fear God, O ye who are endued with understanding, that ye may prosper!

O thou beloved one! Ask what thou willest of the paths of reward, for the Remembrance hath over mankind the word of questioning from His judgment, and upon necessity lieth not the word of answering, by the judgment of the Family of God—God’s peace be upon them—in the Book. God sufficeth Me as witness in all things. Verily, were God to will, He would manifest through His servant as He willeth, whatsoever He willeth. And I have willed naught in anything save what God, thy Lord, hath willed aforetime. There is no God but Him, and He is powerful over all things.

Verily the word of the polytheists that the verses were not a proof binding upon all—they have indeed fabricated a lie against God and denied God’s judgment in His Book, for God hath sent down in the Book the word of justice binding upon all, but the people know not.

Seest thou any flaw in the verses of God? Then look again: seest thou any weakness? Then look again: seest thou any hidden judgment? Then look again time after time by continuous leave. With each look vision returneth unto thee humbled, and God is All-Knowing, All-Aware.

Verily God hath sent down the verses for people who understand. None who are endowed with understanding shall be admonished by Our verses except through the decree of thy Lord, whilst most people are more astray than cattle according to the judgment of the Qur’an, yet most people perceive not. What aileth these people that they believe not in the signs of God save a little? Indeed these people, according to the judgment of the Qur’an, are as cattle—nay, more astray in their path.

And as for thy saying regarding the examples that some among the people are able to produce letters like unto the verses—glory be to God above what they associate! Say: Bring ye then ten chapters like unto it, forged, of manifest verses, if ye be truthful in the religion of God. And if ye do it not—and ye shall never do it—then believe in God and His signs. And if ye deny the signs of God, then verily God is independent of all the worlds. Verily those who call upon their own perverted desires instead of God shall never read a single letter from the Book of thy Lord, and they have denied the signs of thy Lord without encompassing them in knowledge. God shall soon efface what Satan casteth into their souls and establish His signs in the hearts of them that fear Him, and guide them unto a straight path.

And as for the word of thy secret that the verses do not establish thy heart upon the path—seek forgiveness of God thy Lord and recite unto thyself the Word of the Qur’an. And We have placed between thee and those who believe not in the Hereafter a hidden veil. And if God thy Lord had willed, He would have guided all mankind, but God punisheth not any people until He hath raised up among them a soul from among themselves to purify them through the signs of God and teach them the Book and wisdom, even though they were before in manifest error. And there was no argument at the mention of the name of God thy Lord except that it was greater than its predecessor from Our presence.

Thus hath God made clear His signs that perchance the people might believe in the meeting with their Lord. Fear ye God, for verily the earthquake of the Hour is a tremendous thing. No servant believeth in the mention of the name of thy Lord except that he hath laid aside every burden acquired improperly, and God thy Lord is witness over what I say. God hath indeed detailed the verses in that Book, yet people believe not in the signs of God save a few among the foremost. This is a message from the remembrance of God—whoso willeth, let him take unto God a way. If thou followest the decree of God it shall be for thyself, and if thou turnest away it shall be against it, and thy Lord is not unjust to His servants.

And as for the word of the speaker that he was not established by the verses—recite unto thee the Book of thy Lord according to that which was recited unto thee in the Sacred Mosque before thou present thyself in the sanctuary of Husayn, and call upon God thy Lord, Creator of all things, there is no God but He, that He may send down punishment upon those who forge lies against God and dispute concerning His signs without knowledge or a guarding Book. And if thou doest not what We recite unto thee in this leaf—fear God from the kindled fire that mounteth to the hearts. For when God’s term cometh thou shalt have no power over His decree, and verily the promise of God was in the Mother Book decreed. And indeed there hath been revealed in the Qur’an the decree concerning the servants of God who submit not to the decree from His chosen ones after the clear proof: Unto you be your religion and unto me be mine.

I have not forged a lie against the Truth, nor am I an unprecedented novelty among the Gates, nor yet was I far removed from humanity. By the Lord of the House! Thou shalt not find the place of repose; nay, with Me is the place of settlement, upon a secret—most hidden—of the knowledge of God within the ordinance of destiny.

I counsel thee, by God’s leave: do not tarry upon the Bridge for fifty thousand years unceasingly—for thou mayest deem it far, whereas I, verily, behold it near. Fear God, have mercy upon thine own soul, and enter, by God’s permission, the City of thy Lord; and say “Hittah,” after the manner that ʿAli taught His servant, Kumayl ibn Ziyad al-Nakha’i, upon a straight Path.

I shall, from this Gate, unveil the splendors of the proofs without allusion—what hath but now descended from the heart. But if thou desirest allusion, then meeting Him is forbidden thee, and thou wouldst, in God’s sight, be inscribed within the realm of limitation.

This is what hath been sent down unto thee from the Book of thy Lord, of that which thou didst ask from His servant. Take then what We have sent unto thee, and be of those who prostrate themselves.

Chapter Two: Concerning the second verse

As for the ruling on what the questioner hath heard from thy tongue concerning the path of the triad and the tetrad, and what—by thy Lord’s leave—issueth forth, upon a straight path, from the ordinances of the talismans: know with the knowledge of certainty, then recognize as the knowledge of certainty, then bear witness as the eye of certainty, to the decree of thy Lord in a Perspicuous Book.

If thou hast gazed upon the Countenance of the Divine Will [mashiyyat], both extremes are lifted from thee in the science of the two talismans. It pointeth only by origination, and its mystery presseth on toward God only by invention. It hath cut off those advanced ones at the summit of severance by a mere allusion to it; and God destroyeth the gnostics, in the majesty of inaccessibility, when they turn to aught beneath it. Such is God’s decree for the believers whom He hath made the people of the Garden of Firdaus, in justice, upon a manifest balance.

None comprehend what I have set forth—plainly, in the Word of Proclamation—save the servants of God for whom He hath ordained the Encounter in every affair of creation. Hast thou not seen, in this thy day, how the Servant of God expoundeth unto thee His verses, that the people might believe in the meeting with God?

And if thou hast looked toward the Sixth, then decide, by the judgment of thy Lord, between the two talismans—the figure of the triad and the frame of the tetrad—and be not like the Man of the Fish in a deep sea. Know that God hath forbidden the wayfarers, in the atmosphere of this air, any remembrance beside the remembrance of the Fire, in whatsoever of their states. Verily, there is none other God but He, the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.

Fill the mansions of the talismans with the Names of thy Lord as thou dost will; and let naught be witnessed therein save what He alone willeth—He Who, by thy Lord’s leave, maketh the letters shine from every side; Who coupleth the contraries and the word of tokens, and who distinguisheth between the similars in the letter of signs; and Who bringeth forth, from the benefits of the letters in the realm of effulgent splendors, that which none among the People of the Book can compass in knowledge.

This is God’s decree for the believers whom He hath established upon the Throne of Will. Take on, then, the vesture of God’s command, if thou be of the truthful.

And if he be of the folk of the heaving deep, in the heart of the might of exultation, let him know the ordinance of the triad from within his very self, and look not to what the Christians have taken from this form—the frame of the cross and the incarnation of the Godhead in the human temple. Glorified be God! Exalted is thy Lord, immeasurably exalted, above what the anthropomorphists ascribe unto Him. Read this Book of thy Lord—there is no justice except in His judgment, and God is the All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

Know with certainty that God, glorified be He, hath created that deep and what lies therein of fire whose exterior is water and interior is air, and of water whose exterior is fire and interior is fire—fire upon fire upon fire—and of air that neither the heat of fire toucheth nor the moisture of water. Thus doth God set forth parables in the Book that perchance men may be convinced of the signs of God.

Therefore have multiplicities emerged in the world of endings and beyond unto endless realms by thy Lord’s leave from that depth. And therein are passages that the wayfarer cannot traverse except by arriving at them. God hath created these passages finer than a hair and hotter than fire, and none can walk upon them save through what hath been cast unto thee by God’s leave. Take then what We have given thee and be thou of the thankful ones.

Then cast aside the paths of numbers in the houses of talismans, looking with thy Lord’s countenance upon the light of the heart in each letter thereof, unmindful of the mention of multiplicity. For when thou gazest upon them, ascent becometh difficult and perchance the rope may break unto the depths of fire where thou shalt find no escape. And if God thy Lord saveth thee through His grace, then hath the rope been knotted beneath thy feet. And verily those knots upon that delicate mountain distance thee in ascent beyond what the knowledge of limits can encompass.

Therefore rely upon God in the knowledge of talismans, that circumstances may not veil thee from the evidences. And wert thou to emerge from the decree of that depth, these verses would not be intended for thee. And I warn thee of what the Imam—may my spirit be a sacrifice for him—said in answer to the questioner:

“Thou art thou, and thou wast not thou thou, He is He.”

This is God’s decree for the people of that depth. And whoso transgresseth the bounds of God shall find no covenant with his Lord on the Day of Resurrection.

And if thou art among the believers whom God hath placed under the decree of the fourth paradise of the Word of Destiny [qada], then fill the foundations of the talismans according to the order of the descent of verses upon those white tablets.

Know thou that God, glorified be He, hath not created around that paradise any enclosure for people, and it is the Pole of Attributes in the world of Names. When God decreeth a matter, His decree is carried out and His command cannot be reversed. This is an irrevocable decree from One All-Knowing, All-Wise.

And if thou art among the people of the paradise of permission [idhn] and what lies beyond it, then take thy portion of what is now being revealed unto thee in this leaf from the share of the Book, and praise God, thy Ancient Lord, and be of the thankful ones.

Verily the Word of thy Lord descendeth not in the Book [kitab] even a single letter except by His leave, and God is the All-Hearing, All-Knowing. And verily those who believe in the signs of God recognize some of the utterance from what We have sent down unto thee in that Book, and God is the Lord of great bounty. And know that they who believe not in the world to come have not understood that which We have sent down unto thee concerning a wondrous letter. This is by virtue of that which their hands have wrought in the path of thy Lord, and God is not one to wrong any soul by so much as a grain of mustard seed. Sufficient is God as a Reckoner unto them that observe.

Know thou the decree of thy Lord in that which is cast unto thee from a noble Book, and be thou cognizant that when the Point was set in motion amidst the sciences, it did quicken the paths of truth in the ways of the known. And lo, I make mention of a sprinkling of its wisdom, that all may know God’s decree concerning every wondrous letter.

Know that God, glorified be He, hath created all things according to the stages of His action, even as the tongues of the family of God, peace be upon them, have clearly expounded in all their utterances that “naught existeth in earth or heaven save through seven: Will, Purpose, Destiny, Decree, Permission, Term, and Book.” There is no doubt that the effect can only exist in the form of the action and its stages, and that the paths of realities and attributes in every world reflect these seven.

The word of the trinity was indeed in the decree of the Book from the mystery of the Kaf in all matters, were any soul to comprehend the form of the trinity as reflected in all directions from His name. Such a one hath indeed attained the Greatest Talisman and shall behold from the bounty of his Lord that which his Master hath willed for His servant. Verily, He is powerful over all things.

The talisman of the quaternity hath reflected the word of praise, wherein God hath placed such bounty as He hath willed for Muhammad, the Messenger of God, peace be upon him, for in truth it is, in that station, a remembrance of His Beloved.

The word of the Triad pointeth to none save His Trustee, and the form of the Tetrad to none save His Well-Beloved. The conjunctions, in every rank, have been elucidated by the manifestation of their conjoining. God pronounceth judgment, for every matter, within the secret of reality according to the form of its receptivity, and in the outward frame according to what hath issued from the praxis of His friends—witnessed, along the chain of bounds, by that which the men of hearts behold of the light of their Lord, and by that which certain of the God-fearing know of the ordinances of God in the realm of nearness and remoteness.

Never hath the Command of God admitted an allegorical gloss with respect to certain letters; nay, these are perspicuous signs from the Remembrance of the Name of thy Lord—so that thou suspect not, in the verses of thy Lord, so much as a trace of wrong, and that thou mayest be of those who are assured.

This day, justice hath not been wronged by the weight of a mote; and in every affair the judgment is God’s alone, the Most High—this is inscribed. And thy very self, this day, sufficeth as a witness unto that which We have sent down unto thee.

Chapter Three: Concerning the third verse

Follow, then, the decree of that which hath been sent down unto thee concerning what thou didst ask of the Word of thy Lord, and worship God, thy Lord, upon this straight Path, that thou mayest be of the prosperous.

As to thy invocation by the pathways of the stars—and that God hath appointed the like thereof within the realm of things known—know the Ordinance of God in an eloquent Arabic tongue: Verily God, exalted be He, hath manifested Himself unto every thing through the majesty of His sovereignty. And when He willeth to disclose it, all abase themselves before His court; for it is a Light that speaketh of none save thy Ancient Lord. In this star hath it appeared, that the unitarians might sense the mystery of precedence, and that they might bear witness to the decree regarding what they—and the People of God and their followers—have wrought, and to what hath been sent down in the verses of the Qur’an from the presence of One All-Mighty, All-Wise, and in the Book as the Word of the All-Merciful: “And We ransomed him with a mighty sacrifice”; and likewise: “Cast down thy staff, and fear not; thou art indeed of those who are secure.”

What they did unto the People of God—peace be upon them—was, in truth, after the manner of al-Rida’s judgment concerning the form of the lion, and of as-Sadiq’s mention of the helpers of a¸¤usayn—may my father and my mother be a ransom for you. Such is the decree of God upon a straight Path.

And the deeds of their Shi’ih are as that which Khidr wrought with Moses (peace be upon Him), and as that which the ant apprised Solomon. All this is quickened before thy Lord by this Water; and it is an irrevocable ordinance from the presence of One All-Mighty, All-Praised. This is a real and inward mystery touching that which thou didst inquire—how the effulgence is received by the ways of the stars—inasmuch as the people of hearts have with the very eye witnessed the secret of exposition. None encompasseth the knowledge of thy Lord save what He willeth. There is none other God but He; verily He is potent over what He willeth.

And if thou desirest an answer along the lines of the bounds for the folk of the Splendors, I love not to gesture thereto. Yet since God, thy Lord, hath willed to send down the purifying Water upon those luminous spirits, We shall, by God’s leave, point to certain modes of that which the All-Merciful hath wondrously originated—the Water of Camphor: to wit, that the star Saturn answered the command of its Lord before the sun and after—albeit the sun is, beyond doubt, more excellent than it in nearness at the commencement.

Be thou, then, assured by the decree of thy Lord that Saturn is the star that accepted the testimony of Husayn ere the sphere of his grandsire, Muhammad (may God bless him and his family). Wherefore God chose it for Himself, and made the sun and the moon and the stars prostrate unto it. This is a station from which no effusion from God reacheth aught save by its leave.

He hath verily affirmed this word—whoso holdeth that it is the Word of Divine Unity. Yet His knowledge none encompasseth save as He willeth. Sufficient is the allusion for him who knoweth the loci of the Command; and the mention of the Message hath borne witness as a proof.

Chapter Four: Concerning the fourth verse

Verily, I did inscribe a recension in the city of Mecca and dispatched it unto thee, that thou mightest record therein, in that chapter, whatsoever We sent unto thee, that thou mayest be among the triumphant.

Chapter Five: Concerning the fifth verse

As to that which thou hast asked, from thine own self, concerning the paths of wayfaring and the invocations to be invoked in the days of ascent unto thy Lord upon the path of the unitarians: follow the decree of that which is cast unto thee from thy Lord, that thou mayest be of the prosperous.

If thou hast willed to journey unto God upon the straight path of the people of the Abyss of Oneness, and to enter the Garden of Eternity, then proceed from the very point whereunto this hath been conferred upon thee, by God’s leave—for this is, in the Mother Book, the straight Path of ʿAli. Bear witness with the eye of the heart, take thy portion from this inked Pen, and act for God by the secret of origination, as though thou hadst beheld naught, beside God, upon the frame of contingent being.

Indicate not unto God in any station, but be unto God according to what He hath described for Himself in the might of His pre-eternity:

“God was, and there was naught with Him—now as then.”

There is none other God but He. Glorified and exalted is He above what they ascribe.

Stand thou in that depth and bear witness unto the Truth through the unity of reality, and worship God around His beauty beyond the dawning-place of the white line from the morn of eternity in His manifestation unto thee through thee. Circle round the call of thy Lord upon the throne of His manifestation unto thee in the dawning-place of glory, unveiled from names and attributes. When thou enterest this plane, God hath made lawful for thee the description of creation, after having forbidden unto thee all names and attributes.

When thou followest this path purified from peers and similitudes, the light of glory will shine upon thee. And if thou performest any deed in that depth, God will judge it with the judgment of unity—there is naught like unto it, for it hath been told from its Lord and none in creation knoweth it save thy Lord, besides Whom there is no God, the Mighty, the Merciful.

Therefore hath God testified for the people of the Bayan that which He hath not testified for any besides them, for all save the people of that depth have no mention before thy Lord at the dawning-place of Revelation. These similitudes We set forth for men that they may be mindful of the signs of God.

Know thou that the word of the people of that depth is greater than description and explanation, more evident than allusion and exposition. If thou sayest they are the Word of Unity, thou hast associated thine own word in their description. If thou sayest “I know naught of them,” thou hast veiled thyself from the loftiness of their manifestation. If thou sayest “Glory be to God their Creator above what they describe,” thou hast attained in thy station what God hath written for thee in creation—if thou art of the people of that depth.

Otherwise, seek forgiveness of God thy Lord for making reference to the people of the Bayan. From that white line, the people of the Bayan have witnessed with their own eyes that the deed of one body among the people of that depth cannot be equaled by the deeds of the people of the seven paradises and their precincts, for these have but a shadow in the prison according to the judgment of the Book. God hath raised these servants above the shadow of peers and the striking of similitudes. None comprehendeth their station save God. Whosoever claimeth that creation hath any way to know them hath opposed God in His judgment and disputed His sovereignty, and hath incurred the wrath of God—his abode shall be hell, a wretched destination.

When a soul attaineth unto that station, it behooveth him to say at the meridian line in his prayer at the beginning of noon:

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate

O God! Thou art the Worshipped One. There is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. I have turned to Thee through Thy remembrance of me. Were it not for Thee, I would not know what Thou art. Thou art God, the Beauty of Thyself. Thou hast ever been, and none can claim to know Thee, for Thy Essence cutteth off all from the way, and Thy Being blocketh the path. O my God! Thou dost not burden any soul beyond what Thou hast given it, and I am Thy servant, less than an atom in the reckoning of Thy knowledge. I bear witness before Thee, O my God, to that which Thou didst testify for Thyself in the glory of Thine eternity before aught was mentioned, and that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone without partner, and that whatsoever is besides Thee is cut off from Thy love by the truth of creation and barred from knowing Thee by the existence of invention. How then can one bound by limitation know Thee? Glory be to Thee, O my God! No soul hath desired Thee through its own being but was veiled by the mention of its creation from itself, and all contingent things turned away from it by the decree of Thy justice.

Exalted art Thou, O my God, above what the polytheists among Thy creation describe, for the wrongdoers have claimed regarding Thy signs a great superiority. Here am I, O my Lord, confessing before Thee in this my station what Thou lovest for Thyself from among the people of the depths of love, whom Thou hast made the embodiments of Thy knowledge and the signs of Thy Lordship, inasmuch as they have not indicated anything save servitude to Thyself and the blocking of the path to Thy love, as befitteth Thee and as Thou deservest.

Verily Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, the Glory of the monotheists, the Protection of those who take refuge, the Splendor of the believers, the Ultimate Goal of the seekers, and the God of all the worlds. There is nothing like unto Thee, and Thou art the Most High, the Great. And I bear witness before Thee, O my God, to Muhammad and his family and his followers, as Thou hast willed in the glory of creation concerning them. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things and encompassing all things, and there is no might nor power except through God, the Most High, the Great.

O thou who gazest upon this leaf which hath grown from the Sinaic Tree and which speaketh forth from the Point of Praise “God, there is no God but He”—be thou assured with certainty, then be assured with true certainty, then witness with the eye of certainty that the paths of this way are formidably difficult. God hath not assigned to the people of these depths any description save their own souls, nor any station in any verse save their own realities. When they read this prayer, they witness in not a single letter thereof aught save the manifestation of thy Lord—there is no God but He. And when they look upon anything besides God, or see it before or with anything else, they have departed from being among the people of these depths, and the decree of limitation hath been written against them.

Today neither thou nor any of the believers are capable of that way, save whom thy Lord willeth. Verily, there is no God but He, the Strong, the Mighty. They are men whose existence God created before the dawn of eternity rose upon the throne of pre-existence, and they cannot be described by any decree from among the people of the Book. If thou were to describe them through the knowledge of anything or the encompassing of anything, thou wouldst have belied the power of thy Lord, for if they were to be associated with the mention of anything, they would not be among the people of that station. They are men who, when they lie upon the earth, God beareth witness concerning them above the throne of majesty from His grace and the glory of beauty from His bounty. And if anyone visiteth them upon that earth, God writeth for him the visitation of His own Self upon the throne. That is God’s grace unto them, but most people know not of the knowledge of the Book save a little.

O thou questioner and whoso looketh upon this leaf! Have you understood the decree which God has sent down concerning the people of that divine Ocean? If so, then truly you are among those endowed with knowledge, and shall be recorded as such with God. But if you know not God’s decree concerning it, then fear God and seek from His bounty, for verily God has power over all things.

Today I find none who has truly recognized the signs of God and who traverses this Path with justice. Yet God has bestowed the mercy of these verses upon His sincere servants. There is no God but He, the Possessor of great bounty.

O wayfarer upon this Path! Know that if you traverse this Path, then you shall be as you are in the knowledge of God. But if you look to any direction save the direction of your Lord in your spiritual journey, you shall descend from the highest throne to the earth of remoteness and doubt, and it shall keep you from reaching that Ocean for fifty thousand years.

Therefore trust in God and proceed upon this Path as you are commanded. Soon shall you find God, your Lord, Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful. Should you desire to journey unto your Lord to abide in the Garden of Paradise, God has not ordained your entry therein unless you behold the Manifestation of God before Him as a witness and proof.

The people of that Path see no remembrance save the remembrance of God, no description save His description, no light save His light, and no proof of His Being save His Being itself. They behold the Word of their Lord manifest in all things. These souls enter no place except that they judge with the decree of origination, gaze with the eye of light, and speak from the Tree of Sinai above the Mount of Praise—there is no God but He, the Mighty, the Exalted.

If you wish to encompass within your innermost being the mysteries of this Garden, then act according to God’s decree for His own Self in His presence. If you comprehend what I have cast unto you of the red elixir upon the green dune, perchance God will guide you rightly to His Path or bring about for you, after this decree, a new command.

Think not that you are capable, for the water of this Path is finer than the water of detachment in the glass veins of hearts. Lo, I sprinkle upon you from this water that your soul may be certain through witnessing this pure water, and that it may establish you upon this Path with true certainty.

When you pray and witness in any letter of your recitation anything other than the appearance of the All-Merciful upon the Throne through His own description, you have departed from the people of that Ocean, and God shall judge you according to what you have witnessed of the Command. Your Lord is not in the least unjust to any soul, even to the weight of a date-stone.

So purify yourself, sharpen your vision, and cast aside whatever proofs you have that are other than your Lord. Can you recite a single chapter of the Book upon this Path according to the decree of the Gate? Glory be to God, your Lord, far above what the wrongdoers describe, with great exaltation!

Yet despair not of God’s grace, for God bestows His favor upon whom He wishes as He wishes, and verily your Lord has power over all things. Strive in the path of your Lord until your soul attains its portion of your Lord’s decree. When you have purified your soul and turned away from all else but God in your inner and outer being, and observed the manifestation of God in Thy absence and in Thy presence, verily thine essential nature hath been made fit to enter that depth. Therefore place thy trust in God thy Lord, and praise Him with great praise, and worship Him as though God had created no friend besides thee. Stand firm upon the path like a lowly servant, and recite these communings after the noon prayer, both aloud and in whispers.

His Prayer in Communion after the Noon Prayer

O my God! I bear witness unto that whereunto Thy Self hath testified for Thy Self, beyond the testimony of those endued with knowledge among Thy servants, for they attain only unto a portion of creation and know naught save Thy bounty in the word of invention. Verily Thou, O my God, art self-sufficient in Thine Essence above all things. Nothing is known except through its thingness, and creation speaketh only from the station of servitude. Indeed proof guideth only him who is not self-evident, and description belongeth only to him who hath need of it. Therefore glorified art Thou, O my God! The paths of impossibility have barred creation from describing Thee in Thy presence. Which description wouldst Thou accept in relation to Thyself when it beareth witness to its separation from Thy creation?

Glorified art Thou, O my God, in the sublimity of grandeur and majesty, in the uttermost praise and might! None can reckon Thy praise as Thou art in power and glory. I confess before Thee that they who describe Thy power have likened it unto themselves, and thereby have they violated Thy signs unknowingly. Those who have claimed to know Thee—their very claim belieth them, though they perceive it not. O my God! The mention of ourselves before Thy countenance is a word of associating partners with Thee that no sin can equal, and the veiling of ourselves from the sign of Thy Self is a word of justice that no decree can match. I beseech Thy forgiveness, O my God, for all that Thy knowledge hath encompassed, and I flee from everything that hath claimed judgment apart from Thy Self.

I beseech Thee to send Thy blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as becometh Thee, and I bear witness that I have acknowledged in this my station their station as Thou willest for them. Verily Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, self-sufficient without peer or likeness. There is no power nor strength except through God, the Exalted, the Great.

Then preserve what hath been sent down unto thee in this path, for verily God thy Lord shall recompense all according to their deeds and questioneth what He doeth, and He is witness over all things. If thou desirest to journey on the path of thy Lord until thou hast purified thyself for the meeting with thy Lord in the sixth paradise, then follow what hath been revealed unto thee from the Book of thy Lord, for verily it is the manifest truth. Watch over all thy stations and be not heedless of thy Lord for less than what thy Lord’s Book can reckon. Then work in the path of Truth according to what God hath revealed in the knowledge of the Law, and know that obedience is not accepted from anyone except after judgment by the decree of his Lord, and God is mighty, wise. Then seek knowledge from the people of unity and abandon the path of limitation, for the seeking of knowledge is obligatory upon every attribute that hath paused in that station. But fear God lest conditions veil thee from the Lord of attributes, for God knoweth the souls when He taught them, and be not heedless of the inspirations of the mystery.

Verily these words have been sent down from the Tree of Command. Guard thy secret even as thou guardest what is manifest, and witness with thine own eyes how the light of utterance hath dawned upon thee at every moment. When thou observest the Command it illumineth thee by God’s leave, and when thou art heedless it removeth thee from God’s mercy through His justice. Know thou with certitude that they who tread this path face formidable obstacles and manifold trials. The seas surge forth upon the way to drown the vessel of those who look to proofs and are veiled from the face of the All-Glorious.

When thou performest deeds for God’s sake according to the ways of the people of the ocean of creation, and bearest all multiplicities as befitteth the realm of invention, and no condition preventeth thee from attaining the divine presence, then recline with certitude upon the couches that face that ocean, and turn thy face toward all things and grant each its portion. For thou art, by God’s leave, a guardian in His dominion. Verily thy Lord hath summoned the people of that station through the verses of His Self. This is the station that God hath promised to those who keep vigil at night. Perchance thy Lord will raise thee to a praiseworthy station.

Know thou that God hath inscribed with His own hands for every soul volumes concerning the path of its wayfaring.

When thou desirest to descend unto His creation, preserve thyself from attachment to aught save His love. For if thy soul findeth repose in aught besides His love, ascent unto the praised sanctuary is forbidden thee and thou art recorded among the limited ones in thy Lord’s sight.

And when thou art in the day of ascent, take the hands of all creation to journey with thee unto God. If thou strivest and the signs follow thee, then the hosts of God are under thy command. And if a single sign turneth away from thee, God accepteth from thee its judgment, for there is no God but Him, the Lord of great bounty.

If thou journeyest from the Truth to His presence, thou shalt find no suspension in God’s affairs. It is incumbent upon thee to establish the rule of divine unity among all the people of creation and invention. Thine own self sufficeth thee this day as an informed witness in this matter. And if thou desirest the greater path, journey with the eyes of creation unto the Truth, for therein all the paths of signs converge and all indications are in want, and none is self-sufficient save God thy Lord. Therefore follow this path, for the Command with Him is more evident than all else, and let no condition veil thee from the condition of any thing. This is the path of thy Lord in this way, and I find no suspension in God’s outpouring.

Watch for death in thy secret and manifest life with the vigilance of one present, as though thou wert at the moment of rising from the horizon of the unseen. Love not the people of the world, for they will veil thee from the meeting with God, and their signs will prevent thee from ascending the paths that lead to God. Speak not in any state save with humility in every station, for thy Lord is present, hearing thy call, and He turneth away from whoso showeth no shame before His face. Witness God’s judgment in every matter, such that if thou shouldst think of any judgment, God’s judgment would appear within thy soul. Wert thou to see the reality, thou wouldst not recognize the division in God’s judgment, and thou wouldst witness the judgment of Truth in all thy deeds, movements and glances, with the eye of certainty. Rejoice when thou beholdest what We have cast upon thee of the white elixir, with the eternal meeting of God, for as long as thy Lord willeth. He is powerful over all things.

Recite after the dawn prayer this prayer, that thou mayest be numbered among the successful ones.

Prayer after the dawn prayer

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate

O Thou Who hast ordained light for the morning and darkness for the decreed night, and hast perfected the paths of the servants according to what was ordained in the beginning! There is no God but Him. I bear witness before Him in this station even as His Own Self hath testified to His Own Self that there is no God but Him, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise, the All-Powerful, the All-Forbearing, the Self-Sufficient from all eternity. His attributes have never ceased to be, and He is as He is in the glory of His Essence. Nothing knoweth Him, no description from anything can grasp Him, no attribute from anything can define Him, and none knoweth how He is except Him.

Just in judgment, praiseworthy in deed, He sent Muhammad—peace be upon him and his family—to the pinnacle of creation from the midst of origination, to a station wherein his authority was purified from indication to aught else and sanctified from association with any of His servants, that people might know that their Lord, the Merciful, there is no God but Him, just in deed and obeyed in judgment, and He is the Most High, the Most Exalted. And He sent the Successors from his progeny upon this Straight Path established in truth, lest any soul should utter concerning His bounty and grace even a letter of vain discourse. Glory be unto Him! He knoweth what is in the heavens and what is on earth, and He is the Most High, the Great.

And upon this shining course did He send the Prophets and Messengers and the Gates in this light from this lamp within the glass, the glass a luminous leaf from a blessed tree, neither of the east nor of the west, kindled from the fire of God before fire touched it—light upon light. God guideth unto His light whom He willeth. There is no God but Him, the Most High, the Most Great. And may God’s blessings be upon Muhammad and his Successors, the Manifestations of ancient glory in a seat of generous honor. Glory be to God above what they describe, and praise be to God, the Lord of all worlds.

And if thou desirest to journey unto God in the land of the red sand with the nuqaba’, then travel upon this Most Great Path, the light of God in the heavens and earth, before which prostrate themselves whosoever is in the heavens and earth, and all are devoutly obedient to Him. Walk thou by God’s leave upon the holy land according to the decree of the verses of thy love for God in secret and in public, and work for God throughout the hours of night and day along the path of the Law, and witness the verses and the mystery manifested from the Truth in all that cometh upon thee in all verses. For if thou art veiled from the Truth in any deed, God will not witness for thee the work of the lovers, and thou shalt be recorded among the heedless ones.

And after completing the noon prayer, recite the word of Divine Unity fourteen times and watch thy states in every station, and occupy not thyself with aught that veils thee from the remembrance of God. And know that the greatest spiritual discipline with thy Lord is naught but the word of detachment in the midst of union. These are the bounds set by God for the wayfarers in this land, and whoso transgresseth the bounds of God shall never be able to find a way unto God. Walk thou upon this straight path, for verily the Word of the Gates hath been decreed for this way.

And if thou desirest to traverse in thine inmost reality the path of this decree, then walk upon this crimson path and hearken unto the call of the Dove in the breezes of this white morn, even as the call of the Tree upon Mount Sinai: “There is no God but He.” And walk thou in the glory of Baha upon the white earth, humbly and submissively, like unto an atom crushed at Mount Sinai when the light of the heart was revealed.

Verily this path is a light that casteth no shadow, a knowledge wherein there is no ignorance, and an eternity that knoweth no end. From the wayfarer therein are made manifest the wondrous signs of the Kingdom and the essences of the paradise of glory. No attribute of those who are remote can be associated with the description of its wayfarer, who acteth in all things as the embodiment of God’s proof, like unto a tree that hath borne fruits of the Law and calleth to the Truth without the attribute of separation or the description of lordship, but rather in the spirit of servitude.

Thus hath God detailed His ordinances for those who walk upon this path, that they might be guided by the signs of God. O thou who walkest upon this path! Incumbent upon thee is the obligation of the word of certitude and to act around the Self in the knowledge of certitude near this path. For verily it is a light in the niche that illumineth the heavens and earth through His name, and reciteth unto thee the ordinances of thy soul, that thou mightest be among the thankful ones.

This is God’s decree in that station. Think not partially of the mention of thy Lord’s name, but be thou among the grateful ones. God sufficeth thee as a helper in thy wayfaring. And if thou desirest to walk in thy outward being as in thy inward reality, traverse the four gardens according to the decree of the Four Words, without the knowledge of limitation or unity in the essence of separation, walking upon every path according to the decree of that Word, openly and secretly.

Circle thou around each one thereof as thou wouldst circle the House seven times, morning and evening. And be watchful lest Satan cause thee to forget thy decree, for verily signs will veil thee from reaching the House of Glory. And lo, I desire to complete the word in reply, and God sufficeth as a helper for the wayfarers.

Act thou in the paths of the Law [shari’ah] according to what is cast upon thee at this moment, for verily this path of thy Lord hath been in the Mother Book as straight. When the white line appeareth from the black horizon, then be thou assured of the rising of the light of thy being from the dawn of eternity. Perform thou the morning prayer upon the temple of thy love, and in the first cycle recite the Surih of the Dawn, and in the second the Surih of Abundance.

Be watchful in thy prayer lest thou depart from the presence of thy Lord’s face, for verily one who departeth from prayer appeareth in the form of an ass. Point not to anything in thy ascension save unto God, for verily pointing to aught besides God after the word of magnification is a decree of falsehood against thyself. Fear God, lest thou associate anyone with thy Lord in worship.

When thou hast finished, sit thou upon the seat of prophethood until sunrise, for verily the sustenance of hearts is apportioned in that hour, and whoso sleepeth is deprived of his portion. And after the morning prayer, recite from the Qur’an in the melody of its revelation, with sadness and tranquility, whatsoever thy soul inclineth toward, and pause at every verse as though thou wert at the brink, for God hath addressed thee in thine own tongue and manifested unto thee His signs in thy reading. Deprive not thyself of the sanctified breezes and the blessings of His manifestation. Drink thou the water of Kawthar from the hands of thy Revealer, yearning, trembling, reverently, delighting therein, as though thou wert seated upon the throne, hearkening unto the Word of God. How excellent is the station of those who recite in this path, which hath been exalted in the sight of thy Lord. If thou shouldst recite a verse each day in the manner We have imparted unto thee by God’s leave, it would be better for thee than spending all the world’s gold or endlessly reciting the entire Qur’an. This is the bounty of God which He bestoweth upon whomsoever He willeth of His servants. God is indeed the Lord of great bounty.

Observe thou the prayers of the aftermath with the Hidden Truth, and recite the morning prayer revealed by the tongue of Ali, for therein are concealed the lights of holiness, the treasured mysteries of Paradise, and the sealed verses of love. Recite it in the tongue of its Originator, for if thou shouldst recite it in thine own tongue, thou wouldst be veiled from its light. Thine own self is sufficient witness unto thee this day.

When the sun riseth, arise from thy seat and turn with a loving countenance toward thy household and those of the loved ones who enter thy presence. Speak with words of grace and glory, for thus hath thy Lord decreed in the Mother Book.

Observe thou the paths of fasting as ordained by thy Lord: from the first day of obligation in each month, fast for ten days when thou hast reached thirty years of age. When thou hast attained this station, fast half the month until thy survival reaches forty years. When thou hast attained this age, fast three days each month—the twenty-fifth day and the middle fourth day—until thou hast reached fifty years. At that point, fasting is not desired for thee except what God hath ordained for thee in the sacred month of Ramadan, wherein the Qur’an was revealed. Thus hath God detailed His ordinances in the Book aforetime, that perchance the people might be guided by Our signs.

As for thy drink, sharpen thy vision and take, by God’s might and power, in thine own hands each morning an equal portion of frankincense and clove with pure sugar, and drink a cup of water wherein hath been boiled the white leaf that cometh from China. This drink refineth nature, draweth moisture, blocketh the paths of evil suggestion, and quickeneth its drinker through the encounter with the people of truth. Therein are countless benefits for those who have witnessed with their own eyes the way of utterance. If thou desirest more than one cup, drink an odd number, for God hath loved odd numbers in all things. If thou wishest, drink milk with it when thou art afflicted with cold. This is God’s ordinance regarding thy drink after an hour from sunrise. Drink not more than what I have commanded thee, nor anything thereafter save delicate sweets, which are permitted unto thee in all circumstances.

Occupy thyself with that which God hath prescribed, and when noon approacheth, free thyself for thy Lord’s command after thou hast rested for an hour before noon. When thou arisest from sleep, cleanse thyself with justice, then purify thy body with water and perfume thyself as much as thou art able, and await thy Lord’s call.

When noon hath passed, magnify God thy Lord seven times with these words: Glory be to God! Praise be to God Who hath not taken unto Himself a wife nor a son, and Who hath no partner in His dominion, nor any protector out of weakness, and magnify Him with all magnificence.” Then recite twelve times the Surih of Tawhid, after which perform the supererogatory prayers. Verily God hath promised unto him who performeth them the Most Great Word. If the servant were to behold the bounty of his Lord, he would find that in the station of the supererogatory prayers his hearing would become the hearing of his Lord, his tongue His tongue, his sight His sight, and the command of his hand the command of His bestowal. And when he is silent, He answereth him with the most hidden call: “Draw nigh and fear not, for verily thou art among those near unto God.”

When thou hast completed the supererogatory prayers, perform the noon prayer unto the Dayspring of Manifestation in the horizon of Sinai. Stand thou there, for at that moment thy Lord prayeth. Stand and hearken unto His call:

“Holy and sanctified is the Lord of the angels and the Spirit!”

Bear witness to His beauty in the verses of thy ascension, and deprive not thyself of the sweetness of His remembrance and the nearness of His glory, for verily the worshippers have, in the presence of thy Lord, the station of nearness that hath been ordained.

When thou hast completed the prayer, glorify God thy Lord with the Greater Glorification of Fatimih the Radiant, and recite thereafter the Prayer of Praise that hath been revealed in the Scroll. Then arise without delay or interruption and perform for God the supererogatory and obligatory afternoon prayers, observing the laws of the Divine Law therein, that not an atom of thy Lord’s blessings may escape thee.

When thou hast completed thy Lord’s command, prostrate thyself before God for a long while. Then proceed to thy place and eat of God’s bounties after the afternoon prayer—seven morsels if thou art able, otherwise fourteen—and eat not more than this in thy path toward God unless thou knowest it will not harm thy inner being. Watch over thyself in thy eating that thou approach not the forbidden tree nor that which resembleth it.

Then sit in thy place, reclining on thy right side, and follow this path in the matter of food. Say “In the Name of God” at the beginning, and sit in the posture of unity, reclining on thy left side. Eat not alone, and watch over the one who sitteth with thee. Eat in the manner of thy love for the face of God, as though thou wert seated before God’s Messenger. Begin with salt and end with sweets, and praise God in thy heart and openly in every way. Rest between thy portions as though thou wert in Paradise. Such is thy Lord’s bounty. Thus hath God expounded His verses in His Book that perchance the people may be guided to the meeting with their Lord.

When thou hast finished, clean thy teeth, then use the small toothpick, then occupy thyself with what God hath prescribed for thee. Be not heedless of God’s laws in any matter, for in all that descendeth upon thee in every matter from thy Lord, take care that thou associate none with thy Lord in worship. And if thou art engaged in earning, fear God in thy path, for the knowledge of jurisprudence is obligatory for whomever desireth to earn, and commerce is not lawful for any soul among those who believe in God except with knowledge of jurisprudence. Know thou that perfection, all perfection, lieth with thy Lord in understanding of religion and patience.

O Lord! With Thy divinely ordained bounds and through life’s sustenance, thus doth God reveal His signs that perchance men may attain certitude in the signs of God. If thy labor keepeth thee from God, free thyself from thy work ten minutes before sunset, that thou mayest devote thyself to meeting thy Lord.

Perform the obligatory prayers of the night and its voluntary ones according to the ordinance of the family of God. When thou hast descended from thy ascension, drink of the invigorating beverage what thou lovest and approveth, then read from the Book of the Friends what thou willest, for therein are gates of goodness that open only through what hath been imparted to thee by God’s decree. Read not more than an hour, and when three hours of the night have passed, seek thy sustenance and eat fourteen morsels with serenity and dignity lest the sweetness of bounties escape thee. When thou hast finished eating, rest for an hour in a state of ablution, use perfume and sleep what God hath ordained for thee in slumber.

Dwell not alone, for God loveth not that state for thee. If thou sleepest alone when thou hast the means otherwise, thou hast indeed associated partners with thy Lord and thy sin cannot be excused. Observe God’s decree regarding women, for they are leaves of the Tree of Sinai. Harm them not even with a glance, for they are more honored in God’s decree in the Book than people imagine. God sufficeth as a witness over thee in thy private and public affairs. Rest an hour upon the couch, for every right hath its measure. Sleep from the beginning of the fifth hour until the end of the eighth hour.

When the last third of the night remaineth, arise through God’s might and power, and perfume thy soul for God thy Lord with joy and fragrance. Seize the days of meeting Him and fulfill His decree in the night prayer that thy Lord may raise thee to a praiseworthy station. Divide the third of the night into thirds: one third for verses, one third for stillness before God gazing upon the beauty of His manifestation, and one third for accounting thy soul for what it hath earned from the break of dawn until thy present station. Reckon with thyself as though God had appointed thee from His presence as judge and reckoner over thyself.

Such is God’s decree for the wayfarers in every circumstance. Whoso transgresseth the bounds of God shall find no covenant with his Lord on the Day of Resurrection. This is the path of God in the heavens and earth; therefore hold fast to His cord and know that God knoweth the unseen of the heavens and earth. God sufficeth as witness and helper for His servants. Verily the mention of thy Lord’s name hath detailed the decrees for the wayfarers in this thy Book lest anyone should say “Had God made known to me His signs, I would have been among the guided ones.” Exalted be God far above what the wrongdoers say with great exaltation.

Chapter Six: Concerning the Sixth Verse: Recite this prayer on the eve of Friday

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

Praise be to God, the One, the Single, the Self-Subsisting, there is no God but He, the Most High, the Most Great. O my God! Thou art He Who originateth creation through Thy power, not after any prior pattern, upon the temple of Thy love as a new creation, and Who inventeth the realities of hearts according to their receptivity without any likeness equaling them as invention. Then Thou hast established creation upon the path of Thy knowledge out of bounty and grace. To Thee be praise and grandeur for having manifested Thyself to creation through the might of Thy power, sanctified from the striking of similitudes and the portrayal of semblances.

Glorified art Thou beyond all comparison! O my God, exalted is Thy grandeur and supreme is Thy power. No rightful recognition of Thy favors is possible, nor can due acknowledgment be rendered for any of Thy gifts. Thou art He Who cannot be known in the essence of His Being, nor described in the glory of His Reality, for all else besides Thee is bounded by the limits of creation and characterized by similitude. I testify that Thou art God; there is no God but Thee. And I testify that Thy Reality, O my God, severs all from indicating Thee, and that Thy Being demonstrates the impossibility of any sign pointing to Thee through aught else but Thee. How can I describe the beauty of Thy praise when I know the path is barred to all creation and description is forbidden? The servant comprehends naught but his own existence, and creation describes naught but its own reality. How then can creation know Thee when Thou hast brought them into being from nothing, without attribute of Thyself or indication from Thy Being?

Glory be unto Thee! Far be it to imagine knowledge of Thy Essence or description of Thy eternal handiwork. Thou art He Who cannot be limited or touched, Who cannot be described or perceived. Thy Will is proven by the negation of its existence near Thy Being, and Thy Purpose is manifest in the prohibition against knowing Thee. Praise be unto Thee for making Thyself known to me in the reality of Thy Lordship, and glory be unto Thee for inspiring me with Thy remembrance in the sublimity of Thine eternity. Stillness falls short in mentioning Thy favors, and the utmost acknowledgment fails to describe Thy bounties. Thou art the Most High and nothing resembleth Thee; Thou art the Most Great and nothing equals Thy justice.

Exalted is Thy Self above description, and glorified is Thy Being beyond attributes. The descriptions of creation indicate naught but their own selves, and the realities of hearts in the heights of knowledge tell naught but of their own truths. Here I stand in this station, confessing my powerlessness and shortcoming. I have not known Thee as Thou makest Thyself known to me, nor have I worshipped Thee as Thou callest me to worship Thee. Thou hast ever been the One God, the Gracious, the Mighty, the Supreme. Nothing can match Thy gift, and nothing can equal Thy favor. Praise be unto Thee through Thine own Self-praise, for no sign from Thy creation can ascend unto Thee. O my God, Thou didst create me when I was nothing, and nurtured me in the worlds of Thy love through the hands of Thy mercy—a bounty I deserved not in the least.

Praise, majesty, grandeur, and glory be unto Thee as befitteth Thy Being in the creation of attributes and the origination of conditions. Thou art worthy of glory and beauty, and Thou art the Great, the Exalted.

O my God, grant me through Thy bounty, in this sacred month, perfect detachment unto Thee in the Sacred House. Draw me through Thy holy fragrances to the seat of glory and majesty, and inspire me with the signs of Thy love in every condition, according to Thy all-encompassing knowledge, that I may enter the precincts of Thy nearness and acknowledge before Thy presence that which Thou didst reveal unto me on the day of Thy creation through the light of Thy call. I bear witness that there is no God but God, alone with no partner, Single, Self-Subsisting, Everlasting, Unique, Who hath taken neither consort nor son, and Who hath no description from creation. There is no God but He. Nothing is like unto Him, and He is the Mighty, the Wise. O my God, the sublimity of Thy favor is manifest and unchanging, and the greatness of Thy bounty is eloquent and unhidden.

Thou didst create me when I was not worthy of mention, and didst bestow upon me Thy bounties though I deserved them not. Thereafter I remember naught save my disobedience, and behold naught but Thy beneficence and forbearance. O my God! How can I speak of myself and my transgressions, knowing that my very existence before Thy face is the greatest sin, which no fire can equal? Glorified art Thou, O my God! By Thy might and majesty, and there is no power nor strength except through Thy power, I have loved naught in any matter save Thy love, and have desired no countenance but Thy countenance, even after I had earned the signs of remoteness through mention of life, and destiny had prolonged it through execution—a justice from Thy judgment which hath no equal, and an equity from Thy command which hath no likeness.

Alas! Alas! For that which Thy knowledge hath encompassed concerning my soul’s indications toward the depths of grandeur, and its evidences apart from the ocean of oneness, and its repose in other than the face of identity, and its nearness to less than the glory of everlasting existence. Alas! Alas! For what the Book records of the transgressions of signs from my soul, of what it relates apart from the nature of Thy unity, and what it indicates other than the attribute of Thine eternity.

By Thy truth, besides which there is no God, if Thou shouldst desire to pronounce just judgment for the recompense of what my soul hath earned through negligence of Thy command in Thy presence, verily the pillars of creation would be filled with fire, and my body would exceed the palaces of power in invention, and naught would remain from the heat of Thy wrath. Glory be to God, the righteous Lord, the compassionate! Nothing can turn away Thy wrath save Thy pardon, and naught can deliver me from Thy anger save Thy clemency.

Unto Thee be praise—radiant, resplendent, hallowed and sanctified praise like unto the glory of God’s praise of His own Self—praise that excelleth all things even as God excelleth all created things. And unto God be praise from His inspiration—praise that filleth the heavens and earth with justice and giveth unto every rightful one a preserving book.

I beseech Thee, O my God, by Thy bounty, to send down upon Thy Beloved and His family from the breezes of Thy might and the signs of Thy glory that which Thou art the Originator of, and hast ever been worthy of. I beseech Thee, O God, to bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad with the conditions of the days of Thy creation, according to that which Thy knowledge encompasseth. Verily Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, self-sufficient in essence and just in attributes. None of the gifts of all creation can compare with any of Thy bestowals, and nothing from the servants can equal the signs of Thy love.

I beseech Thee, O God, by Thy bounty, to send peace upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad—the places of Thy knowledge, the stations of Thy love, the mines of Thy grandeur, and the pillars of Thy unity—as Thou art worthy and deserving thereof. And I bear witness, O my God, in this station of mine, to the excellence of Muhammad and His family as Thou willest, through what Thou willest. None can encompass Thy knowledge, and Thou art powerful over all things.

And I confess before Thee, O my Lord, in this supreme scene and this mighty station, that Thou, from the loftiness of Thy Self which nothing can attain unto, hast made Muhammad and His family the seat of Thy knowledge, the source of Thy authority, the treasury of Thy knowledge, the signs of Thy power, and hast ordained for their souls the place of Thy will, and for their conditions the repository of Thy desire, inasmuch as Thou art verily none other than God, hearts cannot comprehend a single aspect of Thy power, minds cannot grasp the least of Thy signs, and the most penetrating visions cannot encompass any of Thy traces. There is no God but Him, and He is beyond what the Book hath described of the inability to describe Him:

“No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp is over all vision; He is the Subtle, the All-Aware.”

O my God! The waves of the oceans of Thy love surge forth through the might of Thy Being, and the paths of detachment shine forth for the people of humility before the gate of Thy mercy. I beseech Thee by the transcendence of Thy Being and the nearness of the people of Thy Cause—who have no likeness except unto themselves and no similitude except through God’s power in their manifestation—to make all conditions as one condition in Thy presence, and all signs as one sign before Thy countenance. For the Face in every condition is through meeting the face of Thy Proof, son of Thy Proof, Muhammad ibn al-Hasan, by Thy leave and the decree of Thy power, Possessor of Ancient Grace and Wondrous Judgment.

I beseech Thee, O God, to send Thy blessings and peace upon Thy Vicegerent who stands by Thy Command, who is hidden by Thy permission, and who awaits Thy promise, through every attribute with which Thou hast praised Thyself. Fulfill for him what Thou hast promised him, hasten the days of his sovereignty, and manifest the days of his Word. Verily, Thou hast power over all things, art near and worthy to answer prayer. There is no power nor strength save in God, the Exalted, the Great. Praise be to God, the Lord of the Worlds.

Recite this prayer at the beginning of each month, for I have recited it by God’s leave in the Sacred Land in the year 1261, and at the beginning of each month:

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

Praise be to God Who hath permitted the sign of His sovereignty in this year to rise upon His servant in the Holy Land, the Sacred Sanctuary, the Land of the Two Sanctuaries, that people might know the creative Word in all places through the judgment of their Lord. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Wise. O my God! I bear witness before Thee on this day, the first hour of the new year of the wondrous day, as Thou lovest for Thyself and for those whom Thou hast placed in the station of Thy love among all the people of creation, that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Nothing is like unto Thee, and Thou art the Self-Sufficient, the Most High.

O my God! Through Thy making Thyself known to me, I have known the paths of detachment in Thy love, and through Thy calling me to Thy Sacred House, I have witnessed the ways of the impossibility of knowing Thy Self. Glory be to Thee, O my God! Thou art He Who cannot be known or limited, Who cannot be described or felt, Who cannot be touched or experienced, Who cannot be described by any attribute of creation or referred to by any name of circumstance. Glory be to Thee! Thy Essence is sanctified from being known by anything, and Thy Being is exalted above anything indicating it. O my God! Verily, Thy presence testifies to separation from knowing Thee and complete severance from loving Thee, for Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thou hast ever been, and there was naught else with Thee. All creation indicates limitations, so how can Thou be described by that which hath no mention before Thee? Glory be to Thee above what the anthropomorphists ascribe to Thee in Thy verses.

O my God! This is the month in which Thy Proof, son of Thy Proof, Abu Abdullah Al-Hussein, was slain. From the heights of Thy mercy, Thou hast cast upon all things at the rising of this month’s moon the garment of grief, that all atoms might tremble with the trembling of those who love Thee on the day of meeting, content with the sacrifice of their souls to exalt Thy word of unity and establish the straight path in Thy way, that all might attain that portion of tragedy in sincerity of heart.

I beseech Thee, O my God, to send Thy blessings upon Thy Proof, the Martyr in Thy path, as befits Thy praise and glory, and to bestow upon those who were slain before him on the Day of Ashura in this month such honor and bounty as Thou deemest worthy. And bestow Thy blessings upon those who journey to visit Thy Proof and who follow the path of Thy love to behold Thy face, and upon those who remember him with tears and who sob in the path of love for him, seeking Thy countenance, as Thou lovest for Thyself. Verily, Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, the All-Powerful, the All-Knowing. Thou judgest as Thou pleasest and doest what Thou willest.

I beseech Thee, O my God, to punish those who showed enmity to Thy Beloved and warred against Thy Friend as they deserve in justice. Verily, Thou art just in bounty and obeyed in judgment. There is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. I beseech Thee, O God, to protect me in this month from following vain desires and to strengthen me at every hour with the remembrance of Thy Proof, son of Thy Proof, with weeping for him. Verily, Thou art the Lord of favor and generosity.

Glorified art Thou, O my God! If people knew the excellence of remembering Thy vengeance, they would not be content with any remembrance save his, nor with any station save weeping for him. Therefore, O God, send Thy blessings upon him and upon those who love him as befits Thee. Verily, Thou art the Most High, the Great.

Verily, we are God’s and to Him we shall return. There is no power nor strength save in God, the Most High, the Great. Glory be to God, the Lord of the Throne, above what they describe. Peace be upon the Messengers, and praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.

Chapter Seven: Concerning the Seventh Verse

Follow the decree that hath been sent down to thee now from a gracious Book. As for what thou hast asked about the knowledge of entering the sanctuary of Hussein, purify thyself from all that veils thee from the signs of thy Lord, then follow what is revealed to thee from the Book of God—there is none that can change His words, and thou wilt find no refuge beside Him. Know that when the Dove singeth in the spirits of those Tablets, then shalt thou see the dawn approaching. Then know that thou canst not visit Hussein except as God, thy Lord, willeth. Verily, He is the Strong, the Mighty.

O concourse of the people of the Kingdom! Remember your Lord when the Light shineth forth with radiance and the Fire gloweth in the Lamp and the Tree speaketh in Sinai “God, there is no God but He.” For such as this let the unitarians enter into the depths of oneness, and this verily is the mighty triumph.

And if thou wouldst visit thy Ancient Lord with the visitation of the inmates of the Eighth Paradise, then make thy whole being a qiblah unto His Self—be not sundered from thyself for thyself. After thou hast gazed upon the Face of thy Lord through His Face, without likening thy soul apart from His Self, enter—by God—into the Meeting of Oneness, and hearken unto the Call of the Tree from the face of the Identity, and take thy station in the glory of pure servitude, wherefrom the face of Lordship is not separate. Purify thy heart from the allusions of contingent beings, then magnify thy Lord at the dawning-place of the white line from the face of the green Tree upon every face from among the paths of Reality—without reference to the sources of qualification, or letter from the essences of being, or thing from the station of the Divine Essence, or likeness in the throne of existence. Say: Yea, by my Lord! There is no God but He, the Most High, the Most Great.

O noble visitor! Enter through the gate of Divine Law, maintaining inseparability from thy Lord’s decree concerning that which is manifest and that which is hidden. For the supreme honor with thy Lord is that the Tree of Sinai should appear in the ultimate particle of manifestation. Cleanse thyself in the realm of the heart with the waters of majesty—without allusion thereto, nor unveiling thereof, nor description of its countenance, nor attribute of its name. These allusions are but examples for those among you possessed of understanding, who prostrate themselves before the signs of God. Then cleanse thyself at the Throne of Grandeur through the remembrance of thy Lord in His Own Self, without any aspect save the revelation of thy Lord in the glory of His Essence through the reality of servitude. Then descend to the station of the Divine Seat and purify thyself before all creation through the remembrance of thy Lord within thyself, from the sublimity of station and the knowledge of utterance.

I counsel thee, O human one, that in this sea during the cleansing many creatures have drowned, for therein every condition is mentioned, and in its heaven every star is fixed, and the winds of stillness from its people descend at all times. Verily the waves of the sea surge with affairs, and therein are whales from the shadow of reflections, rising at times to the horizon of heaven and descending at others to the depths of the sea of creation. I counsel thee, O thou who hast attained to the Glory, preserve thyself lest thou be drowned in those surging depths.

O ye people of the realm of blindness! Whosoever desireth to cleanse himself in this bitter sea, it is incumbent upon him as a duty of sincerity not to allude to anything besides his Lord, nor to anyone by his own hands as a gift from among the people of that deep, save by His leave. Enter by God, the Worshipped One, and cleanse yourselves for the sake of God, the Intended One, and emerge in the name of God, the Living, the Worshipped One.

Then descend to the heaven of Decree and cleanse yourselves in its sea, the ocean of the water of origin. Know ye that every station whereupon ye arrive is a world like unto this your world, wherein is everything. Fear ye God and dwell not in any matter save by God’s decree, for whoso tarrieth in any station without his Lord’s leave hath in that moment dwelt in the fire, if thou seest with the eye of certainty thou shalt witness what We have cast upon thee in the knowledge of certainty.

Then emerge therefrom and enter the fifth paradise, and know that therein are many rivers flowing by thy Lord’s leave in a land of red ruby. Take thy stand by the fourth river and cleanse thyself with the water of wine, for it is lawful unto whoso desireth to visit Hussein for His sake. And drink not from the rivers that flow therein. Then he was killed, thirsty, on the Day of Permission. Speak not of its people, for nothing equals the station of Him Whom thou hast intended, and all before Him are among the lowly.

Then go forth by God’s leave and enter the sixth depth, and wash thyself with the yellow water that floweth from beneath the white tree which beareth red leaves. Draw not nigh unto the tree, nor take of its fruit, for it is forbidden thee until thou visitest thy Ancient Lord.

Then enter the seventh sea and wash thyself by thy Lord’s leave. Then emerge, drawing as near as thou art able to every condition, for if thou hearest from all thy stations the call of the Dove on Sinai “There is no God but Him,” then thou hast attained what was cast unto thee from thy Lord’s Book. Know thou that thy arrival in those seas is less than the effacement of manifestation. Seek forgiveness of God, thy Lord, from excessive limitation. Glory be to God above what they describe! Verily in these similitudes are signs for those who desire God and His friends, and who are among those who bow down.

When thou hast completed the stations of thy glory, wash thyself in this knowledge, if thou art able, with the water of the Euphrates—if not, then with what is permitted thee in the Book regarding all that hath been revealed through the tongues of the family of God to the people of the Bayan.

When thou art finished, don the finest raiment God hath created for thee on this day—the day God hath permitted His servant to meet Him. Magnify thy worth and walk with dignity and awe as though thou wert in God’s presence. If God findeth in thy heart any trace of polytheism, His countenance will not reach thee. Watch for His creation with every step, for the servant in every condition falleth short to such a degree that were God to punish him with all His power, he would deserve it through God’s justice—God is greater than the justice of God which nothing can withstand! Glory be to God above what they describe!

When thou arrivest at the gate of the first sanctuary, pause and magnify thy Lord God as thou turnest thy face toward His face, and say:

“O my God! I have sought Thee through Thyself and desired Thy proof through that wherewith Thou hast called me by Thy mercy. For Thou, O my God, knowest my secret and my manifest self. Send down upon me Thy blessings and preserve me, as I face Thy presence, from referring to aught else but Thee. Verily Thou art the Self-Sufficient, the Gracious. Nothing in the heavens or earth can overcome Thee, and Thou art powerful over all things.”

Then enter into the word of unity, then walk with crimson tranquility and white dove-like serenity, and know that with each step thou drawest near, a fire is kindled in thy secret self, and as thou approachest the shrine, the fire of manifestation intensifieth. How excellent for the visitors is this station which hath been elevated before thy Lord! Magnify God in thy walking until thou reachest the gate of the portico. Pause and seek permission regarding the sanctuary and its people, and glorify thy Lord’s name before the gate seventy times. Then enter with effaced verses and manifest signs, for if in that station thou callest to mind any remembrance save the remembrance of thy Lord, the angel will cry out “Return! For it is forbidden in the presence of nearness to one who hath a grateful countenance!” Then walk in pure remembrance of God alone, cleansed from reference to aught but thy Lord.

When thou reachest the sanctuary gate facing the shrine, pause, magnify thy Lord one hundred times, then recite this prayer:

O God! Thou art Peace, from Thee cometh Peace, and unto Thee returneth Peace. My soul was drawn unto Thee through Thy remembrance, and were it not for Thy remembrance, I would be as nothing. Verily Thou hast called me unto Thy sanctuary, and were it not for Thy call, no glory would have been created. Here am I, O my God, at this station of Thine. I bear witness that there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. None knoweth Thee as Thou art except Thyself. Verily Thou art the Great, the Most High.

I bear witness unto Muhammad, Thy Beloved, as Thou didst bear witness unto Him through Himself on the Day of Creation, when Thou didst create Him for Thyself, purified from all reference to aught else but Thee. There is no God but Thee, the Mighty, the Bestower.

I bear witness unto the successors of Thy Beloved—Thy blessings be upon them—as Thou lovest concerning their station. Verily Thou art the One Who hath power to do what Thou willest as Thou willest. Thou art the Great, the Most High.

I bear witness unto those who love Thee as Thy knowledge hath encompassed them. Thou knowest all things and nothing is hidden from Thee in the heavens or on earth. Thou dost encompass all things.

O my God! I bear witness that the sanctuary is Thy sanctuary and the station is Thy station. Grant permission to Thy servant to enter, for if Thou were to grant permission according to justice, I would have been turned away from Thy station on the day of approach. Far be it to think of Thee thus—I know naught of Thee save bounty and grace. Grant permission through Thy bounty and from the decree of Thy servants from whom Thou hast made permission obligatory. Verily Thou art the Generous, the Forbearing.

Thou art God. There is no God but Thee, the Glory of them that profess Thy unity, the Protection of them that seek refuge in Thee, the Splendor of the believers, the Ultimate Goal of them that seek Thee, and the God of all worlds. There is nothing like unto Thee. Verily Thou art the Most High, the Great. There is no power nor strength save in God, the Exalted, the Mighty.

Say: In the Name of God and by God, and there is no judgment save God’s. In Him do I place my trust and unto Him do I turn.

Then enter the sanctuary of Husayn with fear and tranquility, as though thou wert approaching the Throne of thy Lord. When thou enterest the sanctuary, stand in wonderment, gazing toward the direction of thy Manifestation on the Day of Creation, without lifting any veils or making any gesture, until thy soul returneth to the station of security. Walk five steps, then stand and magnify thy Lord seven times, then say:

“Peace from God, besides Whom there is no God, be upon Muhammad, Ali, Fatimih, Hasan, Husayn, Ali, Muhammad, Ja’far, Musa, Ali, Muhammad, Ali, Hasan, and Muhammad, the Master of the Cause, as befitteth Him and as He deserveth. Verily there is no God but He, the All-Praiseworthy, the All-Glorious.”

Then say:

“Peace be upon thee, O Abu-ʿAbdu’llah, and the mercy of God and His blessings. How can I describe thee, O my Master, when I am certain that all paths of existence are blocked before thee, and all attributes of things in thy presence return unto themselves? I cannot reckon thy praise—thou art as thou hast praised thyself. None knoweth how thou art save God Who created thee and made thee a manifest leader unto all worlds. Here am I, acknowledging in my station before thee as thou desirest for thyself from the people of creation and what is created from the wisdom of thy Lord, verily there is no God but Him, the Mighty, the All-Wise. And I testify that mentioning myself before Thee is the greatest sin—how then can I compare it to a description that has acquired yet another sin? Glorified be God, the Single, the One, above what those who make comparisons describe of Thy Self without knowledge of the Book. Exalted is God above what they associate with Him.”

Then walk from the feet of the man, delighting, enraptured, remembering the meeting with God upon the Throne, until thou reachest the direction of the back.

There pause and greet the martyrs with what God hath caused to flow from thy tongue. Then pray what thou willest facing the tomb. How excellent is thy station, a seat of truth, noble, with a mighty, powerful King.

Blessed are they who pray facing the Face with the face, and God is mighty, wise. O people! Dwell near the Crimson Tree and hearken to the call of the Tree of Sinai from the right side of the Mount—there is no God but Him, before Whom all creation must bow down.

Dwell not in the sanctuary save with spirit and fragrance, unveiled from the Face of Glory by Beauty. Point not to thy Lord’s station in His decree, and walk not above the head, for it is a mighty seat wherein I see no existence for any soul. And verily in the days of God when thou wert in that land, thou never approached this station. Beware, beware lest thou dwell in God’s sanctuary with desolation, or persist near the Face of God without the Face of Glory in repose. Know that thy nearness is but a step—thou hast no escape save that distance which thine eye cannot see.

When thou hast finished the prayer, depart from before the feet and be conscious of thy Lord’s decree in the sanctuary before Him. For there the Balance is set, Paradise brought near, Hell set ablaze, and every soul judged according to what it has earned. All this is a decree from thy Lord. Rejoice in the presence of the Face with the face, and fear not separation at the seat of union, for God’s grace is greater than what people know.

Know that the first to visit Husayn was God, his Lord, besides Whom there is no God. And at all times the Command has been as it was, and God’s decree in any matter cannot be changed. O visitor in the presence of the Face, thou meetest with the Face, and therefore it was revealed in God’s Word that “whoever visits Husayn, knowing his station, is as one who has visited God upon His Throne”. So know thy worth and deprive not thyself of thy portion in the days of thy life, for a soul upon the path of visiting him or visiting the gates of thy Living Lord equals not the dominion of the last and the first.

Know that the paths to knowing the Essence and visiting Him are sealed. Nothing can know Him, nor can He be described by anything—glorified and exalted is He above what they describe. He created Muhammad and his successors from the summit of creation by themselves, without any proof besides them, and created creation from the beauty of the reflections of Fatima’s glory, without any likeness to her glory. Creation describes naught but themselves, and the signs from servants point only to their own realities. How then can one who exists within the bounds of time and the attributes of limitation know their Lord, besides Whom there is no God? He is sanctified above all similitude and none knoweth His nature save Him. None hath known Muhammad except His own Self, and none hath described Ali except His own Countenance. Whoso saith “He is He” hath distinguished all things from His decree, and whoso saith “how is He” hath made creation His likeness. Glorified and exalted is He! None knoweth how He is except Him. Sovereignty hath endured unto its station and creation hath ended in its form. The way is barred and the quest rejected. The proof of the Lord is His signs, and the existence of creation is His affirmation.

When thou hast understood what I have imparted unto thee of the crimson decree, then greet the gate of thy living Imam—may my spirit be a sacrifice for him, and again a sacrifice—through that which God’s knowledge hath encompassed—then a sacrifice for his gates. Know thou that he is the same one who fulfilled God’s decree in his lifetime and returned to the countenance of his Lord. For the glory of his sacrifice, for the love of his sacrifice, unto the meeting with God.

When thou desirest to visit him, know thou the decree of the word of glorification and its cornerstone. Then stand before the foot of the shrine, tranquil and reverent, by thy Lord’s leave. Then magnify God forty times. Then bear witness for God and His loved ones as God hath inspired thy heart. Verily He is the Strong, the Mighty.

Then say: Peace be upon thee, O Gate of God! Peace be upon thee, O Word of God! Peace be upon thee, O Light of God! Peace be upon thee, O Countenance of God! I bear witness that thou art the Most Great Gate and the Peerless Word and the Most Just Tree. Thou didst convey God’s Command and complete God’s decree. May God reward thee, O my Master, from thy pure kindred as befitteth Him and as He deserveth. Verily there is no God but He, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy.

I bear witness before thee, O my Master, that thou didst manifest the Word of Justice and expound the decree of the Tree of Sinai and that which was sent down unto thee from thy Ancient Lord. May God’s blessings be upon thee from thy Lord, besides Whom there is no God, the Most High, the Praiseworthy.

I bear witness, O my Master, in this my station that I have believed in God and His signs and have followed the lights that were sent down from thee in preserved tablets. Bear thou witness for me on the Day of Resurrection before thy Lord, for thou hast an honored station.

I bear witness that they who opposed thy signs in thy days shall never attain to a single letter of the Book’s knowledge. These are in manifest error. Glorified be God, the Lord of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them, above what they describe. Peace be upon the Messengers, and praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.

When thou hast completed thy task, return unto thy dwelling place and repose upon the seat of thy glory. Then greet the brother of Husayn at his resting place with that which God hath cast upon thy heart. Know thy station whilst thou art in that hallowed land, and deprive not thyself of God’s bounty. Be vigilant in thy private and public affairs, lest thou be veiled by any earthly concern. Be mindful of the days of thy hardship in seeking sustenance, for verily, he who hath attained the presence of God’s countenance is independent of attention to others.

For thee is permitted that which hath been revealed in the judgment of the Book, even as was practiced by the Pure Household. Such is God’s decree in every sacred sanctuary where the family of God hath fallen. Act according to that which thou art commanded, render thanks for that which thou art asked, and preserve that to which thou art called from the remembrance of God, for this is indeed the supreme triumph.

I have detailed in the Scroll of the Knowledge of Pilgrimage the pathways for visiting the family of God, by God’s leave, in truth, upon a mighty and praiseworthy path. Should God will to manifest it, then follow the judgment of what hath been revealed therein, for it is the manifest truth. Thou art well aware that most people shall not be able to visit thy Ancient Master upon this difficult and formidable path.

But God, thy Lord, hath willed to reveal verses from the inmost heart of the Tablet for whomsoever desireth to remember and is among those who prostrate themselves. Despair not of God’s mercy, but place thy trust in God and beseech His bounty, for God, thy Lord—there is no God but He—bestoweth favor upon whomsoever He willeth, as He willeth, and God hath power over all things.

God hath ordained in the Book that all believers should transcribe the verses of that Scroll, that they may be guided by Our signs and abide on the straight path—save he who expendeth in the path of God even an atom’s weight of that which his hands possess, by inscribing the verses of remembrance in golden ink upon gilded pages. Unto him will God, thy Lord, grant tenfold the like thereof, and in the world to come there awaiteth him from Our presence a magnificent reward.

Verily, God hath expounded His verses and perfected His testimony through that Book in truth. Behold! This indeed is the supreme triumph. And verily, there is no God but He, the Powerful, the Mighty. Glorified be God, the Lord of the Throne, above all that they ascribe unto Him. We have, in truth, sent down the Scroll for a people who act with justice. And praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.